This article introduces five of the most popular Python frameworks for automated testing to help you make the right tool choices, and to facilitate and speed up application testing.
Therefore, developers and testers need to consider a number of factors when choosing a test framework for the project at hand, including the quality of the script of the framework, the simplicity of the test cases, and the possible technical weaknesses of the running modules. In order to avoid the “choicerism,” I have prepared five Python types of automated testing frameworks for comparison and discussion.
1.Robot Framework
As one of the most important Python testing frameworks, the Robot Framework is primarily used for test-driven development and acceptance. Although developed in Python, it can also be built on. Net IronPython and Java-based Jython. As a Python framework, Robot is also compatible with platforms such as Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
Use prerequisites
Before using the Robot Framework(RF), you need to have Python 2.7.14 and later installed. I recommend using Python 3.6.4 to ensure that appropriate comments can be added to code snippets and that changes to your program can be tracked. You will also need to install the Python package manager – PIP.
Of course, you must also download the appropriate development framework, such as PyCharm, which is popular in the developer community. Also, because the code snippets themselves don’t depend on any IDE, you can just stick with the IDE tools you already have.
advantages
By using the keyword-driven test approach, it helps testers easily create readable test cases, simplifying the entire automation process. Users can easily test the syntax in the data. Made up of common tools and test libraries, it has a large ecosystem and can be used in individual projects. With many types of apis, the framework is highly extensible. While not the built-in function, but the Robot can be by Selenium Grid (see www.lambdatest.com/blog/lambda…
disadvantages
Despite these advantages, the Robot Framework is cumbersome in creating custom HTML reports. At best, you can use it to generate short reports in xUnit format. In addition, the Robot Framework is not very good at parallel testing. Robot features compared with competing products
Due to Robot’s rich built-in libraries and ability to use a simpler Test-oriented Domain Specific Language (DSL), if you are new to automated testing and lack development experience, It is much easier to use as a Python testing framework than Pytest or Pyunit, which will be mentioned below. Of course, if you need to develop a complex automation framework, use Pytest, or some other type of Python framework.
2.Pytest
Pytest, for a variety of software tests, is another Python type of automated testing framework. Being open source and easy to learn, the tool is often used by QA teams, development teams, individual teams, and various open source projects. Given Pytest’s “assert rewriting” utility, many large Internet applications such as Dropbox and Mozilla have switched to Pytest from UnitTest (Pyunit), which will be mentioned below.
Use prerequisites
Beyond a basic knowledge of Python, users don’t need much technical know-how. In addition, all you need is a test facility with a command-line interface, a Python package manager installed, and IDE tools available for development.
advantages
In the past, developers had to include their tests in a variety of large classes. Pytest now allows users to write more compact test suites. Other testing tools require developers or testers to use debuggers or log checks to detect the source of a particular value. When you write a test case with Pytest, you can store all the values in the test case until *** knows which values failed and which are worth asserting.
Because there is not much Boilerplate code involved, users can easily write and understand various tests. Fixture functions are often used to add parameters to test functions and return different values. In Pytest, you can modularize one fixture by using another. At the same time, users can use multiple fixtures to cover all combinations of parameters without having to rewrite test cases.
Pytest developers keep the framework extensible by releasing a variety of utility plug-ins. For example, Pytest-Xdist can be used to perform parallel tests without using other testers. Unit tests can also be parameterized without copying any code. By providing developers with a variety of special routines, it makes test cases easier and less error-prone to write, while making code shorter and easier to understand.
disadvantages
The special routines mentioned above also mean that the user must give up some compatibility. While it is convenient for users to write test cases, these use cases cannot be used with any other testing framework. Features of Pytest compared with competing products
Pytest trumps UnitTest, which will be mentioned below, in terms of writing functional test cases and developing complex frameworks. However, it is similar to the Robot Framework in that it is only suitable for developing simple testing frameworks.
If you are considering using Pytest, further refer to Test Automation with Pytest and Selenium WebDriver.
3.UnitTest/PyUnit
UnitTest/PyUnit, inspired by JUnit, is also a standardized Python-like testing automation framework for unit tests. Its base class, TestCase, provides the various assertion methods, as well as all the cleaning and setting routines. Therefore, each method in the TestCase subclass is prefixed with the noun “test” to indicate that they can be run as a test case. Users can use the Load method and the TestSuite class to group and load various tests. Of course, you can also use syndication to build custom test runners. Just as we used Junit to test Selenium, UnitTest also uses Unittest-smL-reporting and can generate reports of various XML types.
