UI testing via Reflection in .NET

When doing UI testing of Win Form with .NET, there is an easy way to automate it. It is reflection in .NET.

There is a tool integrated in VSTS, named Spy++, using it you can get any win form caption in your desk.

Following are the code for UI testing by reflection, key code refered <<.NET Test Automation Recipes: A problem-Solution Approach>>, all codes Copyright by Qijie Xue(v-qixue@microsoft.com)

using System;
using System.Threading;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Text;

namespace WinFC
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Qijie Xue
    /// Writed at 8/13/2011
    /// </summary>
    public class FormClass
    {
        static AutoResetEvent are = new AutoResetEvent(false);
        const BindingFlags bindFlags = BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.NonPublic | BindingFlags.Static | BindingFlags.Instance;

        #region get, set, invoke methods
        /// <summary>
        /// Get Form property
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="theForm">the form you want to get property</param>
        /// <param name="propertyName">the property name of the form</param>
        /// <returns>the value for the property of the form</returns>
        delegate object getFormPropertyHandler(Form theForm, string propertyName);
        public object GetFormPropertyByPropertyName(Form theForm, string propertyName)
        {
            if (theForm == null)
                return null;
            if (theForm.InvokeRequired)
            {
                getFormPropertyHandler phandler = new getFormPropertyHandler(GetFormPropertyByPropertyName);
                object result = null;
                object[] oparams = new object[] {theForm , propertyName};
                result = theForm.Invoke(phandler, oparams );
                are.WaitOne();
                return result;
            }
            else
            {
                object result = null;
                Type t = theForm.GetType();
                PropertyInfo pi = t.GetProperty(propertyName);
                if (pi == null)
                {
                    are.Set();
                    return null;
                }
                else
                {
                    result = pi.GetValue(theForm, null);
                    are.Set();
                    return result;
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Set Form Property
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="theForm">the form you want to set property</param>
        /// <param name="propertyName">the propery name of form</param>
        /// <param name="newValue">the new value of this propery you want to set</param>
        delegate void setFormPropertyHandler(Form theForm, string propertyName, object newValue);
        public void SetFormPropertyByPropertyName(Form theForm, string propertyName, object newValue)
        {
            if (theForm == null)
                return;
            if (theForm.InvokeRequired)
            {
                setFormPropertyHandler setHandler = new setFormPropertyHandler(SetFormPropertyByPropertyName);
                object oparams = new object[] { theForm, propertyName, newValue };
                theForm.Invoke(setHandler, oparams);
                are.WaitOne();
            }
            else
            {
                Type t = theForm.GetType();
                PropertyInfo pi = t.GetProperty(propertyName);
                if (pi == null)
                {
                    are.Set();
                    return;
                }
                else
                {
                    try
                    {
                        pi.SetValue(theForm, newValue, null);
                    }
                    catch
                    {
                        //it's a invalid value for this property
                        return;
                    }
                    finally
                    {
                        are.Set();
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Get Control property
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="theForm">the form which the control belongs to</param>
        /// <param name="controlName">the control name which you want to get</param>
        /// <param name="controlPropertyName">the property name of the control you want to get</param>
        /// <returns>the value for the property of the control</returns>
        delegate object getControlPropertyHandler(Form theForm, string controlName, string controlPropertyName);
        public object GetControlPropertyByPropertyName(Form theForm, string controlName, string controlPropertyName)
        {
            if (theForm == null)
                return null;
            if (theForm.InvokeRequired)
            {
                getControlPropertyHandler getHandler = new getControlPropertyHandler(GetControlPropertyByPropertyName);
                object result = null;
                object oparams = new object[] {theForm , controlName , controlPropertyName };
                result = theForm.Invoke(getHandler, oparams);
                are.WaitOne();
                return result;
            }
            else
            {
                Type tForm = theForm.GetType();
                FieldInfo fi = tForm.GetField(controlName, bindFlags);
                if (fi == null)
                {
                    are.Set();
                    return null;
                }
                else
                {
                    object theControl = fi.GetValue(theForm);
                    Type tControl = theControl.GetType();
                    PropertyInfo pi = tControl.GetProperty(controlPropertyName);
