# Windows Desktop E2e

> E2E testing for Windows native desktop apps (WPF, WinForms, Win32/MFC, Qt) using pywinauto and Windows UI Automation.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-affaan-m-ecc-windows-desktop-e2e`
- **Verified:** Pending review
- **Seller:** [affaan-m](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/affaan-m)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [AI & ML](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/ai-and-ml)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [affaan-m](https://github.com/affaan-m)
- **Source:** https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC/tree/main/skills/windows-desktop-e2e
- **Website:** https://ecc.tools

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-affaan-m-ecc-windows-desktop-e2e
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Windows Desktop E2E Testing

End-to-end testing for Windows native desktop applications using **pywinauto** backed by Windows UI Automation (UIA). Covers WPF, WinForms, Win32/MFC, and Qt (5.x / 6.x) — with Qt-specific guidance as a dedicated section.

## When to Activate

- Writing or running E2E tests for a Windows native desktop application
- Setting up a desktop GUI test suite from scratch
- Diagnosing flaky or failing desktop automation tests
- Adding testability (AutomationId, accessible names) to an existing app
- Integrating desktop E2E into a CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions `windows-latest`)

### When NOT to Use

- Web applications → use `e2e-testing` skill (Playwright)
- Electron / CEF / WebView2 apps → the HTML layer needs browser automation, not UIA
- Mobile apps → use platform-specific tools (UIAutomator, XCUITest)
- Pure unit or integration tests that don't need a running GUI

## Core Concepts

All Windows desktop automation relies on **UI Automation (UIA)**, a Windows-built-in accessibility API. Every supported framework exposes a tree of UIA elements with properties Claude can read and act on:

```
Your test (Python)
    └── pywinauto (UIA backend)
        └── Windows UI Automation API   ← built into Windows, framework-agnostic
            └── App's UIA provider      ← each framework ships its own
                └── Running .exe
```

**UIA quality by framework:**

| Framework | AutomationId | Reliability | Notes |
|-----------|-------------|-------------|-------|
| WPF | 5/5 | Excellent | `x:Name` maps directly to AutomationId |
| WinForms | 4/5 | Good | `AccessibleName` = AutomationId |
| UWP / WinUI 3 | 5/5 | Excellent | Full Microsoft support |
| Qt 6.x | 5/5 | Excellent | Accessibility enabled by default; class names change to `Qt6*` |
| Qt 5.15+ | 4/5 | Good | Improved Accessibility module |
| Qt 5.7–5.14 | 3/5 | Fair | Needs `QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1`; objectName manual |
| Win32 / MFC | 3/5 | Fair | Control IDs accessible; text matching common |

## Setup & Prerequisites

```bash
# Python 3.8+, Windows only
pip install pywinauto pytest pytest-html Pillow pytest-timeout
# Optional: screen recording
# Install ffmpeg and add to PATH: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html
```

Verify UIA is reachable:

```python
from pywinauto import Desktop
Desktop(backend="uia").windows()  # lists all top-level windows
```

Install **Accessibility Insights for Windows** (free, from Microsoft) — your DevTools equivalent for inspecting the UIA element tree before writing any test.

## Testability Setup (by Framework)

The single most impactful thing you can do is **give every interactive control a stable AutomationId** before writing tests.

### WPF

```xml

```

### WinForms

```csharp
// Set in designer or code
usernameInput.AccessibleName = "usernameInput";
passwordInput.AccessibleName = "passwordInput";
btnLogin.AccessibleName = "btnLogin";
lblError.AccessibleName = "lblError";
```

### Win32 / MFC

```cpp
// Control resource IDs in .rc file are exposed as AutomationId strings
// IDC_EDIT_USERNAME -> AutomationId "1001"
// Prefer SetWindowText for Name; add IAccessible for richer support
```

### Qt — see dedicated section below

---

## Page Object Model

```
tests/
├── conftest.py          # app launch fixture, failure screenshot
├── pytest.ini
├── config.py
├── pages/
│   ├── __init__.py      # required for imports
│   ├── base_page.py     # locators, wait, screenshot helpers
│   ├── login_page.py
│   └── main_page.py
├── tests/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── test_login.py
│   └── test_main_flow.py
└── artifacts/           # screenshots, videos, logs
```

