A Complete Guide to test case development for Selenium Automation
Selenium automation testing has become widely accepted in the software engineering community as one of the most favored automation testing frameworks. Consisting of a suite of tools such as IDE, RC, WebDriver, and Grid, it has gained significant recognition as a leader in the test automation sector. This is because it can overcome the limitations of previous frameworks like HP QTP and Mercury’s Astra QuickTest, which necessitated script writing in VBScript and were mainly suitable for desktop-based tests.
Selenium’s popularity can be attributed to its support for multiple programming languages such as Java, Python, C#, Perl, Ruby,.net, and PHP, making it a preferred choice for both individuals and companies like Google, Netflix, HubSpot, and Fitbit.
Jason Higgins launched Selenium in 2004 with the primary aim of eliminating the need for repetitive manual testing. This article will concentrate on how to create test cases in Selenium that leverage its potential to offer maximum and precise test coverage within a limited timeframe.
What is Selenium?
Selenium is a testing tool that is open-source and commonly utilized to test web applications. Tests generated through Selenium can be run across various web browsers and operating systems.
Selenium is an exceptional tool for automating web application testing. It offers the flexibility to test the functionality of web applications on various operating systems and browsers. Selenium testing is an effective approach to automate web application testing.
Selenium comprises three main components:
| Component | Description |
| Selenium IDE | A Firefox add-on that lets testers record and playback automated tests quickly. It also includes a built-in debugger to troubleshoot tests. Supports Firefox and Chrome browsers. |
| Selenium WebDriver | An open-source tool that automates web browser interactions from a user perspective. It offers a flexible test automation framework and supports several programming languages, such as Java, C#, Python, and Perl. It can discover elements on a web page and capture screenshots during tests. |
| Selenium Grid | It distributes tests across multiple machines or virtual machines, allowing for parallel testing on various devices or VMs. It makes scaling test automation possible and can be installed on your device or hosted on a separate server. |
To begin using the Selenium for Automation, you can write automated tests in different programming languages to test the functionality of your web application on different browsers and operating systems.
Benefits of Selenium
- Selenium’s integration support allows testers to execute tests simultaneously on multiple browsers and machines, making it a time-saving solution for large projects. The tool provides flexibility and customization options for test automation by supporting various tools and frameworks.
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- Running multiple tests concurrently can significantly reduce the time it takes to test web applications.
- The use of a Selenium Grid ensures that web applications are bug-free and fully functional before release, improving overall quality and user experience.
- The automation of testing using a Selenium Grid is an excellent way to achieve reliable results.
- Using a Selenium Grid can be a valuable approach to improving the web application testing process.
Installing Selenium
First, you need to install the Selenium WebDriver to use the Selenium Testing Tool. Once the Selenium WebDriver is installed, you can start writing your Selenium tests.
Installing Selenium is a straightforward process. Follow these steps to install Selenium:
- Visit the Selenium website at https://www.selenium.dev/.
- Click on the “Download” button in the menu.
- Select the “Selenium IDE” option, and choose the browser from the listed options.
- Click on the “Download” button.
- Execute the latest build or the “SeleniumIDE_4.0.0.exe” file.
- Follow the prompts to install Selenium IDE.
Once the installation is complete, you can start writing your Selenium tests.
- Selenium environment setup can be done in various ways. One option is to directly install and run all the necessary tools and packages on your main machine, like the one described above. However, this approach can be time-consuming, and keeping all the versions up-to-date and in sync can take time and effort. Moreover, if you make a mistake, it may affect your main machine.
- Therefore, it’s better to run everything inside Docker containers. This approach has many benefits, including the easy configuration of pre-built Docker images for different packages and projects, the ability to start and stop services as required, and the running code in an isolated environment that won’t affect your main machine. If you haven’t used Docker before, make sure to install it and get familiar with it.
- To set up the Selenium environment, create a new Git repository called “example-selenium-test-automation-reporting,” where you will store all the files. The repository can be found on GitHub, and you can review the project files there. You will use a Docker Compose configuration file, stored in the “dev” directory of your project, to provide two services.
