One of the top issues I find when trying to automate applications is how to test custom controls. I know I’m not the only one; one of my most popular posts is on what to do when UFT doesn’t recognize an object. I believe one of the most overlooked solutions is to actually contact the custom control vendor to ask whether they have a solution to the problem..

In this episode we’ll speak with Michael Germann from Infragistics about custom control automation using IG TestAutomation. Michael will share all kinds of tips for testing unrecognizable objects with UFT and RFT as well as general extensibility best practices for testing custom controls.

Today we’ll be test talking with Paul Grossman, AKA the “Dark Arts Automation Engineer” about his five secrets of test automation. I’ve been following Paul for a long time on Linkedin, Facebook and other automation boards. He’s always posting useful test automation tips and tricks to help out the testing and automation community, so it was great to finally speak with him -- and he did not disappoint. I think you’re really going to enjoy this episode. Check it out!

I love open-source tools. Sometimes, however, a team might not have the skills needed to create a proper test automaton framework, or else the technology the team is working with doesn’t lend itself to being a good fit for an open source test tool.

I’m a big believer in teams using the right tool for their projects, even if it means the tool they select is a vendor tool. One vendor-based tool I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about is Ranorex.

In this episode we’ll be speaking with Roland Enzinger and Christoph Preschern about test automation for those who use Ranorex.

In this episode we’ll Test Talk with one today’s most well- respected testing authors and speakers, Lisa Crispin. Lisa shares with us some of her favorite Agile testing techniques, including how mob testing can help your team rub out bugs one defect at a time, as well as how your team can benefit from testing group hugs. Lisa’s mission is to bring Agile joy to the software testing world and testing joy to the Agile development world, and I think it really comes through in this episode.

What better way is there to celebrate a milestone than speaking with a living legend? Gerald Weinberg has been developing and testing software for over 50 years, and was one of the engineers who worked on the first American NASA space program (Project Mercury), where he designed and implemented the space tracking network focusing on the first multi-programmed operating systems.

Jerry has also written more than 30 books including some of my favorites: Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method, Perfect Software And Other Illusions About Testing, and Becoming a Technical Leader.

You don’t want to miss this episode – it’ll be like listening to a real Obi Wan Kenobi … or Yoda!