### base_page.py

```python
import os, time
from pywinauto import Desktop
from config import ACTION_TIMEOUT, ARTIFACT_DIR

class BasePage:
    def __init__(self, window):
        self.window = window

    # --- Locators (priority order) ---

    def by_id(self, auto_id, **kw):
        """AutomationId — most stable. Use as first choice."""
        return self.window.child_window(auto_id=auto_id, **kw)

    def by_name(self, name, **kw):
        """Visible text / accessible name."""
        return self.window.child_window(title=name, **kw)

    def by_class(self, cls, index=0, **kw):
        """Control class + index — fragile, avoid if possible."""
        return self.window.child_window(class_name=cls, found_index=index, **kw)

    # --- Waits ---

    def wait_visible(self, spec, timeout=ACTION_TIMEOUT):
        spec.wait("visible", timeout=timeout)
        return spec

    def wait_gone(self, spec, timeout=ACTION_TIMEOUT):
        spec.wait_not("visible", timeout=timeout)
        return spec

    def wait_window(self, title, timeout=ACTION_TIMEOUT):
        """Wait for a new top-level window (dialogs, child windows)."""
        dlg = Desktop(backend="uia").window(title=title)
        dlg.wait("visible", timeout=timeout)
        return dlg

    def wait_until(self, fn, timeout=ACTION_TIMEOUT, interval=0.3):
        """Poll an arbitrary condition — use when UIA events are unreliable."""
        deadline = time.time() + timeout
        while time.time()  For new projects prefer the **Tier 1 sandbox fixture** (see below) — it adds filesystem isolation at zero extra cost. This basic fixture is for minimal/legacy setups only.

```python
import os, pytest
os.environ["QT_ACCESSIBILITY"] = "1"  # Required for Qt 5.x UIA support

from pywinauto import Application
from config import APP_PATH, MAIN_WINDOW_TITLE, LAUNCH_TIMEOUT, ARTIFACT_DIR

@pytest.fixture
def app(request):
    if not APP_PATH:
        pytest.exit("APP_PATH environment variable is not set", returncode=1)
    proc = Application(backend="uia").start(APP_PATH, timeout=LAUNCH_TIMEOUT)
    win  = proc.window(title=MAIN_WINDOW_TITLE)
    win.wait("visible", timeout=LAUNCH_TIMEOUT)
    yield win
    # Screenshot on failure
    if getattr(getattr(request.node, "rep_call", None), "failed", False):
        os.makedirs(ARTIFACT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
        try:
            win.capture_as_image().save(
                os.path.join(ARTIFACT_DIR, f"FAIL_{request.node.name}.png")
            )
        except Exception:
            pass
    # Graceful exit first, force-kill as fallback
    # proc is a pywinauto Application — use wait_for_process_exit(), not wait_for_process()
    try:
        win.close()
        proc.wait_for_process_exit(timeout=5)
    except Exception:
        proc.kill()

@pytest.hookimpl(tryfirst=True, hookwrapper=True)
def pytest_runtest_makereport(item, call):
    outcome = yield
    setattr(item, f"rep_{outcome.get_result().when}", outcome.get_result())
```

### config.py

```python
import os
APP_PATH          = os.environ.get("APP_PATH", "")           # set via env — no default path
MAIN_WINDOW_TITLE = os.environ.get("APP_TITLE", "")
LAUNCH_TIMEOUT    = int(os.environ.get("LAUNCH_TIMEOUT", "15"))
ACTION_TIMEOUT    = int(os.environ.get("ACTION_TIMEOUT", "10"))
ARTIFACT_DIR      = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "artifacts")
```

### pytest.ini

```ini
[pytest]
testpaths = tests
markers =
    smoke: fast smoke tests for critical paths
    flaky: known-unstable tests
addopts = -v --tb=short --html=artifacts/report.html --self-contained-html
```

## Locator Strategy

```
AutomationId  >  Name (text)  >  ClassName + index  >  XPath
  (stable)         (readable)       (fragile)           (last resort)
```

Inspect with Accessibility Insights → **Properties** pane → look for `AutomationId` first.

```python
# Inspect at runtime — paste into a REPL to explore the tree
win.print_control_identifiers()
# or narrow scope:
win.child_window(auto_id="groupBox1").print_control_identifiers()
```

## Wait Patterns

```python
# Wait for control to appear
page.wait_visible(page.by_id("statusLabel"))

# Wait for control to disappear (e.g. loading spinner)
page.wait_gone(page.by_id("spinnerOverlay"))

# Wait for a dialog to pop up
dlg = page.wait_window("Confirm Delete")

# Custom condition (e.g. text changes)
page.wait_until(lambda: page.get_text(page.by_id("lblStatus")) == "Ready")
```

**Never use `time.sleep()` as primary synchronization** — use `wait()` or `wait_until()`.

## Artifact Management

