Using FriendRunner

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Running a test with FriendRunner is easy, you simply perform the following steps:

1. Define a user test case, meaning the list of steps a typical user would go through while using your application.
2. Record this test case using Selenium, a Firefox plug-in that records user keystrokes and inputs while interacting with your application. Save your test case into a file.
3. Log into the FriendRunner site.
4. Upload your test case file into FriendRunner.
5. Define the additional parameters that FriendRunner needs to execute your test:
   • Length of time to run the test. You can also choose to run a "Stress test" which is unlimited, and will continuously add more virtual users until something in your application fails.
   • The URL where your application is located.
   • Whether your application is a Canvas or Connect app.
   • The maximum number of virtual users you'd like to run with.
   • How you'd like to allocate those users. For instance, you can ramp up over time, or allocate them all at the begining of the test.
6. Change your application's "Facebook Secret" to FriendRunner within your application. This is the secret code that Facebook generates for you when you register your app, and allows for mutual verification. We do not want to know your real secret (that's why it's called a secret) but we do need to agree on something in order for the system to work.
7. Optionally host your application in a "staging area" so that we can test without disrupting anything else.
8. Modify your server's HOSTS file so that www.facebook.com resolves to a value that we'll give you. This is necessary so that any API calls that your application makes will be directed to our servers in place of the real Facebook servers.
9. Begin the running of your test from within FriendRunner. During the test, you may monitor the progress in real time to see how your application is behaving.
10. When the test completes, you'll have access to all of the data that FriendRunner collected during the test, such performance timings and errors encountered. You'll also want to look through the logs as well as any other information generated by your application.
11. Analyze the data and iterate until you're confident that your application is robust enough for when it goes viral.
12. Deploy onto Facebook with confidence.