Use prerequisites
Since UnitTest uses Python by default, we don’t need any prerequisites. In addition to a basic knowledge of the Python framework, you can also install PIP, as well as IDE tools for development.
advantages
The developer does not need to install any additional modules. UnitTest is a derivative of xUnit and works much like other xUnit frameworks. So for those who don’t have a strong Python background, it’s easy to pick up. Users can run individual test cases in a simpler way. With a name predetermined on the terminal, the framework has the flexibility to test various use cases and produce refined output. It can generate various test reports in milliseconds.
disadvantages
Although the framework often names various Python code snake_case, it retains some of the traditional camelCase naming methods due to its Junit origins. This can be confusing. Because it supports too many abstract methods, the purpose of the test code is sometimes unclear. A lot of boilerplate code is required. Features of PyUnit compared with competing products
Similar to the views of some Python developers, I believe that Pytest helps testers develop the programming habit of writing better automated code in a very compact manner. Although UnitTest is Python’s default automated testing framework, it still works and is named slightly differently from standard Python code. It also requires too much boilerplate code. So the framework is not very popular.
4.Behave
As we all know: Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is a best method based on agile software development. It encourages collaboration among developers, business participants, and QA. As another Python testing framework, Behave allows the team to perform BDD tests without having to deal with all the complexities. In essence, the framework is very similar to SpecFlow and Cucumber and is often used to perform automated tests. Users can write test cases in a simple, readable language and paste them into code during their execution. In addition, those established norms and procedures can be reused in other test scenarios.
Use prerequisites
Anyone with a basic knowledge of Python can use Behave. Other prerequisites include:
You must have Python 2.7.14 or later installed. You need to work with Behave through a Python package manager or PIP. Most developers will choose Pycharm as their development environment, but you can use other IDE tools as well.
advantages
Because system behavior uses a semi-formal language and domain Vocabulary, Behave helps maintain consistent behavior in the organization. Let development teams working on different modules have similar characteristics through coordination. It builds blocks of functionality capable of executing various test cases. The target product is more prescriptive because it has more details for users to reason about and think about. It gives project managers and stakeholders a clearer picture of the output of the development team and QA team, following a similar canonical format.
disadvantages
Only available for black box testing. The characteristics of Behave compared to competing products
Behave is best suited for black box tests such as simple Web tests. However, Behave isn’t a good choice for integration and unit tests with complex scenarios. As an alternative to Behave, some developers and testers recommend Pytest-bDD. The tool combines all the benefits of Pytest and implements a variety of behaviour-driven testing scenarios.
If you are considering using concerns, so you can borrow the concerns with the Selenium “(see www.lambdatest.com/support/doc…
5.Lettuce
Lettuce is another behavior driven class automation tool based on Cucumber and Python. Lettuce focuses on common tasks that have the characteristics of behavior driven development. Not only is it easy to use, but it makes the whole testing process smoother and even more fun.
Use prerequisites
You need to install Python 2.7.14 or later with an IDE. Of course, you can also use Pycharm or any other IDE tool. You will also need to install the Python package manager.
advantages
Similar to other BDD testing frameworks, Lettuce allows developers to create multiple scenarios and describe different functions in simple natural language. Development and QA teams work in harmony with a similar specification format. For black-box testing, the oracle is well suited for behavior-driven test cases.
disadvantages
In order to successfully implement behavior-driven testing, there needs to be ongoing communication between the development team, QA staff, and stakeholders. Without this kind of communication, the process becomes unclear and the team runs into problems. Competing goods more
Cucumber is seen by both casual developers and automation testers as more practical for performing BDD tests. In Python developers and QA, Pytest-bDD is the best. The power of Pytest is that its framework implements compact, easy-to-understand code that is tightly integrated into behavior-driven testing.
conclusion
In summary, of the five Python frameworks for automated testing, Pytest, Robot Framework, and UnitTest can be used mainly for functional and unit testing, while Lettuce and Behave only apply to behavior-driven testing. By further comparison, we conclude that Pytest is perfect for functional testing. If you’re new to Python based automated testing, the Robot Framework is a great tool to get started with. Although it has limited features, it is very easy to use. Lettuce and Behave are equally good for Python-based BDD tests. However, if you already have some Pytest experience, use Pytest-bdd. ***, hopefully this article has helped you pick the right Python testing framework for your tests. Well, that’s all for today’s sharing. If you’re interested in Python, please join us for free learning materials and source code.