# Communicating with running process / acceptance-testing GUI apps

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/communicating-with-running-process-acceptance-testing-gui-apps/184677>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 6, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/communicating-with-running-process-acceptance-testing-gui-apps/184677 "2010-03-06T15:23:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sean\_DeNigris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sean\_DeNigris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Sean_DeNigris)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/communicating-with-running-process-acceptance-testing-gui-apps/184677/1 "2010-03-06T15:23:27Z")

</div>

Hi list,

Does anyone have a method for interacting with a running Ruby  
process? Specifically, I want to launch a Ruby app using a wxruby  
GUI, and then somehow drive it from cucumber. I tried non-Ruby  
solutions like Mac applescript GUI scripting to no avail.

Google produced a lot of info on irb and gdb, but I can’t see how (if  
it’s even possible) to extend those techniques to what I’m attempting.

The only thing that seemed promising was wx-nobbie, a gem that can  
test wxruby apps, but it runs all tests against the same instance of  
the app, which does not work for me.

Thanks!

Sean

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sean\_DeNigris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sean\_DeNigris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Sean_DeNigris)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/communicating-with-running-process-acceptance-testing-gui-apps/184677/2 "2010-03-08T04:21:43Z")

</div>

On Sat, Mar 6, 2010 at 8:22 AM, Sean DeNigris [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> The only thing that seemed promising was wx-nobbie, a gem that can  
> test wxruby apps, but it runs all tests against the same instance of  
> the app, which does not work for me.

Do you mean you want to test the GUI component of it? I don’t know  
anything firsthand about that, but I just noticed a book at Border’s  
called \_ Scripted GUI Testing with Ruby\_.

[http://www.amazon.com/Scripted-Testing-Ruby-Pragmatic-Programmers/dp/1934356182/ref=sr\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268018319&sr=8-1](http://www.amazon.com/Scripted-Testing-Ruby-Pragmatic-Programmers/dp/1934356182/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268018319&sr=8-1)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sean\_DeNigris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sean\_DeNigris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Sean_DeNigris)\
**Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/communicating-with-running-process-acceptance-testing-gui-apps/184677/3 "2010-03-08T05:49:32Z")

</div>

> Do you mean you want to test the GUI component of it?  
> Well, I want to drive the app through the GUI, but not simulating  
> clicks and keys. Something like being able to call methods on my  
> controllers or maybe fake gui events. The key is to be able to  
> interact with the objects in a running process.

> I don’t know anything firsthand about that, but I just noticed a book at Border’s  
> called \_ Scripted GUI Testing with Ruby\_.  
> I read the book. It was good, but the strategy on Mac was Applescript  
> GUI which only works on accessible components (e.g. Cocoa). I’m  
> testing wxruby, which doesn’t seem to respond.

Thanks.

Sean