- The initial service, named “selenium,” employs the “selenium/standalone-chrome” image, which is an official image, to execute Google Chrome for Selenium within Docker. This container includes the ChromeDriver browser driver, and when it starts, the script can connect to port 4444 to request a new Chrome session and drive the browser.
- The second service, “node,” will be the development container. You will use this container to develop and run your tests locally, without running any test code on your main machine. You will use the official “node” image, which hosts the Node.js runtime that you will use for your JavaScript automation script. If you use a different programming language, you would use a different Docker image here.
- To start the Selenium Chrome container, use Docker Compose. Once the service is running, use your node image to launch an interactive shell. Inside this container, you can develop and run your code and connect to the Selenium service to launch and drive a Chrome instance.
- To view what happens inside the container and what the browser looks like when running your automation script, you can connect to the VNC server hosted by the official Selenium Docker image. You can use a VNC client, such as the built-in macOS VNC client, or a third-party client for Windows. Alternatively, you can point your web browser to http://localhost:7900/, which launches a browser-based VNC client hosted by the Selenium container. Enter the default password, “secret.” You can watch and follow all browser interactions live when you automate Chrome through Selenium.
Guidelines for creating Selenium tests
When creating Selenium tests, it is crucial to consider the following guidelines:
- The primary objective of your Selenium test is to discover bugs and issues in your web application.
- Keep your Selenium tests brief and to the point.
- Only use the Selenium WebDriver if you are confident in your knowledge of the tools and scripts.
After developing your Selenium tests, you can execute them on various browsers and operating systems. To accomplish this, you’ll require a Selenium Grid, which is a server that lets you run multiple Selenium tests simultaneously on various browsers and operating systems.
Role of Selenium in an Agile environment
Selenium can play a significant role in an Agile environment by helping to streamline the testing process. Below are some tips to ensure that automated testing with Selenium is effective and efficient within an Agile development cycle:
- Include automated testing as part of the continuous integration process and run tests frequently.
- Write tests that are designed to be quick and easy to run.
- Design tests to focus on specific functionality or behavior and avoid complexity.
- Accompany new features and changes with automated tests to maintain the application’s functionality.
- Use automated testing as a supplement to manual testing, rather than a replacement.
In an Agile development setting, Selenium testing is typically utilized in the following ways:
- Regression testing is performed to verify that the existing features of an application function as intended after new code has been added.
- To verify new features are functioning as intended before releasing them to production.
- To help detect and troubleshoot web application bugs at both the business and development levels before the app is released.
Selenium Testing is a widely used open-source testing tool that can automate tests for web applications in different programming languages. It can be run on multiple operating systems and browsers. Below are the different types of Selenium Tests:
Various types of Selenium Tests
1. Unit Tests
Unit Tests are the simplest type of Selenium test and verify that a single unit of code behaves as expected. To create a unit test, testers should first define the expected outcome of the test and then verify that the code under test behaves as expected. After creating the test case, they can run the test using Selenium WebDriver.
To get help with troubleshooting any issues or bugs in the code, there are many online resources available, such as tutorials and guides on Selenium testing and online communities dedicated to Selenium testing.
2. Functional Tests
Functional Tests are used to verify that the application works as intended from a user’s perspective. This type of test validates the functionality of the application and ensures that it meets the end-users’ requirements. Functional tests are often written using Behavior Driven Development (BDD) frameworks, such as Cucumber or SpecFlow.
3. Integration Tests
Integration tests ensure that different components of the application work well together. These tests verify that the application integrates with other systems or modules, and they check that data is correctly passed between different parts of the system.
4. Regression Tests
Regression Tests ensure that new changes or updates to the application do not negatively impact the existing functionality. These tests are often automated and are run after each deployment to ensure that everything is still working as expected.
Conclusion
Selenium is a versatile and adaptable testing tool that offers a multitude of features and integrations with various tools and frameworks, making it suitable for diverse testing environments. It supports multiple programming languages and is open-source, which makes it cost-effective and accessible for organizations of all sizes. Furthermore, its ability to execute test suites in parallel enables faster feedback, thereby shortening the time-to-market. All these factors make Selenium a popular choice for organizations seeking to implement an effective automation testing strategy.
