Smart identification comes into picture when Quick Test 
fals to recognise an object uniquely using the recorded 
properties. It follows the following process to identify 
the object:  

1.  QuickTest ?forgets? the recorded test object 
description and creates a new object candidate list 
containing the objects (within the object?s parent object) 
that match all of the properties defined in the base filter 
property list.

2.  From that list of objects, QuickTest filters out any 
object that does not match the first property listed in the 
Optional Filter Properties list. The remaining objects 
become the new object candidate list.

3.  If the new object candidate list contains more than one 
object, then step 2 is repeated with the second property 
listed in Optional Filter Properties list.

4.  Step 3&4 are repeated until an the object in recognised 
uniquely.

When QuickTest uses the learned description to identify an 
object, it searches for an object that matches all of the 
property values in the description. In most cases, this 
description is the simplest way to identify the object, 
and, unless the main properties of the object change, this 
method will work. 

If QuickTest is unable to find any object that matches the 
learned object description, or if it finds more than one 
object that fits the description, then QuickTest ignores 
the learned description, and uses the Smart Identification 
mechanism to try to identify the object. 

While the Smart Identification mechanism is more complex, 
it is more flexible. Therefore, if configured logically, a 
Smart Identification definition can probably help QuickTest 
identify an object, if it is present, even when the learned 
description fails. 

The Smart Identification mechanism uses two types of 
properties: 

Base Filter Properties: The most fundamental properties of 
a particular test object class; those whose values cannot 
be changed without changing the essence of the original 
object. For example, if a Web link's tag was changed from 
<A> to any other value, you could no longer call it the 
same object.

Optional Filter Properties: Other properties that can help 
identify objects of a particular class. These properties 
are unlikely to change on a regular basis, but can be 
ignored if they are no longer applicable.