Once Katalon team mentioned that Katalon Studio 7.1.0 supported Proxy Auto config.
Katalon team stated
Please configure your system proxy to use PAC file, and configure Katalon to use system proxy.
OK, I will examine this change again. Let me report the result.
I thought that I should test if “Use system proxy configuration option” option works for the following 5 cases:
- After clean installation, Katalon Studio asks us to activate it. While Activation processing, Katalon Studio needs connection to the TestOps site on the Internet. My PC is behind the proxy. So I want to let KS make connection through proxy while I choose “Use system proxy configuration”. I mean, I want Katalon Studio to respect our PAC script for Activation.
- When I execute
Reload Plugin
, Katalon Studio needs connetin to the Katalon Plugin Store site on the Internet. Similary to the above, I want Katalon Studio to respect our PAC script for Reloading plugins as well. - When I use the Spy Web tool to capture my Application Under Test with private IP address (e.g, 172.23.4.56), I want Web browsers started by Katalon Studio to respect our PAC script so that Spy Web tool can capture the http://172.23.4.56/ page.
- When my test case calls the standard
WebUI.openBrowser('')
statement to launch browser, I want the Web brower to respect our PAC script. - When I want to test a AUT with private IP address and, at the same time, I want to integrate with TestOps, does it work?
Now, let me go into the research detail …
0. Environment
I use KS 7.1.0 on Windows10 PC behind the organization’s Proxy. The PC is configured to use Proxy Auto config (also known as PAC): See the following screenshot.
0. preparation
- I removed the folder where KS 7.1.0 has been installed.
- Also I removed the
%USERPROFILE%\.katalon
folder to make it clean - I re-installed KS 7.1.0 from
Katalon_Studio_Windows_64-7.1.0.zip
1. Activation while “Use system proxy configuration applied”
In the end, FAILED
After clean installation, I started Katalon Studio. I requested to go through “Activation” processing. As initial state KS has no proxy set, so I failed to activate it.
I clicked the ‘Configure Proxy’ link and chose “Use system proxy configuration”.
Having “Use system proxy configuration” applied, I tried to activate it again. — Failed. “Cannot connect to Katalon TestOps server” again.
I changed the proxy setting to apply “Manu Proxy configuration”
Then I tried to activate it. — succeeded. KS could connect to Katalon TestOps server through the proxy.
Conclusion: Katalon Studio does NOT respect the PAC script whiie it performs Activation processing.
2. Reloading plugins while “Use system proxy configuration applied”
In the end, FAILED
While having “NO PROXY” set, “Reloading plugins” processing encountered a prolems as follows.
It is easy to see, I need to let Katalon Studio to go through our organization’s proxy to reach to the Katalon Plugin Store on the internet.
Having “Use system proxy configuration”, “Reloading plugins…” has encounted the same problem again.
Having “Manual Proxy configuration”, it passed.
Conclusiton: Katalon Studio does NOT respect the PAC script whiie it performs Reloading plugins.
3. Spy Web tool while “Use systemproxy configuration applied”
In the end, SUCCEEDED. As the following screenshot shows:
4. Test Case calls WebUI.openBrowser(“http://172.23.4.56”)
In the end, SUCCEEDED. I think no more description required.
5. Test against the UAT with private IP address and TestOps integration
I did not test this case because I am sure this would not work. Why?
My test case script wants to open browser to navigate to a URL with private IP hostname (e.g http://172.23.4.56
). In order to make it possible, I need to apply “Use system proxy configuration” to respect the PAC script.
On the other hand, as my research above shows, integration with TestOps requires “Manual proxy configuration”.
These 2 conditions contradict. Impossible to meet.
6 My guess
I guess …
Katalon Studio just asks Browsers to respect the PAC script. It is easy for browsers to do so because browsers are configured by you (or your administorators). But Katalon Studio itself is ignorant of PAC. KS does not interprete the PAC script in JavaScript at all. Katalon Studio can not respect the PAC script while Activation and Plugin reload.
7 workaound
When we do Activation and Plugin Reloading, we should change the Proxy setup of Katalon Studio to use “Manual proxy configuration”. This operation would not be required so often. When you upgrade KS, remember this tips.
I would usually use “Use system proxy confition” because I would test AUT on dev machines with private IP address quite often.
Just understand a bit of Katalon Studio internal, then you would be able to manage Proxy setups appropriately.