What are the two GUI Map modes available in WinRunner?

When the winrunner executes a test it actually simulates a real world human user by the means of carrying out user like interactions such as clicking GUI objects, moving cursor over the application and entering some input from the keyboard. 

- In order to work with an application, the winrunner needs to learn the graphical user interface of the application just as a human user would do. 

- This learning of the GUI is achieved by the winrunner by learning the GUI objects present in the application along with their properties. 

- The descriptions thus learnt are stored in the GUI map.

But before your winrunner starts learning about the GUI of your software system or application you must decide in what way you need to organize all your GUI map files. 

Winrunner offers two modes for organizing your GUI map files namely:

1. GUI map file per test mode
2. Global GUI map file mode

In this article we take up the talk regarding the gui map file per test mode and global gui map file mode in detail one by one. 

About Global GUI Map File Mode

- This is the default mode in winrunner. 

- This mode is quite advance from the second mode i.e., the GUI map file per test mode so it is recommended that this mode should be used by the much experienced testers. 

- Further, you must take care that you use this mode only when the tests have been created with winrunner versions 6.02 and earlier. 

- Organizing the tests in to groups while designing the test suites is perhaps the most efficient way of working with the winrunner. 

- Same GUI objects in the application should be tested by each test in the group. 

- The information regarding the GUI objects referred by those tests is stored in a common repository. 

- Whenever you have a change to be made in the object you just have to give an update of this in the GUI map as well as in the test scripts instead of making changes to each and every test. 

- It may happen in some cases that even after your winrunner has learned all about the GUI of your software system or application it may not show all the objects in its comprehensive list. 

- Therefore, it is important that the winrunner learns every about the GUI of your software system or application in a comprehensive way.

About GUI Map File per Test Mode

- This mode is especially for the ones who are new at using the winrunner since it is quite easy to be used as you do not need to know how actually the GUI map files are created, saved or loaded. 

- However, care should be taken that the tests created on winrunner versions 7.0 and above as they can only be handled using this mode.

- The plus point of this mode is that your time is saved since you don’t have to teach the winrunner regarding the GUI of your software system or application. 

- In this mode, every time you create a new test, the winrunner creates a new GUI map file.

- Similarly, whenever you save a test, the winrunner saves the test scripts.

- Whenever you open a test, the winrunner opens up the corresponding GUI map file. 

However there are some minus points also! 

- There are some features that do not work under this GUI map file per test mode.

1. The rapid test script wizard.
2. Option for reloading the temporary GUI map file.
3. Mytntt startup becomes unable to load the GUI map files.
4. Compiled modules become unable to load the GUI map files.