Understanding Automation Frameworks in Software Testing

Software

Understanding Automation Frameworks in Software Testing

Automation testing has gradually become the “trend” among testers due to its advantages of cost savings, improved efficiency, and reduced manual intervention. Practitioners increasingly understand that implementing an automation framework is one of the key factors for the success of software automation projects. This article will elaborate on three aspects: what a true automation testing framework is, how automation scripts work, and how an automation testing framework can provide you with a competitive advantage during the testing process, allowing you to step into the realm of automation testing frameworks through this article.

Advantages of Automation Testing

The popularity of automation testing and its numerous advantages do not mean it is a panacea. Custom projects, short cycles, and ease of testing are not suitable for automation testing. However, it is undeniable that if the automation testing framework is carefully planned and executed, it can indeed bring the following benefits to software development and testing companies:

Minimum Time – Maximum Benefit

Building any viable automation testing framework and automation scripts can minimize the time spent writing and running tests, thus achieving maximum output in a short period. Additionally, having an excellent automation testing framework allows personnel to be liberated from common issues such as synchronization, error management, local configuration, report generation, and interpretation.

Reusable and Readable Automation Code

When you use the code mentioned in the existing component library, you can rest assured that it will still be readable and reusable in the future, and all related tasks (such as reporting, synchronization, and troubleshooting) will become more accessible. Resource optimization: Some companies do not benefit from automation implementation as expected because the benefits derived from automation testing depend on the flexibility of its adoption. If the automation system is flexible and compatible with different teams working on various components, it can provide significant benefits in resource optimization and knowledge sharing.

Definition of Automation Testing Framework

In many other industries, “automation” refers to the automatic processing of processes through intelligent algorithms, with little or no human intervention. In the software industry, automation testing refers to testing software applications through automation tools (both licensed and open-source). From a technical perspective, an automation testing framework is a set of customized interactive components that can be used to execute scripted tests and report test results comprehensively. To successfully build an automation testing framework, it is essential to consider the advice of software quality assurance experts who can help observe and control the entire testing process, improving the accuracy of test results. A well-designed automation testing framework allows testers to perform automation testing in a practical and simplified manner. Types of Automation Testing Frameworks: Tool-Centric Frameworks: Both commercial and open-source automation tools have system infrastructures that help generate reports, test suites, and distributed test execution in the testing environment. For example, the Selenium automation framework has a primary component called WebDriver, which is a web browser-based plugin used to control and operate the DOM model of applications in web browsers. The Selenium test automation framework also has useful coding libraries and recording playback tools.

Another important framework dedicated to tools is Serenity, which is an accelerator built around the Selenium WebDriver. In this case, the community combines specific components into a common entity to speed up the automation testing implementation process.

It is challenging to make clear judgments about tools like TestComplete, Ranorex, and HP QTP because they are all pre-built infrastructures with action simulators, reporting, and script IDEs.

Application-Centric Frameworks

This type of framework is customized for automating a specific application project. Application-centric frameworks support the automation testing needs of a specified target application driven by components built from open-source libraries. Such frameworks can create friendly testing environments around the SUT to run basic functionalities, including deploying developed applications, running applications, executing test cases, directly reporting test results, and providing wrapper controls for easier coding. Application-centric frameworks will also have a component to support testing across various cloud environments on different operating systems and browsers. Keyword-Driven Frameworks: Keyword-driven frameworks primarily appeal to novice developers and testers lacking coding experience. They can be either tool-centric or project-centric frameworks. Keyword-driven frameworks allow coding-illiterate employees to participate in writing and understanding automation scripts. A set of keywords for coding (such as Login, NavigateToPage, Click, TypeText) is installed in the codebase as a keyword repository, and spreadsheets that reference the provided keywords will be passed to the keyword interpreter for test execution. The main components of an ideal automation testing framework.

To achieve a powerful and high-performance testing automation framework (whether open-source or commercial), it is essential to consider certain components that constitute its core. Some frameworks may include all components, while others may only include a few, so it is not necessary to involve all the components mentioned below in every framework.

1. Basic Testing Components

a) Unit Testing: Unit testing basic components can serve as the fundamental part of any automation testing framework. It can be used in the following situations:

l Define the testing methods being used in specific forms such as @test or [test]

l Execute assertions that affect the final results of automation testing

l Run simple and straightforward tests

Whether running tests from the command line, IDE, dedicated tools, or CI (Continuous Integration) systems, unit testing libraries provide test runners to ensure unit tests run in a straightforward manner.

Unit testing libraries support almost all programming languages, such as JUnit and TestNG for Java, NUnit and MSTest for .NET, and unittest (formerly PyUnit) for Python.

b) Integration and End-to-End Testing: While automating integration and end-to-end testing, it is also very appropriate to practice the functionalities provided by existing testing libraries. UI-driven API-level testing requires components that eliminate unnecessary coding burdens, making interactions with the application under test easier. Therefore, testers will not be troubled by the coding work of connecting to the application, sending requests, and receiving result responses.

Some important testing components of this type include: Selenium (available for major languages), protractor (specific to JavaScript), and Karate DSL (Java-specific API-level integration testing).

c) Behavior-Driven Development (BDD): Components specifically designed for BDD aim to create executable specifications in the form of executable code. In this section, testers can translate different features and scenarios that predict behavior into code. Although they do not directly interact with the application under test like other testing tools, they can support the BDD process by creating activity documentation consistent with the scope and intent of automation testing. Typical examples of BDD components include: cucumber (supporting major languages), Jasmine (JavaScript), and SpecFlow (for .NET). 2. Test Data Management: One of the biggest challenges in software testing automation and test creation is how to leverage test data management systems. With the increasing number of automated tests, there is always the issue of ensuring that certain test data required for executing specific tests is available or can be created during test execution. Currently, there is no foolproof solution for this situation, which necessitates the adoption of reliable test data management methods to ensure the success of automation work.

