Lack of stability and reliability in automation tests is quite common when the proper rules are not followed or you adopt a “one size fits all” approach. There are no thumb rules for test automation and Selenium, however some programming language agnostic rules are applicable everywhere.
Test automation using Selenium is a popular method for testing web applications, websites, mobile apps, and more. Selenium is a powerful tool for automating, which allows you to write scripts that interact with web pages just as a user would. This will enable you to automate the testing of your web application and catch any bugs or issues before they reach your users.
Let’s discuss all the rules that can make your testing process quick and sorted. Before that, here are a few words on why Selenium is the first choice for automation testing.
Let’s discuss all the rules that can make your testing process quick and sorted. Before that, here are a few words on why Selenium is the first choice for automation testing.
Reasons For Selenium’s Popularity As A Automation Tool
1. Selenium is open-source and does not require any licensing costs for automation. It saves resources for everyone making automation and Selenium interchangeable.
2. Selenium comes with a wide range of tools matching the needs of every user.
3. The support for all the major programming languages, including Ruby, C#Perl, JavaScript, Python, Java, PHP, and .Net are significant attractions of using Selenium for automation.
4. Selenium supports all the widely used browsers and their various versions. Its support for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and operating systems makes it highly flexible.
5. Irrespective of your technical expertise and experience, it is natural to encounter difficulties in test automation and Selenium. Here comes the role of community support that is available round the clock for solving queries.
Selenium Test Automation Rules – Easy To Grab & Implement
Do Appropriate Naming Of Test Cases & Test Suites
Following a well-accepted naming convention is desirable to save lots of effort, time, and resources. Proper naming becomes even more paramount when more than one member is involved.
What if your team members require a change in the test case, or there is an error in the test case during the execution stage? In this situation, the team member needs the test case name to take the necessary steps.
To avoid any issues, write a self-explanatory name, saving lots of time that will unnecessarily go into scrolling through implementation.
Moreover, keep test cases small and focused. Each test case should only test one thing and should be as small as possible. This will make it easier to understand what the test is doing and will also make it easier to maintain in the future.
Test names should be clear and descriptive so that it is easy to understand what the test is doing. This will make it easy to locate specific tests and understand their purpose.
Give Priority To Logging & Reporting In Test Automation And Selenium
It becomes hard to locate the failing test case when a particular test fails. Make sure to have popular log levels such as debug, info, error, critical, and warning in the test case. However, it is pertinent to mention that unnecessary logging is unnecessary as it may also lead to delays in the test execution.
Additionally, have a provision for automation test reports so that you can keep track of test suite progression. It also facilitates minimizing the time required for test data maintenance.
Selenium test automation without logging and reporting fails its primary function. Thus, logging and reporting are one of the Selenium test automation rules.
Use Of Page Objects Models
Use a popular web UI automation pattern – Page Objects to reduce code duplication and enhance maintainability and scalability. The fact that Selenium automation scripts don’t have to make immediate changes to the page’s HTML components makes for simpler code maintenance.
Instead, the test code and the page’s controls are separated by a new layer (page class/page object). Using POM in Selenium automation testing improves maintainability. It reduces code size by allowing the reuse of page object methods specified in distinct page classes across different Selenium test automation scripts.
Page object models help to keep the test code clean and maintainable by separating the test logic from the page structure.
Say No To Code Duplication
One of the most widely accepted best practices when automating tests using Selenium is not to duplicate code. You may be accessing the web page’s components using a variety of web locators, including XPath, ID, etc.
To reduce the amount of code duplicated throughout the implementation, the most often used pieces of code should be extracted and packaged as their own API.
Preventing code duplication is a great way to make your tests easier to update and manage. One Selenium best practice that may significantly influence the ongoing maintenance of a complicated test suite is wrapping Selenium calls (or test code).
Let’s Conclude
Selenium can perform automation in various testing such as compatibility, end-to-end, regression, integration, system, performance, and more. With Selenium, you can write scripts to automate repetitive tasks, catch bugs early, and improve the overall quality of your web application.
However, it is also true that sometimes seeking help from test automation and Selenium experts becomes necessary to realize the full potential of this wonderful tool. There comes the role of Algoworks. Talk to our testers to get the best Selenium test automation services.
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