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Katalon Studio Release Notes: Version 9.x

Note:

Version 9.4.0​

Enhancements​

  • You can use StudioAssist without having to input your own OpenAI API key once the AI settings is enabled.

  • You can now import OpenAPI 3.0.x with a URL.

  • [UI Changes]:

    • Combined the Import from OpenAPI and Import from Swagger options into one dialog called Import REST request from OpenAPI.

    • Improved error message when loading a file that is not in JSON or YAML format.

  • Added the option to enable or disable Smart Locator. When disabled, Katalon Studio will not install Smart Locator extension when executing and using Self-healing.

  • For mail server that already set up successfully to use without password, you can send report via email without having to input the password in Project Settings.

  • Test executions run under Debug mode are not counted against Platform Test results quota. This means after running under Debug mode:

    • Execution results are not uploaded to TestOps even with Platform integration enabled

    • Basic reports (HTML, PDF, CSV file) are not generated automatically

    • The option to export basic reports manually is disabled.

  • [Mobile Recorder & Spy]:

    • Enhanced the Accessibility ID object locator. You can now generate Accessibility ID in Recorder and Test Object editor.

    • [Kobiton integration] Added the option to start with application ID or application file of the Kobiton device.

  • Added Chrome 123, Edge 123 and Firefox 124 compatibilities.

  • [Security Compliances]:

    • Upgraded Gradles from 5.4.1 to 7.6.4.

    • [Jenkins integration] Upgraded org.jenkins-ci.main:jenkins-core from v2.361.4 to 2.448.

Fixes​

  • Web Recorder & Web Spy stopped working after a few minutes.

  • Did not display expiration date in About Katalon Studio dialog.

  • Displayed the wrong expiry date.

  • [Linux] Invalid machine ID when creating offline license.

  • Trial accounts were unable to execute with KRE when including -orgID in the command.

  • Unable to load Katalon Store plugins in Katalon Studio.

  • [Kobiton integration] Unable to use Mobile Recorder with private URLs.

Known limitations​

  • StudioAssist is not available for use when logging via License server and Offline license.

Version 9.3.2​

Changes​

Katalon Studio is now available in two editions: Katalon Studio Enterprise (KSE) and Katalon Studio (KS) Free.

The Enterprise edition is the suitable solution for larger organizations and businesses requiring advanced functionality and premium support. The Free edition is designed to provide basic features to individual users and small teams. To learn more about the difference between the two editions, see Katalon Studio vs Katalon Studio Enterprise Features.

Depending on your license type, you can only log in to certain Katalon Studio editions and versions.

Activate Katalon Studio Edition

Activate Katalon Studio Enterprise EditionActivate KS Legacy(**)
Free users(*) who logged in with legacy editions✅❌✅
Free users who NEVER logged in with legacy edition✅❌❌
Trial KSE users who logged in with legacy edition✅✅✅
Trial users who NEVER logged in with legacy edition✅✅❌
Paid KSE users✅✅✅
Note:

  • (*)Free users are those NOT violating the Free Offering policy in Katalon Customer Terms of Use.

  • (**)KS Legacy includes all Katalon Studio versions prior to v9.3.2.

  • If you're a Trial user or have a KSE license and using Katalon Studio version from 9.0.0 to 9.3.1, you can in-app upgrade to Katalon Studio Enterprise 9.3.2.

  • If you are in free period, in-app upgrade from 9.0.0 - 9.3.1 to Katalon Studio Free is not supported. You need to download Katalon Studio Free at Katalon download page to continue using.

There are also minor changes to the UI of the two editions:

  • Removed the License server and Offline license options in Katalon Studio Free.

  • Changed the login dialog name of Katalon Studio Enterprise to Welcome to Katalon Studio Enterprise.

Enhancements​

  • Added the ability to automatically update WebDriverManager.

Version 9.3.1​

New features​

  • [KSE] Introduced a new selection method: Smart Locator to improve object recognition of complex shadow DOM and iframe. The selection method is added to Web Recorder & Spy, and Self-healing. See Smart Locator.

Enhancements​

  • Added links to Documentation and Academy pages in the Help menu for better accessibility.

  • Improved performance when renaming simple forms of files, including test case, test suite, test object, data file, check point file, feature file, and test listener.

