Automated testing is replacing some manual testing because it saves time and improves test quality. Especially in the case of regression testing, automation can increase efficiency in a number of ways. Repeating tests manually is a waste of time and resources. In addition, there is a range of errors because repeated tests can be missed, but the likelihood of errors occurring in automation is small. But what is automated testing? In simple terms, automated testing is a system that executes test cases by repeatedly performing predefined actions instead of human actions. To take full advantage of automation, you must choose the right automated test tool.
Type of automated test tool
- Recording and replay: The tools in this category provide recording options for automated scripts. Every interaction on the screen (such as clicking, scrolling, or typing) is recorded and translated into an automated step. Recorded scripts can be replayed to perform actions and validate.
- Coordinate based identification: Such tools interact with the application under test with the help of x/ Y coordinates to automate and validate the application.
- Native object recognition: A tool that uses native object recognition to detect UI or control elements in a given element tree. The tree is built from XPATH, XML, or CSS to identify elements, validate, and automate scripts.
- Text recognition: Text recognition or (OCR) optical character recognition tools can identify elements according to their text. These tools use visible text to drive automation and validate applications.
- Image recognition: These tools take screenshots of UI elements in the product to add to automated scripts. These screenshots will help AUT automate.
Many test automation tools support multiple identification methods, which can be useful for obtaining more powerful automation scripts. Now let’s look at the factors to consider when choosing an automated test tool.
Platform support
Are you looking for automated testing tools for Web or mobile applications? If it is a mobile application, is it hybrid, native or PWA? Scripting languages are also an important factor in many cases, as mobile test automation tools do not support all languages. Therefore, if you are developing applications using JavaScript, it is not recommended to use UFT for test automation. In this case, use a scripting language flexible tool such as Selenium.
Many test automation tools support free software frameworks such as Selenium and Appium. Framework integration helps reduce testing effort and increase collaboration between teams. Tool integration forms an ecosystem of collaborative efforts that aid in object identification, error logging, test case management, reporting sharing, and shared repositories.
Easy to use
The ease of adoption can be measured in terms of the skills and learning curve required to use the tool. If there are resources available on the Internet to easily learn what the tool does, that’s a plus. Also, community support should be good, and it would be an advantage to have an active community with a general understanding of the complexity of the tool. We have observed that some tools and frameworks also have a long learning curve to install. But in general, the team should be able to use the tool easily based on their skills or experience.
Easy to script
Most automated testing tools provide flexible scripting options. It allows test teams to write test scripts in their preferred language. Good test automation tools help improve the reusability of test components and provide the flexibility of scripts that can be reused across projects. Scripting time with object identifiers, script execution speed, support for CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, these attributes are often considered before selecting a tool.
Integrated way
If the test team is using test cases or administration tools, the team will prefer automated tools that can be easily integrated into those tools. It helps to properly manage the application development life cycle. A keyword – or data-driven automation framework should be easy to integrate into any data source. This is especially handy if the tool makes it easy to provide connections to different data sources.
Test and analysis
Analysis reports form the basis of test automation because they provide traceability to the process. Automation tools must provide customizable dashboards to view the different types of reports shared between teams. Traceability of real-time reports ensures functional verification and effective test coverage. Quality metrics such as test progress, defect density, and test execution status allow you to maintain quality during each phase of continuous testing. It is convenient to use good automated tools to analyze results to identify errors and perform root cause analysis.
Type of license and fee
It’s best to choose open source tools, but not every open source automation tool has all the features you might need. Even if you choose a proprietary licensing tool, you need to figure out how much you’ll need to spend on maintenance. Some companies provide real-time support and training for quality programs. Therefore, you may need to upgrade to take advantage of these services. If you just want to automate on a different machine, there is something called a runtime license. In addition, there are options for node-locked licenses for a single computer and concurrent floating licenses for using the tool on multiple systems.
To summarize
If you are still confused and want to further simplify the tool selection process, use the tool comparison matrix. Make a note of the 2,3 or even 5 tools you like, and then rate them based on all the factors we discussed earlier in this blog. This makes it easier to make decisions based on your requirements. Device coverage is key when it comes to mobile test automation tools. It is recommended to use a cloud-based test platform to run automated tests on multiple devices. Automation is the heart and soul of any CI/CD pipeline, and choosing the right automated test tool is critical to a successful DevOps implementation.
- Solemnly declare: the article prohibits the third party (except Tencent cloud) reprint, published, the story of the test nest, home copy I seven original shielding, your conscience will not hurt?
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