Locator Attributes for Identifying Silverlight Controls

Supported locator attributes for Silverlight controls include:

automationId
caption
className
name
All dynamic locator attributes

Note: Attribute names are case sensitive, except for mobile applications, where the attribute names are case insensitive. Attribute values are by default case insensitive, but you can change the default setting like any other option. The locator attributes support the wildcards ? and *.

For additional information on dynamic locator attributes, see Dynamic Locator Attributes.

To identify components within Silverlight scripts, you can specify the automationId, caption, className, name or any dynamic locator attribute. The automationId can be set by the application developer. For example, a locator with an automationId might look like //SLButton[@automationId="okButton"].

We recommend using the automationId because it is typically the most useful and stable attribute.

Attribute Type	Description	Example
automationId	An identifier that is provided by the developer of the application under test. The Visual Studio designer automatically assigns an `automationId` to every control that is created with the designer. The application developer uses this ID to identify the control in the application code.	`//SLButton[@automationId="okButton"]`
caption	The text that the control displays. When testing a localized application in multiple languages, use the `automationId` or `name` attribute instead of the `caption`.	`//SLButton[@caption="Ok"]`
className	The simple .NET class name (without namespace) of the Silverlight control. Using the `className` attribute can help to identify a custom control that is derived from a standard Silverlight control that Silk4NET recognizes.	`//SLButton[@className='MyCustomButton']`
name	The name of a control. Can be provided by the developer of the application under test.	`//SLButton[@name="okButton"]`

Attention: The name attribute in XAML code maps to the locator attribute automationId, not to the locator attribute name.

During recording, Silk4NET creates a locator for a Silverlight control by using the automationId, name, caption, or className attributes in the order that they are listed in the preceding table. For example, if a control has an automationId and a name, Silk4NET uses the automationId, if it is unique, when creating the locator.

The following table shows how an application developer can define a Silverlight button with the text "Ok" in the XAML code of the application:

XAML Code for the Object	Locator to Find the Object from Silk Test
`<Button>Ok</Button>`	`//SLButton[@caption="Ok"]`
`<Button Name="okButton">Ok</Button>`	`//SLButton[@automationId="okButton"]`
`<Button AutomationProperties.AutomationId="okButton">Ok</Button>`	`//SLButton[@automationId="okButton"]`
`<Button AutomationProperties.Name="okButton">Ok</Button>`	`//SLButton[@name="okButton"]`