Beside the bugs and instability, the interface more cumbersome the previous versions.
When you said you were going to create a single window IDE type interface, we did not expect that was meant for each and every suite you had open. When develop across at a minimum of three suites per test log (script) this interface design hinders our productivity far more than it helps.
And why can you no longer right click items in the suite panel? Having to select the item and click the option gear then select the option you want is a complete step backwards from what it was prior.
[EDIT] This is a bug only relating to Mac OS X 10.6.
It maybe this is better for some for different reason or maybe some users feel the same but I would really like to hear what other users feel about the latest version.
The issues you’ve reported are not universal among users of V12. Our support staff will be happy to work with you to resolve your specific problems and determine how to correct the issues you’re seeing.
The right click (contextual menu) functionality is present and working on most systems, in addition to the gear menu. This is apparently an issue with Mac OS X 10.6 systems only, which we are working on finding a solution for.
The single window per suite interface in V12 significantly reduces the number of windows in use for most users, while being close enough to the previous layout to remain familiar. If you have specific ideas for additional improvements we’d be happy to hear them. We always appreciate input on any aspect of eggPlant’s usability.
Thank you for the reply and I am trying to work with support on the application issues I am experiencing and resolving some of these may change my personal opinion on the new interface, but as it stands its not stable enough to make the switch on my development machine or out controllers we use in our offices.
On the interface side I would have much rather liked to have seen a real IDE like interface, which was what were expecting. For an idea of what I’m talking about just look at Visual Studio, IntelliJ, Net Beans, Eclipse, or Mono Develop. These all give you a tabbed environment where each open file is in the same window and can all be parts of different projects/solutions.
[quote=“KyleW”]
On the interface side I would have much rather liked to have seen a real IDE like interface, which was what were expecting. For an idea of what I’m talking about just look at Visual Studio, IntelliJ, Net Beans, Eclipse, or Mono Develop. These all give you a tabbed environment where each open file is in the same window and can all be parts of different projects/solutions.[/quote]
The new interface can be re-arranged in whatever manner you like.
Even in the same style as VS or Eclipse.
IMHO: This is an automation tool, not a development tool thus I would NOT expect the same look and feel as an IDE. If you want to develop in VS, Eclipse or any other “development” IDE then go ahead and code in those IDE’s and use eggPlant Drive to run your code.
Using Eggplant Drive would be a great alternative but that would split our code base into multiple languages making harder to maintain and rewriting our current scripts would take far too long. Also raising the learning curve for anyone new that joins us so we prefer to keep it all native. The reason for requesting an IDE like interface is because they are fairly good and managing large projects and we treat our automation library like a single project. We have 320+ suites with over a 1000 scripts, then add the amount if images and test data to that. Some large scale software engineering project would make this look small but with the right IDE it is easily manageable. We get by with what we have and we like Eggplant, its a good tool, but just like most things it could be better.
I find the 12.01 IDE to be an improvement over previous versions when running eggPlant on Windows 7. The complication is that I like the version 10/11 IDE better when running eggPlant on OS X.
Question for eggPlant developers: would it be feasible to add an option that allowed the user to start the v12 eggPlant IDE in “v11 mode”, so that the classic eggPlant IDE could still be used by those that prefer it?
The internal changes to eggPlant in V12 were more fundamental than it might appear, so we can’t just add a switch you could throw to have it go back to working like V11. However, there may be things we could do to help satisfy your need if you can be more specific about what exactly you are looking for.
For example, if what you want is to have each script open in a different window, you can basically achieve that now (with a certain amount of effort on your part) by dragging each new script tab out to create a new window, and possibly collapsing the left-side lists. Those two capabilities in V12 (dragging tabs out to make new windows, and collapsing the left side) allow you to create a set of windows similar to what you had in V11. Since that capability exists, it might be possible for us to add an “open scripts in new windows” switch to save you the trouble of dragging tabs out by hand.
Please understand that’s just a theoretical example, not an offer to provide such a feature. But we are always interested in hearing what our customers need, so if you can be clear and specific about what you want we will definitely take those feature requests into consideration as we work on future enhancements.
Thanks Doug, I will try out the v12 tab-dragging feature you mentioned. I do appreciate TestPlant’s efforts to respond to customers requests with new features/versions, not to mention bug fixes.
The new UI is an improvement. But, also wasn’t what I was expecting. I to was expecting a eclipse like IDE. The number of windows I have open was reduced, but would have liked to see the unified window approach with no additional windows being opened. I appreciate the effort though.
On a side note, is there a way to embed the “Last Run” window within the same window of the current script being run? Basically, I don’t want it to be a separate window. Even if a new tab was opened with the “Last Run” content displayed would be great.
