The Generic Recording Framework (GRF) provides an extension point (org.eclipse.hyades.test.core.Recorder) to contribute a recorder.
Contributed recorders appear in the Generic Recorder Wizard (File >> New >> Other... >> Test >> Test from Recording).
Since some consuming products may not want to display all of the contributed recorders, a new mechanism is required to filter the recorders that appear in the Generic Recorder Wizard when it is started.
This mechanism would improve the usability in consuming products is by reducing user confusion by filtering similarly named recorders. For example, users may pick the wrong recorder and be missing functionality, such as handling digital certificates.
Proposed Design:
An extension point would filter a list of recorders from appearing in the Generic Recorder Wizard (File >> New >> Other... >> Test >> Test from Recording) based on their unique identifier(s).
This extension point would include the following properties:
Unique identifier
Name
Sequence of zero or more unique identifier(s) of recorder(s) to be filtered
If a version of TPTP does not package a recorder identified in this extension point, it is ignored.
An annotated schema would provide user documentation for this extension point.
The extension point would be implemented and packaged by the consuming products.
The extension point would not be implemented and packaged by TPTP.
Concerns:
In a mixed environment (for example, more than one consuming product contributing an implementation of this extension point), filters need to be managed so the user experience is the same for all applications sharing the same Eclipse shell. For example, one consuming product's filters should not alter the recorders contributed by another application.
The user cannot enable/disable a recorder.
Consuming products cannot enable/disable a recorder from different entry points. Different perspectives or capabilities may want to enable a different set of recorders. For example, starting the Generic Recorder Wizard from the file menu (File >> New >> Other... >> Test >> Test from Recording) or from a custom perspective.
Alternative Design:
Change the name and description of the TPTP URL recorder to reduce user confusion when displayed with similar contributed recorders.
Isolate the implementation of the org.eclipse.hyades.test.core.Recorder extension point for the TPTP URL recorder to a separate and optional plug-in and feature. Consuming products can disable or remove this feature.
Optional Enhancements (not required for this enhancements):
Provide an API for starting the Generic Recorder Wizard with a list of unique identifier(s) for the recorders that would not appear in the wizard. Consuming products would call this API from their own entry point (for example, custom perspective). Starting the Generic Recorder Wizard from the file menu (File >> New >> Other... >> Test >> Test from Recording) would display all of the recorders. This API would be used when opening the Generic Recorder Wizard from the Recorder Control view in the Test Perceptive.
Provide a preference panel for users to control what recorder appear in the Generic Recorder Wizard (similar to Eclipse Activities which are too coarse grained for this application only supporting views, editors, perspectives, preference pages, property pages, menus, toolbars, and new project wizards).
Provide an extension point or API to create a new Test Perspective specific to a tester scenarios (for example, one or more test types).
