17 Things To Try When UFT Does Not Identify an Object

QTP First

While testing on any app, make sure QTP is opened first and then your application. QTP works by hooking into your application. If you open QTP after your application has started there are chances that QTP may not be able to identify objects.

Load relevant Add-ins

Make sure you have loaded ALL the relevant add-ins required for your Application Under Test (AUT).

Record and Run Settings

While working on web based applications, make sure Record and run test on any open browser is selected under Record > Record and run settings.

BHO Manager

Make sure BHO Manager in IE under Tools > Manage Add-Ons > Enable or Disable Addons is enabled.

Enable Extensions

If you are working on Firefox or Google chrome browser, don’t forget to enable browser extensions.
In case of Firefox go to Firefox menu > Add-ons > Extensions and enable Unified Functional Testing Extension .
For Chrome go to Tools > Extensions and enable Unified Functional Testing Agent.

Disable Protected Mode

In IE, clear the Enable Protected Mode option under Tools > Internet Options > Security

User Account Control(UAC)

UAC was introduced in Windows Vista and continued in Win 7 and Win 8/8.1. UAC can interfere with your application. It is a good idea to disable it while working on QTP.

• To turn-off UAC in Windows 7, go to Start Menu > Search for “Change User Account Settings” > Disable UAC
• To turn-off UAC in Windows 8/8.1, you need to take help of registry. UI setting doesn’t truly turns-off UAC in Win 8/8.1. Hit Win + R key, type regedit and click OK. Navigate toHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\SystemFind the key: EbableLUA and change the Value Data value to 0

Zoom Level

Make sure the zoom level is set to 100% while testing in any browser. Check the illustration below on how zoom-level affects highlight object functionality in QTP. (Focus on the blinking black rectangle on the left once the Highlight button is clicked on the right.)

A shortcut key to get back to 100% zoom is Ctrl + 0 (that’s zero).

.Object Notation

There are times when identification properties are not enough to identify an object. You may make use of native properties in that case. Use .object notation to locate the erring property. Make sure to correctly identify it.

Low level recording

After you have exhausted all options you can try Low level recording. It’s not a good method from maintenance point of view but it may come handy at times.

My QTP has worked for ages identifying objects correctly, stopped working since yesterday

If something like that has happened probably there is some change in your browser or UFT software itself. Try to disable auto-updates on machines where QTP is installed.

Type property for WebButton class

If you’re testing cross browser, don’t use Type property to identify Webbutton class since the default value is different for IE (button) and Firefox (Submit).

Object with dynamic properties

If QTP was successfully able to identify object at record time but unable to identify the same object during replay time, there are chances that object properties are dynamic in nature. Make use of regular expression or parameterization to handle those dynamic values.

Version of Browser and Windows OS

Make sure the version of QTP you use supports the version of your browser and/or your Windows operating system. Check the complete UFT vs browser support matrix and UFT vs Windows support matrix.

Pop-up Window not identified?

Check this article

Install relevant patch

In case your application version is not supported by the version of QTP, keep an eye on various patches that HP comes up with from time to time. Check the complete support matrix of QTP/UFT with various technologies. We strive to keep this up-to-date