```python
# Screenshot on demand
page.screenshot("after_login")

# Full-screen capture (when window is off-screen or minimised)
import pyautogui
pyautogui.screenshot("artifacts/fullscreen.png")

# Screen recording with ffmpeg (start before test, stop after)
import subprocess

def start_recording(name):
    return subprocess.Popen([
        "ffmpeg", "-f", "gdigrab", "-framerate", "10",
        "-i", "desktop", "-y", f"artifacts/videos/{name}.mp4"
    ], stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL, stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL)

def stop_recording(proc):
    proc.stdin.write(b"q"); proc.stdin.flush(); proc.wait(timeout=10)
```

## Per-Step Trace (opt-in)

The default failure screenshot is often too thin for diagnosing flaky tests. The step-level trace below is **off by default** — enable it only when reproducing a flaky case.

### Enable

```bash
E2E_TRACE=1 pytest tests/test_login.py -v
# Include typed text in the JSONL log (DO NOT use on tests that type credentials/PII):
E2E_TRACE=1 E2E_TRACE_INCLUDE_TEXT=1 pytest ...
```

### Patch into BasePage

```python
import os, json, time
TRACE_ENABLED      = os.environ.get("E2E_TRACE") == "1"
TRACE_INCLUDE_TEXT = os.environ.get("E2E_TRACE_INCLUDE_TEXT") == "1"

class BasePage:
    _step = 0

    def _trace(self, action, spec=None, text=None):
        if not TRACE_ENABLED:
            return
        BasePage._step += 1
        idx = f"{BasePage._step:03d}"
        os.makedirs(ARTIFACT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
        try:
            self.window.capture_as_image().save(
                os.path.join(ARTIFACT_DIR, f"step_{idx}_{action}.png"))
        except Exception:
            pass  # capture failure must not break the test
        rec = {
            "ts": time.time(), "step": BasePage._step, "action": action,
            "locator": getattr(spec, "criteria", None),
            "text": text if TRACE_INCLUDE_TEXT else ("" if text else None),
        }
        with open(os.path.join(ARTIFACT_DIR, "trace.jsonl"), "a") as f:
            f.write(json.dumps(rec) + "\n")

    def click(self, spec):
        self.wait_visible(spec); self._trace("click_before", spec)
        spec.click_input();      self._trace("click_after",  spec)

    def type_text(self, spec, text):
        self.wait_visible(spec); self._trace("type_before", spec, text)
        # ... existing set_edit_text / keyboard fallback ...
        self._trace("type_after", spec)
```

### Caveats

- **PII / credentials**: `type_text` content is `` by default. Never set `E2E_TRACE_INCLUDE_TEXT=1` on login or payment flows.
- **Overhead**: ~50–200ms per action + one PNG per step on disk. Don't enable on the default CI matrix — only on a dedicated flake-repro job.
- **Artifact bloat**: a long flow produces tens of MB; tune `retention-days` accordingly.
- **Parallel/rerun hygiene**: this simple example appends to `trace.jsonl` and uses a class-level counter. Clear the artifact directory before reruns, and use per-worker artifact dirs for parallel tests.
- **Coverage gap**: actions performed outside `BasePage` (raw `pywinauto` calls in test code) are not traced.

## Flaky Test Handling

```python
# Quarantine — equivalent to Playwright's test.fixme()
@pytest.mark.skip(reason="Flaky: animation race on slow CI. Issue #42")
def test_animated_transition(self, app): ...

# Skip in CI only
@pytest.mark.skipif(os.environ.get("CI") == "true", reason="Flaky in CI #43")
def test_heavy_load(self, app): ...
```

Common causes and fixes:

| Cause | Fix |
|-------|-----|
| Control not ready | Replace `time.sleep` with `wait_visible` |
| Window not focused | Add `win.set_focus()` before interactions |
| Animation in progress | `wait_until(lambda: not loading_indicator.exists())` |
| Dialog timing | `wait_window(title, timeout=15)` |
| CI display not ready | Set `DISPLAY` or use virtual desktop in CI |
| `set_edit_text` raises NotImplementedError | UIA ValuePattern missing (common on Qt 5.x) — `BasePage.type_text` already falls back to `keyboard.send_keys` |
| Control exists but `wait_visible` times out | Window minimised or off-screen — call `win.restore()` + `win.set_focus()` before waiting |

## Test Isolation & Sandbox

Three tiers of isolation — use the lightest tier that satisfies your needs.

### Tier 1 — Filesystem Isolation (default, always use)

Each test gets its own `APPDATA` / `LOCALAPPDATA` / `TEMP` via `subprocess.Popen` and `Application.connect()`. pytest's `tmp_path` fixture handles cleanup automatically.

