FireFox's Extension Manager

 

Summary

In the extensions menu of FireFox, a user can select an extension by single-clicking on it. Once an extension is selected, if the user attempts to view the properties of any other extension, the properties for the previously selected extension will still appear.

Application Description

Mozilla's FireFox is an Internet browser available for Linux, MacOS, and Windows. At the time of writing this presentation, FireFox was still pre-1.0 (meaning that it was still a preview release for testing purposes).

Test Design

This example demonstrates the use of Combination testing. In Combination testing, we test two or more variables at the same time. We do this type of testing both to observe variables in conjunction (so as to verify their interoperability) and to increase the productivity of our testing. For example, by testing three different variables together, we can verify whether any one variable has a damaging effect on the others and we can also verify that all three variables work correctly.

FireFox Internet browser utilizes a method of expanding the functionality of the main browser with Extensions. Extensions allow the download for the main browser to be very small and quick. The user can later add in exactly what s/he wants by visiting the extensions page and downloading the features in which they are interested.

In this presentation, we are testing the extension menu by combining multiple tests. We are testing multiple extensions, focus changes, and properties menus. What we expect from the program in this test is that it will correctly recognize that, even though we have one extension selected, that we are now working with a different extension. It is important that the application notices our change in focus and responds appropriately.

Performing the Test

  1. Open Mozilla FireFox.
  2. Click on Tools->Extensions to open the Extensions menu:

  3. The extension menu appears with the first extension selected:

    The DOM Inspector is the selected extension here. We can tell it is selected because it has a slightly darker background.

  4. Select the second extension by single-clicking on its title:

    Here, a mouse-browsing extension is selected: All-in-One Gestures.

  5. With the second extension selected, click on the question mark on the DOM Inspector extension to bring up the "About" box:

Results/Relevance

The DOM Inspector is automatically selected by clicking on the question mark in the DOM Inspector extension, except the wrong "About" box appears: All-in-One Gestures. Even though we clicked on the "About" box for the first extension, the second extension's "About" box appeared.

What is most important to understand with this bug is that, unlike many other bugs, this bug could not be reliably found through many other techniques. With Combination testing, we take the standard features and start combining them. Where other tests would have looked at each of the extensions individually, we selected one extension and worked with it in combination with others, locating a well-hidden bug.

Similar Tests/Additional Notes

More information about the bug in this presentation can be found in Mozilla's Bugzilla database.

During this time before FireFox is officially released, it is a Software Testing student's dream-come-true. Explore this pre-release software from many different testing angles and take advantage of this excellent showcase of beta software while it is available.

Configuration Notes

Testing Mozilla's FireFox v0.9.1 on:

Created 16 July 2004 for the CSTER

All images and written material ©Copyright Sam Oswald 2004

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