  • Added Chrome 122, Edge 122 and Firefox 123 compatibilities.

Fixes​

  • Added the wrong number of test cases to the test suite when users check and un-check to show or hide added test cases.

  • Got compileGroovy FAILED error when executing the Gradle command with Katalon Studio 9.x.

  • Displayed two dialogs when both Access Token and Refresh Token were expired at the same time.

  • Unable to get access token with OAuth 2.0.

  • Unable to automatically update Chrome WebDriver to versions 121 and 122.

  • Running valid JUnit test with TestNG built-in keyword did not pass.

  • [Intermittent] Error occurring when running a test suite in KRE.

Version 9.3.0​

New features​

  • You can now log in to Katalon Studio using SAML SSO and custom SSO via Katalon login form.

Enhancements​

  • Supported WebUI.Authenticate keyword on macOS and Linux with Chrome, Edge Chromium, and Firefox.

  • [Web Recorder]:

    • Support capturing and highlighting elements when switching to another tab or window.

      When there is a new browser tab or window open, you can:

      • Capture XPath in the new tab/window precisely.

      • Verify and Highlight newly captured objects normally.

    • Support recording the Set Text action in Rich Text Editor. The input of Set Text in Rich Text Editor includes the HTML tags (outer HTML).

      The content we support:
      • normal text
      • bold, italic, underline, link
      • font, size, color
      • image (partially - some temp image links might not work)
      • special characters

  • Support using WebUI.getText keyword on Rich Text Editor. The output of this keyword is plain text only (inner HTML).

  • Improved the mechanism for generating heavy HTML reports. The recommended size for an HTML report is under 512MB. You might encounter the error java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space if exceeding the limit.

  • Added username and password fields to the Log in with License server dialog.

  • Upgraded Katalon Compact Utility to Manifest V3.

  • Added Chrome 121 and Gecko 0.34 compatibilities.

Changes​

  • Removed Team options in UI. For On-Premises users, the option is still available.

  • Removed the "Load DOM Map" instruction from Web Spy.

Fixes​

  • [UI] Text in dark themed Script editor and Console log was difficult to read.

  • Unable to capture the XPath of an SVG tag.

  • Unable to close the app with Mobile.closeApplication keyword after running a mobile test script that used Mobile.startExistingApplication.

  • Some codes were deleted when switching between Manual and Script mode.

  • [Web Recorder] When an action opened a new tab, Recorder captured the wrong order of command and its title.

  • [Web Recorder/KCU] Unable to record WebUI.selectOptionBy keywords between two combo-boxes on Edge Chromium and Chrome.

  • Web Spy/Recorder stopped working after a few minutes.

  • [Mobile Recorder] Failed to save test scripts with object ID or file path exceeding 255 characters.

  • [KRE] Unable to execute tests and error java.lang.NullPointerException: Cannot invoke "java.lang.Exception.getMessage()" thrown if the -apiKey was only specified in the console.properties file.

  • Unable to execute tests with Firefox 121 on macOS.

  • Unable to open browsers with Firefox 121 on Recorder/Spy on macOS.

  • Automatically logged out every 2 days if you logged in with Katalon email and password in version 9.x.

Known limitations​

  • WebUI.setText action in Rich Text Editor might not work as expected when:

    • Switching between different editor types

    • On Firefox, you have to click outside the rich text editor to complete recording that action

    • On Firefox, adding an image in rich text editor will add an extra <p> tag to the recorded script

    • Able to capture the rich text editor, but unable to Set Text on Draft.js

    • Able to set text, but each set text action generates 2 duplicated steps Editor.js

    • Unable to capture rich text editor on Rich Text Editor Demos

  • Override authentication option is not supported for SAML login.

  • Web Recorder & Spy will not work as expected if you leave them open without interacting for 1 hour.

  • Unable to execute test with Firefox 121 installed from Snap on Linux. To troubleshoot, see Unable to run tests with Firefox 121.

Version 9.2.0​

New features​

  • You can now log in to Katalon Studio with a GitHub account. This update is also available for version 9.0.0 and 9.1.0.

  • [Katalon Runtime Engine]:

    • You can now execute test suite and test suite collection with TestCloud mobile browser environments. We recommend using Command Builder to generate mobile browser commands with correct mobile device names.

    • Added the ability to override with TestCloud environment for all test suites in a test suite collection when executing.