```python
# conftest.py — replace the basic `app` fixture with this
import os, subprocess, pytest
from pywinauto import Application
from config import APP_PATH, APP_ARGS, APP_TITLE, LAUNCH_TIMEOUT, ACTION_TIMEOUT, ARTIFACT_DIR

@pytest.fixture(scope="function")
def app(request, tmp_path):
    """Fresh process + isolated user-data dirs per test."""
    if not APP_PATH:
        pytest.exit("APP_PATH not set", returncode=1)

    # Redirect all per-user storage to an isolated tmp directory
    sandbox_env = os.environ.copy()
    sandbox_env["QT_ACCESSIBILITY"]  = "1"
    sandbox_env["APPDATA"]           = str(tmp_path / "AppData" / "Roaming")
    sandbox_env["LOCALAPPDATA"]      = str(tmp_path / "AppData" / "Local")
    sandbox_env["TEMP"] = sandbox_env["TMP"] = str(tmp_path / "Temp")
    for p in (sandbox_env["APPDATA"], sandbox_env["LOCALAPPDATA"], sandbox_env["TEMP"]):
        os.makedirs(p, exist_ok=True)

    if not APP_TITLE:
        pytest.exit("APP_TITLE environment variable is not set", returncode=1)

    # shlex.split handles quoted args with spaces; plain split() breaks on them
    import shlex
    # Launch via subprocess so we can pass env; connect pywinauto by PID
    proc = subprocess.Popen(
        [APP_PATH] + shlex.split(APP_ARGS),
        env=sandbox_env,
    )
    pw_app = Application(backend="uia").connect(process=proc.pid, timeout=LAUNCH_TIMEOUT)
    win    = pw_app.window(title=APP_TITLE)
    win.wait("visible", timeout=LAUNCH_TIMEOUT)
    yield win

    if getattr(getattr(request.node, "rep_call", None), "failed", False):
        os.makedirs(ARTIFACT_DIR, exist_ok=True)
        try:
            win.capture_as_image().save(
                os.path.join(ARTIFACT_DIR, f"FAIL_{request.node.name}.png")
            )
        except Exception:
            pass
    try:
        win.close()
        proc.wait(timeout=5)
    except Exception:
        proc.kill()
    # tmp_path is cleaned up automatically by pytest

@pytest.hookimpl(tryfirst=True, hookwrapper=True)
def pytest_runtest_makereport(item, call):
    outcome = yield
    setattr(item, f"rep_{outcome.get_result().when}", outcome.get_result())
```

### Tier 2 — Windows Job Object (optional: process-lifetime containment)

Attach the process to a Job Object so it is **automatically terminated** when
the test fixture's job handle is GC'd. Also prevents the app from spawning
child processes that escape fixture cleanup.

> **Scope of isolation:** Job Objects do NOT virtualize filesystem access or
> block network traffic. File-write and network isolation require AppContainer,
> Windows Firewall rules, or Tier 3 (Windows Sandbox). Use Tier 2 only for
> process-lifetime and child-process containment.

Requires no extra dependencies.

```python
import ctypes, ctypes.wintypes as wt

def restrict_process(pid: int):
    """
    Attach the process to a Job Object that prevents it from:
    - spawning processes outside the job (LIMIT_KILL_ON_JOB_CLOSE)
    Does NOT block network — use Windows Firewall rules for that.
    """
    JOB_OBJECT_LIMIT_KILL_ON_JOB_CLOSE = 0x00002000
    # Minimal rights: SET_QUOTA (0x0100) | TERMINATE (0x0001)
    PROCESS_SET_QUOTA_AND_TERMINATE    = 0x0101

    kernel32 = ctypes.windll.kernel32
    job   = kernel32.CreateJobObjectW(None, None)
    hproc = kernel32.OpenProcess(PROCESS_SET_QUOTA_AND_TERMINATE, False, pid)

    # Cor

…

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [affaan-m](https://github.com/affaan-m)
- **Source:** [affaan-m/ECC](https://github.com/affaan-m/ECC)
- **License:** MIT
- **Homepage:** https://ecc.tools

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** yes
- **Shell / process execution:** yes
- **Environment & secrets:** yes
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: flagged — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-affaan-m-ecc-windows-desktop-e2e
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/affaan-m
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

---
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