After learning you can’t easily use tests created in Selenium IDE (in HTML format) with Selenium RC to point tests at multiple browsers, I figured I had no choice but to rush out and learn a scripting language.

But after some research, I came across Sauce Labs, and realized it was THE perfect jump off point for me. I could use Sauce IDE to generate the tests I needed, point Sauce RC at the HTML files that contained the test steps, and run those tests against different browsers.

The following will guide you through the process of utilizing Sauce RC to run HTML tests created in Sauce IDE. If you haven’t already done so, please download and install Sauce IDE and Sauce RC at http://saucelabs.com/downloads.

After you’ve played with/learned Sauce IDE and have a test you want Sauce RC to handle, you will have to save the “test case” and “test suite” as HTML files in order for Sauce RC to work with them.

This is where the issues began…

Saving the “Test Case” CORRECTLY:

1. From the Sauce IDE “File” menu, select “Save Test Case” or “Save Test Case As…”

2. Navigate to the directory that you wish to save your test case in.
2a. Make sure that you manually add the “.html” extension to the file name.
2b. Make sure that you select the “HTML Files” option from the “Save as type:” box.

You’re done saving the “Test Case” portion of the files required. Next, we save the “Test Suite” files in pretty much the exact same way.

Saving the “Test Suite” CORRECTLY:

1. From the Sauce IDE “File” menu select “Save Test Suite” or “Save Test Suite As…”

2. Navigate to the directory that you wish to save your test suite in.
2a. Make sure that you manually add the “.html” extension to the file name.
2b. Make sure that you select the “HTML Files” option from the “Save as type:” box.

You’re done saving the “Test Case Suite” portion of the files required.

Next we move on to showing Sauce RC where to find the files to run from. (If you know a little about HTML, you can look at the two files you just saved in an HTML editor. You will see that the TestSuite.html file is linking to the TestCase.html file.)

Showing Sauce RC where the files are CORRECTLY:

1. On the “HTML Suite” tab of Sauce RC we are going to fill in the required information.

1a. “Suite File” must be filled in with the exact path to the file we designated in the second step titled, “Saving the “Test Suite” CORRECTLY:”

1b. “Result File” must contain a path to a directory WITH a file name at the end of the path that includes the “.html” extension. If you simply input the path and FULL filename, Sauce RC will create the “Result File” for you at run time.

1c. “Start URL” must match what’s in your test case.

1d. “Browser” – well that’s just self explanatory…

The following screenshot is an example.

So, there you have it! You should be able to hit run and watch as Sauce RC runs through your test script in the selected browser. Hopefully this helps, and if you run into any issues and get other answers, please share in the Sauce forums. Chances are we’re all looking for an answer when we are just starting out!

Here is a partial list of changes:

• Experimental HTMLSuite support for local Selenium RC mode
• OnDemand mode loggging
• Log highlight
• More efficient log retrieving
• Improved preferences validation
• Upgrade to jquery 1.4.2 and jquery UI 1.8
• More stable web server (CherryPy based)
• Ensure clean uninstall
• Many bug fixes.

And here’s a video, recorded by our very own robots using Selenium and Sauce OnDemand:

Using our new public job feature*, we can share the video and you can even see the full job results page for the test that recorded the video. Feel free to tweet and share with anyone!

* Go to any of your jobs and above the video, you will find a “Make Public” link ;)

Hoping you all find this useful, we created a web interface for anyone to configure Sauce RC from the browser, on the same machine or even remotely!

Here’s a video of Sauce RC in action. We hope you download and enjoy it!

Sauce RC is Sauce Labs’ commercially supported version of Selenium RC that includes simplified install and administration. Sauce RC is backed by a dedicated team of engineers to ensure bugs are fixed promptly and new browsers are supported.

Congratulations and thanks to Adam Goucher for his effort in making this happen in record time.

This is big news for several reasons:

• For the first time ever, Mac OS X Snow Leopard users can use Selenium RC, the underlying technology in Sauce RC, on the full range of supported browsers
• Google Chrome Beta was released for Mac OS X yesterday;  Sauce Labs is shipping Sauce RC support for Google Chrome Beta today.
• Sauce RC brings the same easy-to-install, easy-to-operate benefits to the Mac that Windows Sauce RC users already enjoy.

And of course Sauce RC is available for Windows.  Both Sauce RC versions can be used with Sauce Labs’ Sauce OnDemand cloud-hosted Selenium service.  The combination makes it unprecedentedly easy to use Selenium RC and get immediate access to cross-browser testing on ten (10) popular browsers, including Google Chrome.

Here’s a brief screencast showing how incredibly easy it is to install and use Sauce RC:

Sauce Labs will open the code for Sauce RC following the beta period.  Users interested in the Sauce RC open source release should follow this blog or follow @saucelabs on Twitter.

Download Sauce RC for Mac.