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 testingAMP. 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.
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ToggleAMPAutomation 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s also necessary to know which types of test cases can’t or shouldn’t be automated:
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.
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.
While automating difficult scenarios is beneficial, putting effort into scenarios that are rarely used does not deliver a satisfactory return on investment.
Exploratory testing necessitates on-the-fly application learning and simultaneous testing. As a result, exploratory testing scenarios cannot be automated.
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.
Some of the advantages or benefits of automation testing are as follows:
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.
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.
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.
The project’s requirements, programming expertise, project budget (whether to choose a free or paid tool), and other considerations all influence tool selection.
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.
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:
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.
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.