Tender for Automated a11y based UI testing (#201512-04)
The Document Foundation (TDF), the charitable entity behind the world’s leading free office suite LibreOffice, seeks for companies or individuals to
design and implement Automated a11y based UI testing into the LibreOffice code base
to start work as soon as possible.
TDF looks into investing into a Python based, cross-platform LO testing framework which
- Allows concise UI tests to be written in a simple manner
- Provides coverage of as much LO UI functionality as possible, preventing regressions and supporting future refactoring work
- Can be targeted to a selection of historical LO versions in order to help track down existing bugs (preferably at least back to the 4.1-4.2 region)
TDF is looking for an individual or company to, as a turnkey project, design and implement the following:
- Upgrade PyUNO to make it easier to work with overall
- e.g. https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/#/c/16272/ , https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/#/c/16780/ , commit 33776d143fabc1b6e91a6bad54899e9f33ca2320
- Implement a Python UI introspection library which mimics the Dogtail tree API but targets UNO directly
- Fill in gaps in the UNO accessibility API to allow testing
- Implement a helper which (less efficiently) provides most of the upgraded PyUNO features when running against an older LO instance, to support using the framework to isolate regressions
- Implement a ‘git bisect’ test runner which automates running a given test against a bibisect repository
- For certain areas which can’t be covered by the cross-platform UNO accessibility API (e.g. native dialogs), provide a helper to simplify running tests using original Dogtail against LO on Linux
- Implement functional tests for UI functionality in all components
- Implement tests for a selection of open bugs
- Visibly document how to use the system, and encourage people to start committing ‘executable bug reports’ and other tests
Required Skills
C++ Programming language for the LibreOffice client part
Other Skills
English (Conversationally fluent in order to coordinate and plan with members of TDF)
TDF welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
As always, TDF will give some preference to individuals who have previously shown a commitment to TDF, including but not limited to members of TDF. Not being a member, or never having contributed before, does not exclude any applicants from consideration.
The task offered is a project-based one-off, with no immediate plans to a mid- or long-term contractual relationship. It is offered on a freelance, project basis. Individuals and companies applying can be located anywhere in the world.
TDF is looking forward to receiving your applications, your financial expectations (name the final price for the turnkey project), and the earliest date of your availability, via e-mail to Florian Effenberger at floeff@documentfoundation.org no later than January 29, 2016. You can encrypt your message via PGP/GnuPG.
Applicants who have not received feedback by March 1, 2016 should consider that their application, after careful review, was not accepted.