                    object result = null;
                    if (pi == null)
                    {
                        are.Set();
                        return null;
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        result = pi.GetValue(theControl, null);
                        are.Set();
                        return result;
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Set Control Property
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="theForm">the form which your control belongs to</param>
        /// <param name="controlName">the control name you want to set value</param>
        /// <param name="controlPropertyName">the property name of the control</param>
        /// <param name="newValue">the new value you want to set for the property of the control</param>
        delegate void setControlPropertyHandler(Form theForm, string controlName, string controlPropertyName, object newValue);
        public void SetControlPropertyByPropertyName(Form theForm, string controlName, string controlPropertyName, object newValue)
        {
            if (theForm == null)
                return;
            if (theForm.InvokeRequired)
            {
                setControlPropertyHandler setHandler = new setControlPropertyHandler(SetControlPropertyByPropertyName);
                object oparams = new object[] {theForm ,controlName , controlPropertyName , newValue  };
                theForm.Invoke(setHandler, oparams);
                are.WaitOne();
            }
            else
            {
                Type tForm = theForm.GetType();
                FieldInfo fi = tForm.GetField(controlName,bindFlags );
                if (fi == null)
                {
                    are.Set();
                    return;
                }
                else
                {
                    object theControl = fi.GetValue(theForm);
                    Type tControl = theControl.GetType();
                    PropertyInfo pi = tControl.GetProperty(controlPropertyName);
                    if (pi == null)
                    {
                        are.Set();
                        return;
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        try
                        {
                            pi.SetValue(theControl, newValue, null);
                        }
                        catch
                        {
                            //it's a invalid value for the property
                            return;
                        }
                        finally
                        {
                            are.Set();
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Invoke a Method, such as "button_click" event
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="theForm">the form which the method belongs to</param>
        /// <param name="methodName">the method name you want to invoke</param>
        /// <param name="parameters">the parameters the method needed</param>
        delegate void invokeMethodHandler(Form theForm, string methodName, params object[] parameters);
        public void InvokeMethod(Form theForm, string methodName, params object[] parameters)
        {
            if (theForm == null)
                return;
            if (theForm.InvokeRequired)
            {
                invokeMethodHandler invokeHandler = new invokeMethodHandler(InvokeMethod);
                object oparams = new object[] {theForm, methodName, parameters};
                theForm.Invoke(invokeHandler, oparams);
                are.WaitOne();
            }
            else
            {
                Type tForm = theForm.GetType();
                MethodInfo mi = tForm.GetMethod(methodName, bindFlags);
                if (mi == null)
                {
                    are.Set();
                    return;
                }
                else
                {
                    try
                    {
                        mi.Invoke(theForm, parameters);
                    }
                    catch
                    {
                        return;
                    }
                    finally
                    {
                        are.Set();
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        #endregion

        /// <summary>
        /// To launch the Application under test(AUT)
        /// return the Form
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="appPath">the path of exe file</param>
        /// <param name="formName">the form name of which you want to get</param>
        /// <returns>the form you want to get</returns>
        public Form LaunchApp(string appPath, string formName)
        {
            Form theForm = null;
            if (!System.IO.File.Exists(appPath))
                return null;
            string theFormName = formName;
            Assembly ass = Assembly.LoadFrom(appPath);
            Type tForm = ass.GetType(formName);
            if (tForm == null)
                return null;
            theForm = (Form)ass.CreateInstance(tForm.FullName);
            if (theForm == null)
                return null;

            AppState aState = new AppState(theForm);
            ThreadStart ts = new ThreadStart(aState.Run);
            Thread theThread = new Thread(ts);
            theThread.IsBackground = true;
            theThread.SetApartmentState (ApartmentState.STA);
            theThread.Start();
            return theForm;
        }
    }
    //this is a wrapper class for ThreadStart method call
    class AppState
    {
        Form theForm;
        public AppState(Form form)
        {
            theForm = form;
        }
        public void Run()
        {
            Application.Run(theForm);
        }
    }
}