Automation is a technique for using technology to automate a manual procedure. The goal is to minimize or eliminate manual labor. In this article, we will take a look at how automation can help with software testing.
Writing test cases once and then executing them often as needed is part of software testing. When performed manually, test execution is a time-consuming and laborious operation.
Automation testing speeds up the test execution process. Because test scripts may be developed once and run an unlimited number of times without the need for human intervention.
What is Automation Testing?
Automation testing is a type of software testing that involves running automated test cases using an automation tool. As a result, the manual testing technique is effectively automated.
The tester writes test scripts, which he or she then runs on-demand or arranges to run on a regular basis. This cuts down on overall testing time, allowing for speedier product releases. Let’s look at which test cases to automate now that we know what automation testing is.
What Should be Automated?
1. Test cases for the application’s important functionality
Product discovery via search and category pages, adding the same to the cart, and then making a purchase are examples of key functionality for an e-commerce platform. As a result, these test cases should be chosen first. Adding to the wishlist and recommendations test cases should be a lower priority. As a result, the appropriate automation should be chosen.
2. Test cases that demand a huge dataset and multiple test executions
Take, for example, an application’s search capability. If we can automate the process of searching for a term and then verifying the results. Then we may repeat the process with different search phrases, such as single words, multi-words, alphanumeric, special characters, foreign language characters, and so on.
3. Tests that take a long time
Workflows that take a long time to execute and set up are also excellent candidates for automation. Many test cases or application flows necessitate performing an action many times. Such test scenarios are also great candidates for automation, as it decreases testing work significantly. Let’s look at an e-commerce application as an example.
If some test cases necessitate the configuration of numerous products and then the execution of a task on those products. When automated, such test scenarios not only reduce test execution time but also relieve manual testers of duplicate tasks. Additionally, assisting them in concentrating on additional exploratory testing activities.
4. Test situations that demand parallel processing
There are times when monitoring concurrent access to an application is necessary, such as when performing performance testing with several users.
In such circumstances, manual testing is either impossible or would require significantly more resources to test the specific scenarios. Automated scripts can aid in these situations by making many requests and collecting the results in one area.
What Shouldn’t Be Automated?
It’s also necessary to know which types of test cases can’t or shouldn’t be automated:
1) User interface test cases
Manual testing or human validation should be used for GUI or graphical user interface test cases. This is because even the tiniest modification in the user interface would cause the test cases to fail. Furthermore, creating trustworthy UI test cases across numerous devices and screen resolutions is extremely difficult.
2) Usability case studies
Rather than ‘should not,’ this is a case of ‘cannot.’ Usability test cases evaluate an application’s ease of use by various groups of users and are currently unable to automate with present technology.
3) Scripting time-consuming features that are rarely used
While automating difficult scenarios is beneficial, putting effort into scenarios that are rarely used does not deliver a satisfactory return on investment.
4) Investigative testing
Exploratory testing necessitates on-the-fly application learning and simultaneous testing. As a result, exploratory testing scenarios cannot be automated.
When is it Appropriate to Automate?
We can begin the automation framework building activity in parallel with the development team after specifying all of the capabilities of the automation suite during test planning. However, the test cases should be scripted at the appropriate moment.
Scripting of test cases should begin when the application is stable and frequent changes are not expected for greater automation RoI and to avoid any rework.
Why Should You Use Automated Testing?
Some of the advantages or benefits of automation testing are as follows:
- Automation testing speeds up the test execution process. This is because automated testing is more efficient than manual testing.
- It lowers the project’s cost and resource requirements. This is because the script can be performed an unlimited number of times as long as the application remains unchanged.
- It allows you to work with a big number of inputs, which is impossible to do with manual testing.
- Aids in the creation of a continuous integration environment in which the new build is automatically tested after each code push. We can develop jobs using CI/CD solutions like Jenkins that execute test cases when a build is deployed and email the test results to stakeholders.
Process of Test Automation
The automated testing process encompasses the entire range of operations involved in automating various software applications. We’ll go over each phase in detail, from requirement analysis to automated scripting and CI/CD integration.
1. Recognize the requirements
The first and most important step in test automation is to fully comprehend the need. Understanding the demand will aid in determining the scope of automation and selecting the appropriate instrument.
2. Establishing the extent of automation
Finding the correct test cases for automation involves defining the scope of automation. This would include all test cases that fall into the categories mentioned in the “What to Automate?” section of the guide.
3. Choosing the appropriate tool
The project’s requirements, programming expertise, project budget (whether to choose a free or paid tool), and other considerations all influence tool selection.
4. Framework development
We need to build an automation framework in order to produce comprehensive test automation suites. These frameworks aid in the reuse, maintenance, and robustness of test scripts. We can choose among the various automation frameworks based on the project requirements.
5. Creating test scripts
Following the setup of the automation framework, we begin scripting the test cases that will be automated. This is a typical script for a web application test case:
- Launch your browser
- Go to the application’s URL.
- Execute some actions on various site components.
- Data from external test data files should be uploaded.
- Assertion logic or validation logic.
6. CI/CD Integration
Although test cases can be run on-demand, CI/CD is currently commonly employed in practically every product or service-based firm. Setting up test suites on a CI/CD platform like Jenkins is required from a testing standpoint.
Conclusion
Test automation is a software testing technique that executes a test case suite using particular automated testing software tools. Test automation is the most efficient way to increase the efficacy, coverage, and speed of software testing.
The technology that the Application Under Test is built on has a big impact on the test tool you choose. The maintenance of the test automation approach is a type of automation testing that is used to see if the new features added to the software are working properly.
The correct automation tool, testing procedure, and team are all critical components of automation success. Successful testing requires both manual and automated methods.
Aditya is a seasoned JavaScript developer with extensive experience in MEAN stack development. He also has solid knowledge of various programming tools and technologies, including .NET and Java. His hobbies include reading comics, playing games, and camping.