  • [Mobile] Added support for iOS 17 and Xcode 15.

  • [Mobile Recorder/Spy] Added an option in Project Settings to display the full element in the object tree while recording/spying on mobile native iOS apps.

Enhancements​

  • Added Edge 120, Chrome 120, and Firefox 120 compatibilities.

Changes​

  • [UI] In TestCloud Configuration dialog, changed Execute with Tunnel for private domain testing on Desktop Browsers or Mobile Browsers to Private/ Local testing.

Fixes​

  • [KRE] Unable to release license when using the -licenseRelease=true -orgID=xxxxxx parameter in the command.

  • [Mobile Recorder/Spy] Object tree did not display to capture with the BrowserStack remote device.

  • [Web] Recorder stopped generating new steps after adding a custom keyword.

  • [TestCloud] Error 'java.util.NoSuchElementException' while getting appending additional signature when executing with TestCloud environment.

  • Tokens expired which required logging in again every 2 days.

  • Unable to get access token with OAuth 2.0.

Version 9.1.0​

Attention:
  • Katalon Studio is not compatible with macOS Ventura 13.1 Intel. To use Katalon Studio 9.1.0, please upgrade your macOS to version 13.6.1.

Katalon Studio 9.1.0 offers two major updates, which are the official support for Appium 2.x, and the transition of custom keywords into an exclusive Enterprise feature.

New features​

  • Katalon Studio now supports Appium 2.x for mobile testing. Learn more at Execute mobile tests with Appium 2.x.

  • Added support for iOS 16 and Xcode 14 for iOS mobile testing.

  • [WebUI] Introduced navigateToMaskedUrl keyword. See [WebUI] Navigate to masked URL.

  • Introduced an option in Project Settings > Execution to hide hostname in test reports and log viewer.

Changes​

  • Features related to custom keywords are now exclusively available for Enterprise users. This includes functionalities such as adding new custom keywords or packages, executing tests with custom keywords, using custom keywords in manual mode and the recorder, as well as loading custom keywords within the project.

  • [UI] Tools > iOS is now Tools > Set up iOS environment.

  • [Mobile Spy/Recorder] Cloud Application ID is now Application Path/ ID and an optional field.

Enhancements​

  • [Mobile] Added more instruction for iOS WebDriverAgent installation.

  • [Mobile Spy/Recorder] Supported identifying duplicated object.

  • [Plugins] Upgraded to Manifest V3 for Katalon Studio extensions and Smart Wait utility.

  • In the generated JUnit_Report.xml file, the test suite timestamp dateTime data type changed from YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss to YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss (T indicates the start of the required time section).

  • WebUI.setMaskedText keyword can now mask text in the step name of console log, log viewer and test reports.

  • Added Edge 119, Chrome 119, and Firefox 119 compatibilities.

  • [Security Compliance] Upgraded babel/traverse to version 7.23.3.

Fixes​

  • [iOS] Captured Xpath incorrectly.

  • [On-premise] Unable to log in to Katalon Studio with machines that have duplicated machine IDs.

  • [On-premise] Unable to activate KRE license from Pipeline.

  • [KRE] Unable to override with local execution environment for test suite collection.

  • [Web Recorder] Unable to record steps with shadow DOM on Edge Chromium.

  • [Windows] Katalon Studio was not responding after adding a keyword if the display systems setting was larger than 100%.

  • [Windows] [Intermittent] Error 'Unable to open project. Reason: Resource Exception' when closing and then opening a project with a new account.

  • Katalon Studio version 9.0.0 crashed on a few specific devices.

  • Option Take Screenshot when execution failed in Project Settings > Execution did not work in mobile test cases that contained CONTINUE_ON_FAILURE.

  • [Mobile Recorder] Unable to perform Mobile.setText keyword and Set Text action on an EditText element of Flutter app.

  • 'Unable to start appium after 60s' error appeared when starting Mobile Recorder/Spy after setting up the test environment with Homebrew.

  • Using Mobile.takeScreenshot keyword while executing took more than 90 seconds to complete with warning error messages.

  • When using Mobile.takeElementScreenshot keyword, the log viewer showed passed result, but no images were captured.

  • Mobile.takeScreenshotAsCheckpoint:

    • Did not highlight the selected element accurately.

