Task 14: Automation Testing

1. What is the difference between automated and manual testing in software development?

Automated testing and manual testing are two distinct approaches to testing software, each with its own advantages and use cases.

Manual Testing

Human Involvement: Manual testing involves human testers who execute test cases without the use of automated tools. Testers interact with the software's user interface (UI) as end-users would, performing actions and observing results.

Automated Testing:

Tool-Based Execution: Automated testing involves using specialized software tools to execute predefined test scripts or scenarios. These scripts are written beforehand to simulate user interactions and verify expected behaviors.

2. Explore some of the most common automation testing tools available on the market?

There are numerous automation testing tools available on the market, each with its own set of features, capabilities, and target audiences. Here's an overview of some of the most common ones:

1. Selenium WebDriver:

   i) Selenium WebDriver is one of the most widely used open-source automation testing frameworks for web applications.

   ii) It supports multiple programming languages such as Java, Python, C#, Ruby, etc., allowing testers to write automated tests in their preferred language.

   iii) Selenium WebDriver provides a rich set of APIs for interacting with web elements and simulating user interactions like clicking buttons, filling forms, and navigating through pages.

2. Appium:

   i) Appium is an open-source automation tool for testing mobile applications across multiple platforms (iOS, Android, and Windows).

   ii) It allows testers to write tests using standard web technologies like Selenium WebDriver and JavaScript, making it easy to transition from web to mobile testing.

   iii) Appium supports native, hybrid, and mobile web applications and provides a wide range of automation capabilities for mobile devices, including gestures, device orientation, and GPS simulation.

3. Katalon Studio:

   i) Katalon Studio is a comprehensive automation testing solution that combines the power of Selenium and Appium with a rich set of features for both web and mobile testing.

   ii) It provides a user-friendly interface for creating and executing automated tests without requiring extensive programming knowledge.

   iii) Katalon Studio supports various scripting languages, built-in test case management, reporting, and integration with popular CI/CD tools.

4. TestNG:

   i) TestNG is a testing framework for Java that is often used in conjunction with Selenium WebDriver for writing and executing automated tests.

   ii) It provides advanced features like parameterization, grouping, dependency management, and parallel execution, making it suitable for complex test scenarios.

   iii) TestNG integrates seamlessly with popular build tools and IDEs, such as Maven, Gradle, and Eclipse.

5. JUnit:

   i) JUnit is a widely used testing framework for Java applications, primarily focused on unit testing.

   ii) While it's traditionally used for unit testing, JUnit can also be used for automation testing, especially for API testing and integration testing.

   iii) JUnit provides annotations and assertions for defining and verifying test cases, making it simple and straightforward to write automated tests.

6. Cypress:

   i) Cypress is an open-source end-to-end testing framework specifically designed for modern web applications.

   ii) It provides fast, reliable, and consistent testing for web applications by running tests directly in the browser.

   iii) Cypress offers features like automatic waiting, real-time reloading, and built-in assertions, simplifying the process of writing and debugging tests.

7. ACCELQ : ACCELQ is a powerful AI-powered codeless tool that enables multi-channel test automation across web, mobile, desktop, API, and backend. It facilitates continuous test automation and end-to-end business assurance through business process-focused automation integrated across the tech stack.

8. Playwright : Playwright is a reliable test automation framework specifically designed for modern web applications. It allows to automate tests across different languages using a single API

9. Tricentis Tosca : This tool supports a wide range of database technologies and browsers. With a click button, Tosca can run the reused tests on browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

10. Parasoft : Parasoft is one of the automated testing tools that performs functional and unit testing. It helps organizations ensure their applications' reliability, performance, and security.

11. Cucumber : Cucumber is a popular open-source test automation tool that promotes behavior-driven development (BDD) by allowing teams to collaborate. It supports various programming languages, making it accessible to developers.

12. Robot Framework: Robot Framework is another open-source test automation framework used for acceptance testing. It is highly versatile and can be used for various types of testing, including web, and desktop applications.

13. Postman : Postman is one of the most Postman is one of the most widely used automation testing tools for API. It allows users to write different kinds of tests, from functional and integration to regression tests, and execute them automatically in CI/CD pipelines via the command line.

3. What is cross Browser Testing?

Cross-browser testing is the process of testing a web application or website across multiple web browsers to ensure consistent functionality, performance, and user experience across different browser environments. Since web browsers interpret and render web pages differently, conducting cross-browser testing is essential to identify and address any compatibility issues that may arise.

Here are some key aspects of cross-browser testing:

1. Browser Compatibility: Different web browsers (such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, etc.) may interpret HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code differently. Therefore, a web application that works perfectly in one browser may encounter issues in another. Cross-browser testing helps ensure that the application functions correctly and appears consistent across various browsers.

2. Functional Testing: Cross-browser testing involves verifying that all features and functionalities of a web application work as intended across different browsers. This includes testing user interactions, form submissions, navigation, dynamic content, and any client-side scripting.

3. UI Consistency: Web browsers may have different default styles and rendering engines, leading to variations in the appearance of web pages. Cross-browser testing helps ensure consistent styling, layout, and visual elements across different browsers to maintain a cohesive user experience.

