If you’re involved in testing, chances are you’ve had to deal with the tedious tasks of manual testing and checking that everything works properly. While there are certainly some things that can only be handled manually, it’s worth investing in test automation software if you can. Test automation allows you to test much more quickly and thoroughly than manual methods, as well as pinpoint and correct problems more easily and ensure that they don’t arise again in the future.
1) Functional Coverage
With limited time, budget and resources, it is important to prioritize. One of the most important decisions you will make in choosing a test automation platform is which type to choose. There are three major types:
•Record and Playback (manual)
•Keyword-driven (semi-automated)
•Declarative(fully automated)
2) Data Driven Testing
Testing is an important part of a project, and it’s important to be able to validate that your application is working and working as intended. This can be achieved by data-driven testing, which uses a series of inputs that are manipulated in different ways to expose the software’s bugs or gaps in functionality. This type of testing is also less time-consuming because it relies on manual input data instead of executing the code over and over again which can cause undue stress on a system. Data-driven testing can be accomplished in various ways, with one such way is using test automation.
3) An Extensible Architecture
An extensible architecture is a software design that allows you to add features without changing the original code. Extensible architectures are also scalable, which means it can accommodate any level of complexity and size. An extensible architecture should have an API or interface in order to allow for new features to be added as needed. It should also have a modular design so that smaller pieces can be replaced in case something goes wrong with one of the components or modules. Finally, an extensible architecture needs an open-source license so that other people can contribute and help improve your platform.
4) Accessible APIs
In order to create a functional automated test, you will need to have a set of instructions that the automation engine can execute. These instructions are called actions and they can be anything from clicking on an element in the application under test (AUT), simulating a keypress, or scheduling some data for loading into the system. The actions are stored in what is called an action library which typically contains the most commonly used actions that testers employ during their testing cycles.
Additionally, many test automation platforms come with APIs that allow for easy access to functions such as taking screenshots and executing tests at a given time (i.e., scheduling). Other common features include quality assurance tools like reporting, bug tracking, and more.
5) Browser and Device Support
Browser and device support is one of the most important elements of any test automation platform. If a tool doesn’t offer the browsers and devices you need, then that tool probably isn’t the right one for your team.
An automated browser testing solution needs to have support for all major browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer 11, and Edge. It also should have mobile device support for popular models on iOS (iPad mini 4) and Android (Samsung Galaxy S7).
A good test automation platform will not only give you access to an extensive library of web-based tests, but it’ll also offer a lot of debugging tools to help with your workflow.
Conclusion
Test automation is the process of creating scripts to simulate user interactions with a product. This can be used to identify potential bugs and ensure that products function as they should. The five key elements of a test automation platform are: – Scripts: The script is what will be executed by the software. It will tell it what to do, and when to do it.
