Master The Best Practices For Selenium Automation Framework
When it comes to the development of software products, there are a number of tedious tasks that come into play. Fortunately for developers, the evolution of technology has led to the creation of tools that are designed to accelerate many processes by automating them. One of these noteworthy tools is a test automation framework.
The primary purpose of a test automation framework is to enhance efficiency, thereby reducing the time, and the costs of maintenance involved for any particular project. They also help maximize the test coverage and functionality of the application, with lower risks. One of the most sought-after frameworks is Selenium.
Selenium is an open-source automated testing framework. It is primarily used to validate web applications across different browsers and platforms. The beauty of Selenium lies in the fact that it is compatible with multiple programming languages like Java, Ruby, C#, Python, and such to create Selenium Test Scripts.
This framework is built to bring a treasure trove of benefits to developers. But, its benefits can only be truly reaped if one knows how to leverage it. If you are not familiar with the Python Selenium best practices or Selenium best practices Java, this blog is sure to help you. No matter the language you use to choose to implement Selenium with, the below-mentioned practices will come in handy. Let’s get started-
Top 9 Best Practices For Selenium Automation Framework
1. Naming The Test Cases & Test Suites Accurately:
One of the most basic, yet important, Selenium testing best practices is to name the test cases and suites accurately. Needless to say, developing an efficient software product is not a one-man job, there are multiple teams involved in the process. There could be times when, in your absence, your team members have to modify the tests that you have written, in your absence. When you return back to the test you may not be able to identify it. If you name the test names accurately, it becomes easy to figure out which functionalities are broken in case some tests fail at the execution level. You do not have to browse through the entire implementation.
2. Set The Browser Zoom Level To 100%:
During test automation, there may be times when the test implementation is not working right on some browsers, especially when the testing is being performed on old browsers like Internet Explorer. But, there is a way to overcome this obstacle, regardless of the browser you choose to work with. You simply have to set the browser zoom level to 100%. This helps give you a native mouse fee. To make this practice more effective, Protected Mode Settings (in Internet Explorer) for each zone have to be the same. If not, you may end up getting a NoSuchWindowException exception.
3. Practice Logging & Reporting:
Every developer is aware of the daunting dilemma of tracing that one particular failing test case, in an elaborate test suite. This is where logging can come to your rescue. It can help track down the error-causing test case with zero hassles, while also helping you gain a better understanding of the code. Info, debug, warning, error, and critical – these are some of the most commonly used log levels. Reporting is another effective practice that helps monitor the status of the tests. This is where automation test reports can help significantly. Apart from the status, they also help keep track of the overall progress of test cases – all while minimizing the time required for the maintenance of test data.
4. Leverage Page Object Model (POM):
Leveraging the Page Object Model is one of the must-implement practices. It is a popular web UI automation pattern that is best known to help with test maintenance. It also reduces code duplication. When used correctly with Selenium, it contributes to reducing the code size as page object methods defined in different page classes can be reused across multiple Selenium test automation scripts. It also helps minimize the changes in the codes due to updates in product UI, enhance code reusability, as well as simplify the overall model of the web page under test.
5. Use BDD Framework With Selenium:
BDD (Behavior Driven Development) is a great framework that helps in writing test cases in simple English language. What are the reasons for its unquestionable popularity? Apart from professional developers, this framework enables aspirants from non-technical backgrounds to try their hand at developing test cases, and even excel at it. This helps bridge the gap between the clients and the technical team, allowing them to work collaboratively to achieve the desired output through flawless test cases. Given its simple functionality and low learning curve, it is quite easy to switch from one BDD framework.
6. Maintain A Uniform Directory Structure:
One of the things that, as an expert developer, you must consider when developing tests is the maintainability of the test code. Even the most basic of projects can consist of Src and Test folders. In addition to this, the Src folder has sub-directories that further contain Page Objects, Helper functions, and file(s); files that contain web locator information used in test scenarios. The Test folder includes the test implementation. With so many elements scattered across the project, keeping a track of it all can get overwhelming. Having a directory structure that separates the test implementation from the test automation framework can help developers better organize the test codes.
7. Make Use Of Data-Driven Testing:
The first rule of website development is that it should be built in a way that it is compatible with multiple different combinations of browsers, operating systems, devices, and such. Usually, developers opt for hard coding of test values in test automation scripts to meet this requirement. In most cases, it can lead to test code repetition. But, the ideal solution is to use parameterization for achieving data-driven automation testing with Selenium. This can help greatly with executing test cases against different data sets. This is one of the best Selenium best practices that ultimately help in improving product quality.
8. Create Autonomous Test Case Designs:
Fact remains that the right test case design largely depends on the objective of the test. But, when the multiple test cases start piling up, crowding the test suite. Moreover, when the tests are reliant on each other, the outcome of one test can affect the next test. The tests cannot be executed parallelly because of these interdependencies. This is why you have to avoid co-dependencies between the different tests in a particular test suite. Autonomous tests help you with exactly this. They allow developers to execute simultaneously, thereby enabling them to accelerate the test execution speed. Another way to tackle this problem is to use relevant decorators & markers if avoiding dependency between tests is not possible.
9. Avoid Code Duplication:
Although a common practice, it derives a spot on the list because of its obvious benefits. Implementing this practice can save you from the tedious task of test code duplication. When developing test cases, developers use different web locators such as XPath, ID, etc. for accessing the web elements present on the web page. There is a way to keep the code duplication at the minimum – all you have to do is create a separate API for the codes that are used frequently. This helps in the reduction of code size, helping you easily maintain the test codes. To enhance the maintainability, you can leverage Wrapping Selenium Calls. It works wonders when it comes to managing an extensive test suite.
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