V1.2 beta, released today, targets support for more dynamic applications and ease of use. The following new features were added:
1. Cache Control section in the navigation tree.The Cache Control section allows configuring a mix of virtual users with respect to their browser cache and session management behavior. If cache control is enabled, it allows configuring:
- the percentage of the new vs. returning virtual users;
- the percentage of virtual users restarting browsers on subsequent iterations ( vs. continuing to use the same browser session).
If the cache control is disabled, StresStimulus emulates a case where:
- All VUs are using browsers with disabled caching (all requests will be sent);
- All VUs are restarting browser on the 2-nd and subsequent iterations, so browser sessions do not persist across test iterations.
2. Browser recorder add-on to create more accurate test cases.Click the record test case button to launch Internet Explorer with the StresStimulus Recorder add-on. In IE, complete navigating web pages and click "Stop" to close IE. The recorder will set the test case automatically. Using the Recorder assures that test cases are complete and free from many errors.
The most common issues fixed by the StresStimulus recorder:
- The beginning portion of the navigation scenario is missing from a test case. The first request is not a primary request. This issue reduces the accuracy of load tests.
- The process of establishing application and browser sessions is not captured. This can cause multiple server errors during the load test because StresStimulus does not have enough information to correctly maintain a session's integrity.
- Unrelated requests from other open applications captured by Fiddler are included in the test case. This issue reduces the accuracy of the load test.
3. An option to selectively clear browser cache in the Recorder to increase accuracy and reliability of the load testing. When the test case is recorded with primed browser cache, not all relevant requests will be included into the test case. Additionally, if tracking cookies are cached before recording started, the test case may not correctly reflect handling of new website visitors. The recorder fixes these issue by automatically and selectively removing unwanted cached resources.
4. Progress bar enhancement.When the test duration is set to the number of iterations, the progress bar displays the number of started and total allocated iterations side by side.
When the test duration is set to a certain time limit, the progress bar displays the elapsed and total allocated time side by side.
v1.2 beta is available for download here.