Comprehensive Guide to Automation Testing for Beginners
Manual testing is no longer sufficient since businesses want software to be produced more rapidly and with greater quality in order to compete. As a result, the term “automated testing” has gained currency in the IT industry today. This blog article on automated testing will educate you how to meet your company’s goal of generating bug-free, high-quality software that distinguishes itself from the competition. Get hands-on exposure in automation testing in our Selenium Training Institute in Chennai at Softlogic Systems.
What is Automation Testing?
Automation testing was introduced when manually testing an application with multiple input fields became difficult. When testers were tired, their attention began to waver, allowing faults to go unnoticed. With the purpose of reducing human input and boosting quality, automated testing entails testing software products using specialized testing tools and frameworks.
Automation Testing is achieved with the help of automation tools, and it regulates the flow of the successful implementation of tests as per the prepared test scripts. The accuracy and dependability of the application are then confirmed by comparing the actual results with those predicted. With Automation Testing, one can carry out the necessary routine tasks and those tasks that are difficult to achieve with manual testing. Thus, this type of testing is extremely crucial for CI/CD pipeline projects.
Why Automation Testing?
When a company produces a product, it is inevitable to contain faults. So, before the launching of the product, the corporation needs to catch the defects in it to create a flawless customer experience. It is the role of the testing team to execute various types of testing, from functional to non-functional, to verify the effectiveness, performance, and improved user experience of the overall product.
Even if testing engineers do Manual and Automation testing both, doing Automation Testing relieves a lot of manual work, offers additional accurate results, and can save up a lot of time, which ultimately resulted in the faster delivery of the applications.
Life Cycle of Automation Testing
To supply the greatest quality software applications, a firm should follow through with the step-by-step Automation Testing life cycle to carry out a competitive advantage in the market. Check out the six stages of automation testing in the image below:
The Scope of Automation Testing
Once handling all the test cases, one must verify the suitability of automation. The following factors should be taken into account when determining the scope of testing automation:
- What are the modules that can be replaced by automation?
- What are the total expected expenditures and the team structure?
- What are the tests to be streamlined, and which is the method to be obtained?
The Right Automation Tool
Automation Testing is not entirely feasible without the appropriate testing tool. Choosing the right tool is a crucial stage in the testing life cycle where everyone has to consider various points:
- Good understanding of the tool among the resource base on-board
- Total expenditure and versatility
- Technology solutions and programming languages used to create the project
- Deciding on a tool that has an assistance team to take care of any concerns and questions
Automation Test Plan, Design, and Strategy
This phase, as the name implies, involves making a plan, designing the architecture, and developing a strategy to achieve the goal of test automation.
Test plan : Development of test standards and processes, as well as hardware, software, and test data needs.
Test design : Create the test layout to evaluate the flow of the successive test procedures.
Test strategy : Find the most appropriate test automation framework.
Configuring the Test Environment
You must configure a remote machine or a machine where the test cases can be executed. It should offer a comprehensive test coverage range for multiple test scenarios, and different browsers, and support desktop, and mobile apps.
Automation Test Script Execution
In this step, you will run the test scripts to see if they are working properly. This step includes all functional aspects as well as platform compatibility. You also have to create a bug report if the test case fails.
Analysis and creation of test results and reports
That will be the last stage of the testing life cycle. You will examine the test reports to assess whether they require extra testing. The test results are then generated to verify that the test scripts can detect errors in the application. Then, the test reports are distributed to the members/clients that are participating in the project.
Types of Automation Testing
When you are given a product, the understanding of automation kinds can enable you to pick which sort of test suites you can use for automating. Automation testing is classified into three types, as shown below:
Automation Testing Based on Testing Types
Now, in the following section, you can learn about the various types of Automation Testing.
Functional Testing
Functional testing analyzes the product’s functionality and checks each function/feature of the program. It is based on the client’s requirements. Functional testing validates the activities that you take in the software. It may be performed manually as well as automatically. Testing the login feature of a website is an example of functional testing.
Non-functional Evaluation
Non-functional testing should be about how a product performs and validates the non-functional elements, such as performance, reliability, usability, etc., of the product. It is based on what customers expect. Non-functional testing is used to validate the software’s performance. It is difficult to do manually. Non-functional testing involves specifying how long it takes for a website’s dashboard to load.
Automation Testing Based on Testing Phases
Unit Testing
A unit is the smallest component of the software. All of the different portions of the code must function properly for the complete product/software to function properly. Unit testing provides a detailed picture of how the code is performing. It has a quicker execution time as you are testing only sections of code at a time. Usually, developers prefer to do unit testing.
API Testing
API is an abbreviation for Application Programming Interface. It serves as a bridge between the user interface and the database. API testing verifies the application’s end-to-end functioning. Here, testers will not have knowledge of the internal, and the procedure does not entail output signals from the keyboard. Instead, the program is designed to make API calls to obtain the output, and testers record the system/application replies to ensure operation.
UI Testing
UI testing helps in examining the validity of visual components on the system’s interface such as fields, buttons, labels, links, text fields, and pictures. For a better user experience, these elements must be displayed correctly and function as intended. UI testing also examines the application’s functionality in handling user actions performed with their keyboard, mouse, and other input devices. Its primary goal is to produce a pleasant user interface (UI) and experience.
Automation Testing Based on Test Types
The following are some of the most popular automation tests:
Smoke Testing
Smoke testing is sometimes known as build verification testing (BVT) (BVT). It is carried out in the early phases of application testing. When you add a new feature or functionality to an existing build, smoke testing is performed as a checkpoint before proceeding to the next level of testing.
Integration Testing
Integration testing is sometimes referred to as I&T testing, string testing, and, in rare cases, thread testing. Its purpose is to ensure that all of the application’s components communicate properly. In other words, as the software is made up of a number of smaller modules, in integration testing, testers logically arrange them and test them as groups to uncover the defects while retaining the connection between these software components.
Regression Testing
Regression testing is used to ensure that the produced and tested software continues to function correctly when modifications are made. The modifications might be bug patches, configuration changes, or program enhancements. This is accomplished by re-running the application’s functional and non-functional tests.
Security Testing
As a tester, you don’t want unauthorized access to cause data breaches, revenue loss, or a reputational hit. To avert such occurrences and prevent hostile infiltration, security testing is done, which unravels the underlying dangerous threads, vulnerabilities, threats, malware, and other hazards in the software program. Security testing allows you to identify any flaws and vulnerabilities in the system’s security, which you can then prevent by developing appropriate remedies.
Performance Testing
Even if your product is under heavy load, it must operate without lag. As a result, you must test your product before releasing it to users to ensure its responsiveness, speed, stability, dependability, and resilience under a certain workload. