Automating Myself Out of a JobTore Franzen

GR Dev Day

March 21, 2015

Real World Example

Why Automation?

*Warning: Graph not based on real data

Overview•Auto Code Generators

•Test Automation

•Continuous Integration/Deployment

•Automating Your Life

•Real World Cases

•Practical Advice

SCADESafety Critical Application Development Environment

C Code Generated from SCADE

Code OptimizationIt's just like compiler optimization!

Control Logic and State Machine Example

Control Logic and State Machine Example (If Block)

Control Logic and State Machine Example (State Machine)

Debugging with SCADE

Other SCADE Features• TCL API

• Simulation We don't need hardware to start prototyping and testing

• Model Coverage

• Design Verifier Prove that certain requirements are met

• Rapid Prototyper Wire IO to a GUI

UML To Code Generators

Winform Example

Template Tools

Whoa, Code Generators are Everywhere

Yes, They Are Everywhere•Win Forms/WPF (almost any drag and drop GUI creator)

•Entity Framework

•Matlab/Simulink

•Wolfram

• LabVIEW

•Template Processors

Pitfalls•Memory Management

•Less ControlNo OO in SCADE

Limited Interfaces

•Metrics

Continuous Integration/Deployment• Jenkins

• Team Foundation Server

• CruiseControl[.NET]

Testing Automation•Mock Frameworks

•VS UI Test Framework (Coded UI Test Project)

•Randoop Uses Fuzzing to generate unit tests

•PexCodeDigger

Pex/Code Digger

Testing with Specialized Hardware• Always try to find hardware that can do it for you (NI)

• Control Power

• If it doesn't exist, make it (or find someone who can)

• It is usually more expensive for someone to sit there flipping switches manually

Testing Remotely•Don't make your testers be next to the machine

•Don't make the tester hit more than one button

•Do allow time sharingOr write a program that does

•Do provide feedback

Other Automation Tools•Windows Task scheduler

•Batch File

•Visual Basic Script (VBS)

•Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

•Windows Power Shell

•AutoIt

AutoIt

The Power of Automation

If This Then That (ifttt.com)

If This Then That (ifttt.com)

Tasker (Android App)

Yahoo Pipes

This is Why I Automate

Step By Step Guide

Enovia

What A Document Update Looks Like• Create a "Engineering Change Order" (ECO) Document

• Promote "Change Document" to "working"

• Create a Route/Signature loop

• Create an Engineering Order

• THEN the real work can begin

• Once finished, we kick off the Route

Where Do I Start?• Login

•Find the Document

•Change the view to "Change Management"

•Create and add the ECO

•And on and on and on....

Search and Select Document

Switch View in Document

Change Management View

Create Change Document

Selenium to the Rescue!Its not just for testing!

Selenium Setup

Low Level Functions

Low Level Functions

Navigating Frames

Turning Pages into Classes

Although Selenium Was Great, I Did Have Problems…

Things That Didn't Work So Well•Hovering

• IFrames (not Seleniums fault)

•Timeouts

•Personal reservations about using xpaths

This is How I Set it and....Forget it

WAS/IS Creation• Problem: Had to create a WAS/IS for every Problem Report (Change Request)

What to Do?•Open DOORS programmatically

•Run a DXL script to filter on PR and Print using WAS/IS view

•Upload PDF print out to PR System (MKS)

Open DOORS Programmatically

Print to PDF

Send to Change Request System

Practical Advice•Use the Right Tools for the Right Job

•New Languages

•OS Native

•Personal History

Practical Advice•Consider Configuration Debt

•100+ options

•Are you the only one that can run it?

•Without a batch/script file?

Practical Advice

•Embrace the CLI

•Customize

•Pass data using redirected pipes/IO, environment variables, shared memory or shared file

Practical Advice

•Don't go Shaving Yaks

•Keep the focus on what you're trying to automate

•Don't get lost in the forums

Practical Advice•Don't Ask for Permission, Just Do It

•Politics

•Share the wealth

Practical Advice•What to Look For...

•Someone connects the dots

•Something that has to be done on a recurring basis

•You find yourself saying "anyone can do this"

Bonus Productivity Tips• Shortcut (Hot Key) Frequently used items Ctrl + Alt + C => Calculator

Ctrl + Alt + S => Snipping Tool

Ctrl + Alt + I => Internet Explorer

• Get familiar with keyboard shortcuts within programs Visual Studio

Notepad++

Vim/Vi/Emacs

Microsoft Office Products

etc...

You Stay Lazy, Grand Rapids Programmers

Thank You•Questions?

•My NameTore Franzen

•Twitter@ToreFranzen

Further Reading•The Productive Programmer - Neal Ford

•The Pragmatic Programmer -Andrew Hunt & Dave Thomas

• Images retrieved from the following sources:

• http://www.engineersgotblued.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/rube-goldberg-machine-from-getty-images.jpg

• https://i.imgur.com/7j15tXU.jpg

• https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uqVqYFvzgoY/maxresdefault.jpg

• https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Billy_Mays_Portrait_Cropped.jpg

• http://www.quickmeme.com/img/7a/7ac6c18b1bca53b88bbd8cd25a68a327396adce14cb999a7d7130cf76b07a4c6.jpg

• http://ockhamsbungalow.com/blog25/gnome.jpg

• http://thelistlove.com.gridhosted.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/162.jpg

• http://www.seleniumhq.org/images/big-logo.png

• http://c3e308.medialib.glogster.com/media/4a/4a6332fa6761c5e093ffb54d036c69594d8d6e06e2c1890d857f23cc6f0e73f5/selenium-meds.jpg

• http://www.gameshowgarbage.com/Pictures/DAOTW/DAOTW%201-28-2012%20Pic%2013.png

• https://ionari.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/ionari365-0521.jpg?w=590&h=590

• https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/5b/d3/0e/5bd30e9ece87c56a7d263866ece0b3b2.jpg

• http://th05.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2011/186/2/2/bestest_friend_hugs_ftw_by_megbeth-d3l33q7.jpg

• https://xkcd.com/979/

• http://sonsonthepyre.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Arnold-do-it-now.jpg

• http://selfdefense4newbies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/WTF-binoculars.jpg

• https://i.imgur.com/FFmFzxJ.jpg

• http://www.coachoflove.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ron-burgundy-2.jpg