4. Performance Testing: Performance can vary between different browsers due to differences in rendering engines, JavaScript execution speed, caching mechanisms, and network optimization. Cross-browser testing includes evaluating the performance of a web application across various browsers to identify any performance bottlenecks or optimization opportunities.

5. Device Compatibility: In addition to testing across different desktop browsers, cross-browser testing may also involve testing on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. This helps ensure that the web application is responsive and functions correctly on different screen sizes and resolutions.

6. Regression Testing: With the continuous release of new browser versions and updates, cross-browser testing is an ongoing process. Regression testing involves retesting the web application across different browsers whenever there are changes or updates to ensure that existing functionality remains intact.

cross-browser testing is crucial for delivering a high-quality web application that provides a consistent and reliable experience for users, regardless of the browser or device they use to access it.

Importance of Cross Browser Testing

Cross-browser testing helps achieve enhanced user-experience by identifying cross-browser compatibility errors of your websites and web apps. This helps in debugging the issues at a faster pace. It also helps to ensure that you don’t compromise on the end-user experience.

4. Write a Blog on TDD and BDD?

Test Driven Development (TDD):

Test Driven Development (TDD) is a software development practice that focuses on creating unit test cases before developing the actual code. It is an iterative approach combining programming, unit test creation, and refactoring.

• The TDD approach originates from the Agile manifesto principles and Extreme programming.

• As the name suggests, the test process drives software development.

• Moreover, it’s a structuring practice that enables developers and testers to obtain optimized code that proves resilient in the long term.

• In TDD, developers create small test cases for every feature based on their initial understanding. The primary intention of this technique is to modify or write new code only if the tests fail. This prevents duplication of test scripts. The TDD cycle typically consists of three steps: write a failing test, write the minimum code to pass the test, and refactor the code while keeping all tests passing.

  Here's a closer look at each step:

• Write a Failing Test: In TDD, developers start by writing a test that defines the desired behavior or functionality of the code they're about to write. Since the code doesn't exist yet, the test naturally fails.

• Write Minimum Code to Pass the Test: After writing the failing test, developers proceed to write the minimum amount of code required to make the test pass. This code should address the specific functionality being tested, without introducing unnecessary complexity.

• Refactor the Code: Once the test passes, developers refactor the code to improve its design, readability, and performance while ensuring that all tests continue to pass. Refactoring is an essential step in TDD to maintain code quality and prevent technical debt.

TDD promotes a "test-first" mindset, which encourages developers to think critically about the requirements and design of their code before implementation. By writing tests upfront, TDD helps catch bugs early, fosters better code design, and provides a safety net for making changes or refactoring existing code.

Test Driven Development (TDD) Examples

1. Calculator Function: When building a calculator function, a TDD approach would involve writing a test case for the “add” function and then writing the code for the process to pass that test. Once the “add” function is working correctly, additional test cases would be written for other functions such as “subtract”, “multiply” and “divide”.

2. User Authentication: When building a user authentication system, a TDD approach would involve writing a test case for the user login functionality and then writing the code for the login process to pass that test. Once the login functionality works correctly, additional test cases will be written for registration, password reset, and account verification.

3. E-commerce Website: When building an e-commerce website, a TDD approach would involve writing test cases for various features such as product listings, shopping cart functionality, and checkout process. Tests would be written to ensure the system works correctly at each process stage, from adding items to the cart to completing the purchase.

Behavior-Driven Development(BDD):

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) is an extension of TDD that focuses on describing software behavior in terms of user stories or business requirements. BDD emphasizes collaboration between developers, testers, and business stakeholders to ensure that the software meets the desired behaviors and delivers value to the end-users. BDD introduces the concept of "specifications by example" using a structured language called Gherkin, which consists of Given-When-Then clauses. Here's how BDD works:

1. Write Scenarios in Gherkin Syntax: In BDD, stakeholders collaboratively define scenarios using Gherkin syntax, which describes the behavior of the system from the user's perspective. Each scenario consists of Given-When-Then clauses, outlining the preconditions, actions, and expected outcomes.

2. Automate Scenarios with Step Definitions: Once the scenarios are defined, developers automate them by writing step definitions that map each Gherkin step to executable code. Step definitions are written using programming languages like Java, Cucumber, or Spec Flow.

3. Execute Scenarios and Verify Behavior: The automated scenarios are executed against the application to verify that it behaves as expected. If a scenario fails, it indicates a deviation from the expected behavior, prompting developers to investigate and fix the underlying issue.

The three principles of BDD:

• Focus on the desired behavior or outcomes

• Collaboration between developers, testers, and business stakeholders

• Use of a common language for communication and understanding.

BDD is an evolution of the Test-Driven Development Methodology (TDD), but it shifts the focus from high test coverage to defining the application’s behavior.

Here the key differences between TDD & BDD

Conclusion

Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) are two powerful methodologies that promote quality-driven software development practices. While TDD focuses on writing tests before code to drive design and catch bugs early, BDD emphasizes collaboration and specification by example to ensure that software meets the desired behaviors and delivers value to end-users. By adopting TDD and BDD practices, development teams can improve code quality, reduce defects, and deliver software that meets both technical and business requirements effectively.