    • Using the keyword also captured the status bar.

  • Some mobile keywords did not work on Emulator Android 13, Android 14 with the error: 'Caused by: org.openqa.selenium.UnsupportedCommandException: Not implemented'.

  • Error 'Cannot invoke "com.kms.katalon.core.driver.DriverType.getName()" because "browser" is null' displayed when running the following keywords: takeScreenshotAsCheckpoint, takeFullPageScreenshot, takeFullPageScreenshotAsCheckpoint with remote server URL.

  • [BrowserStack]:

    • Unable to integrate with BrowserStack under a specific VDI proxy.

    • Error "Unable to make field private final java.lang.String java.util.logging.Level.name accessible" displayed when running mobile browser test on Android device.

  • Unexpected issues occurred when the access token expired but the activation code was still valid, for example, unable to manage API key from the profile, unable to fetch the Platform dashboard, unable to get API key from the Command Builder dialog.

  • Typo mistake in the title of the Upgrade Firefox WebDriver dialog.

Known limitations​

  • Mobile.takescreenshotAtCheckpoint keyword is not working properly on Pixel 6 pro simulator.

  • For some specific remote devices on Kobiton and LambdaTest, Mobile.takeElementScreenshot keyword can only screenshot half of the element.

  • You might see this error: 'Periodic workspace save.' has encountered a problem. You can click OK and continue working with Katalon Studio normally.

  • Unable to open browser with URL when executing with Chrome/Edge Chromium on Docker hosted on some specific Intel macOS machines.

  • [Linux][BDD tour] Unable to interact with Katalon Studio after click Upgrade now button.

Version 9.0.0​

Katalon Studio 9.0.0 is developed from version 9.0.0.beta and contains all the changes in 9.0.0.beta. To learn more about the changes in 9.0.0.beta, see Version 9.0.0.beta.

Note:
  • In-app upgrade from 8.x to 9.0.0 are not available due to the major changes. You will need to manually download version 9.0.0 from the website.
  • When upgrading from 8.x to 9.0.0, you might need to perform some additional steps for a smooth transition. For more details, see Migrate Katalon Studio from 8.x to 9.0.0.

New features​

  • Introduced StudioAssist - the AI assistant inside Katalon Studio. StudioAssist was initially introduced in 8.6.7.beta and is now officially supported, with bug fixes and improvements. To learn more about StudioAssist, you can refer to StudioAssist in Katalon Studio.

  • You can now log in to Katalon Studio with a Google account.

Enhancements​

  • [Performance] Result may vary based on your situation, but we've observed significant improvements in Katalon Studio:

    • Large projects startup time is reduced by 82%.

    • Test suite execution time is reduced by 25%.

  • [UI Changes] Updated the Katalon Studio activation dialog with a minimalist design and cleaner look.

  • [Mobile Recorder & Spy] Enhanced the highlighting mechanism: When hovering over any element, Katalon Studio also highlights other interactable elements under it.

  • [Web Recorder & Spy] Supported recording and spying elements on web pages that are iframes nested in Shadow DOM, and Shadow DOM nested in iframes.

  • Added a sample project for StudioAssist to provide guidance on common use cases. For more information, see Sample StudioAssist project.

  • Added Chrome 118, Edge 118, and Firefox 118 compatibilities.

  • Minor improvements for the onboarding tour.

Changes​

  • Quickstart guide is now Studio Walkthrough.

Fixes​

  • Unable to switch on iframe automatically for 3 keywords: WebUI.getCSSValue(findTestObject, text), WebUI.findWebElement(findTestObject, N) and WebUI.findWebElements(findTestObject, N).

  • Displayed java.lang.ClassCastException: java.lang.Double cannot be cast to java.lang.Long error when using scrollToElement keyword before WebUI.takeScreenshotAsCheckpoint on Web and mobile browser.

  • [Intermittent] Displayed An error occurs when generating global variables for email config. error in the console log.

  • [Mobile Recorder & Spy] Incorrect test object highlight when using on iOS 15 and 16.

  • Katalon Compact Utility became unresponsive on some AUTs.

  • [Windows][Web Recorder] Recording on a ServiceNow site caused the Recorder to hang.

Known limitations​

  • [Windows][Performance] Consume more memory when opening project than 8.x versions.