Therefore, the adopted automation testing framework needs to be sufficiently configured to provide basic remedial measures to enter or create and clear the test data to be executed. The solution to this problem is to use appropriate mock tools to make data simpler, clearer, and easier to understand.

3. Mocks, Stubs, and Virtual Assets: During the practice and exploration of automation testing, the following situations may arise:

· Need to isolate modules from connected components experienced in unit testing

· Handle cumbersome and critical dependencies common in modern application integration or end-to-end testing

In these situations, it becomes necessary to create mocks, stubs, and virtual assets to reflect the behavioral patterns of connected components, and it may also be discovered that handling mocks and stubs is a large-scale task. Nevertheless, testers will realize that selecting useful virtualization tools during the development of automation testing frameworks is very important. Achieving a Common Mechanism for Patterns: In addition to the automation framework components mentioned above, there are some useful mechanisms that can help create, use, and maintain automation testing, such as:

Wrapper Methods: Creating custom wrappers when using Selenium WebDriver components makes it easier to handle errors. Once custom wrappers for Selenium API calls are created, it becomes easier to handle timeouts, exception handling, and failure reporting. Afterward, personnel who create automation tests can reuse this, allowing them to focus on valuable testing instead of complex process concerns. Abstraction Methods: Abstraction mechanisms mean improved readability and concealment of redundant details. For example, using page objects when creating Selenium WebDriver tests aims to expose user input operations on webpages, including entering credentials or clicking somewhere on the page, with the goal of achieving advanced testing methods that transcend the need to explore specific elements on the page. This method applies to many similar applications and automation tests.

Test Result Reporting

When choosing to report test results into the automation framework’s library or mechanism, it is essential to consider the target audience for viewing this report. In this regard, the following considerations should be followed:

· Reports generated by unit testing frameworks such as Junit and TestNG are primarily aimed at receiving systems like CI (Continuous Integration) servers, which will ultimately interpret them and present them in XML format usable by other software.

· When seeking to use a language that most people can understand as a reporting tool, you may need to consider using commercial tools compatible with unit testing frameworks, such as UFT-Pro for Junit, NUnit, and TestNG.

· Another option is to utilize third-party libraries such as ExtentReports, which create test result reports in an easy-to-understand format, including visual interpretation through pie charts, graphs, or images. Auxiliary Platforms: In addition to the automation testing framework itself, some auxiliary platforms related to continuous integration can significantly assist automation testing. For example, CI can handle delivery item deployment and test scheduling; source code platforms can manage the code for products and test scripts; dependency managers are generally tools for managing dependencies on language libraries, such as using Nexus to manage common Java types developed by company employees; ZenTao ZTF includes features like continuous integration, unit testing, and version control.

CI Platforms

To conduct application testing in a faster and more coherent manner, continuous integration platforms can help you regularly build software and run various tests for new versions. This approach provides developers and testers with regular feedback and rapid response regarding application quality when developing and deploying new features and updating existing functionalities. Some prominent continuous integration platforms currently include TeamCity, CircleCI, and Jenkins.

Source Code Management

Like manual testing, automation testing also involves writing and storing versions of source code. Every development company has a selected source code and version control system to preserve and protect the source code. Automation testing requires a robust source code management system, which is very convenient when dealing with production code. Typical examples of source code management include Git and Subversion.

Creating Dependency Managers

The primary purpose of dependency managers is to assist in collecting and managing the dependencies and libraries already applied in the functionality of automation software solutions. Some tools (such as Maven and Gradle) act as both dependency managers and build tools. Build tools are designed to help you develop automation software from source code and supporting libraries and run tests. Tools in this area include Ant, npm, and NuGet. ZenTao ZTF supports seamless integration with ZenTao, allowing binding between ZenTao use cases and automation test scripts, with execution results submitted to ZenTao as test results. Failed scripts can also automatically create bugs. The ZTF automation testing framework achieves integration with Jenkins continuous integration functionality. After users initiate tasks, ZTF automatically executes test scripts and returns unit test results to ZenTao, thus closing the continuous integration loop. Framework Construction and Implementation Process:

The following are several ways to plan and implement automation testing solutions:

· Explore the practical applicability of automation from the customer’s perspective, examine its appearance from various angles, and test on underutilized technologies. In contrast, if the effort invested in automation development greatly exceeds the expected benefits, then automation testing is unnecessary.

· Closely monitor the technology of the system under test to find the most suitable automation testing tools that can perfectly simulate user behavior.

· It is recommended to adopt a phased implementation approach, where each phase has a priority for delivering automation testing scripts while adding framework functionalities to achieve the expected script execution.

· Before launching software automation testing, it is essential to estimate the return on investment, conduct proof of concept, and calculate the time to run manual regression or smoke tests and the number of runs for each version to ensure correct execution of automation decisions.

Conclusion

In today’s fast-paced and brutal software development ecosystem, automation testing frameworks play an indispensable role in maintaining the speed, efficiency, and clarity of software testing cycles. As artificial intelligence is introduced into software testing, organizations considering adopting automation testing frameworks must delve deeply into the design of the final framework before venturing into this field. A good framework design and a strategy for using components will lay the foundation for the final automation testing framework.

The best way to build a mature, refined, and flexible architecture for an automation testing framework is to start small, test and review frequently, and gradually build an extended version to higher levels. Preparing a large number of automated tests from the early stages is convenient, allowing for quicker visibility of the working framework and avoiding conflicts or damages during the automation testing phase. The guidelines outlined above aim to assist software testers and companies in drawing experience from successfully executed automation testing projects.

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