  • [Intermittent] Katalon Studio displays the error dialog: "Refresh DSLD scripts" when loading projects. This error does not affect your projects. You can close the dialog and use Katalon Studio normally.

  • [Windows Server 2016] You might not be able to open Start Page and Quickstart guide and encounter this error org.eclipse.swt.SWTError: Not implemented [WebView2 runtime not found]. For workaround, see Cannot open Start Page and Quickstart guide in Windows Server 2016.

  • Error java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError when running WebUI.verifyImagePresent keyword with Katalon Studio for macOS (Apple Silicon). Workaround: Download and use Katalon Studio for macOS (Intel) instead.

Version 9.0.0.beta​

Enhancements​

  • Upgraded Eclipse IDE from version 4.16 to 4.27 (2023-03).

  • Upgraded Java from version 8 to 17. For Linux users, you will need to upgrade OpenJDK to version 17.

  • Upgraded the Groovy compiler from version 2.4.2 to version 3.0.17.

  • Upgraded EGit from version 4.6.1 to 6.5.

  • [Git integration] Added support for RSA SHA-2, ECDSA and Ed25519 SSH keys.

  • [Web Service] Allowed saving OAuth 1.0 and OAuth 2.0 authentication information of a Web Service Request after closing the object tab.

  • [Jira Integration] Published Jira plugin version 1.0.24 to be compatible with Studio 9.x. If you are using Studio version 8.x, you need to use Jira plugin version 1.0.23 or before.

  • Added partial support for Katalon Studio on Mac with Apple Silicon (Katalon Runtime Engine is not yet supported).

  • Added Edge 116 and Firefox 116 compatibilities.

  • [Windows] Improved the Start Page performance.

  • [Security Compliance]:

    • Upgraded TestNG to version 7.8.0.

    • Upgraded jna-platform to version 5.12.1.

    • Upgraded commons-collections:commons-collections to version 3.2.2.

    • Upgraded ivy-2.4.0.jar to org.apache.ivy:ivy:2.5.1.

Changes​

  • The import and export custom keywords feature is only available for Enterprise users.

  • Without KSE licenses, you can only create 40 test suites per project. Free users with existing projects of more than 40 test suites can still execute their test suites, but cannot create new ones.

  • [BDD] Setting the default package is required. You need to add a @BeforeTestCase listener to the Test Listener file in order for the BDD projects to work as before. Refer to Set the default package for step definitions.

  • When using Katalon Docker Image (KDI) or executing KRE in CI/CD pipelines, if you use the 'latest' tag for the KRE version, you will download the latest version of Katalon Studio 8.x. To use version 9.x, simply replace 'latest' with your desired version number, such as 9.0.0.beta.

Fixes​

The following fixes are integrated when you download/upgrade to Katalon Studio 9.0.0.beta:

  • Error when releasing license in Katalon Runtime Engine version 8.6.5.

  • Error "java.lang.NullPointerException" appears while recording on specific machines.

  • [Web Recorder]:

    • During recording, some pages with iframes were unable to load.

    • [macOS] A blank page displayed when using the Recorder in Write your first test case onboarding tour.

  • Unable to select custom keywords in the Manual view in large projects.

  • [Windows] Katalon Studio was not responding when opening another project after a few times using Open Declaration on keywords or methods.

Known limitations​

  • Warning message in the Problems tab: "The compiler compliance specified is 1.8 but a JRE 17 is used" when opening an 8.x project for the first time in 9.0.0.beta. This message does not affect your project and will no longer display when you reopen your project or create a new project in 9.0.0.beta.

  • [macOS] [Intermittent] When opening an 8.x for the first time in version 9.0.0.beta on a macOS machine, you might see this error message in the Problem tab: "Groovy: compiler mismatch: project level is 2.4, workspace level is 3.0". This message does not affect your project and will disappear when you close the project and reopen it again.

  • [Recorder] Click on IE option in Recorder can make Katalon Studio hang. Workaround: Kill Katalon Studio and open again.

  • [Groovy 3.0.x] Do-While Loop, Lambda expressions, and ARM Try with resources are not yet supported.

  • [BDD] Cannot use custom keywords.

  • [Mobile] Unable to run test with iOS on macOS Ventura with XCode 14. For workaround, see Unable to execute tests with iOS on macOS Ventura and XCode 14.x.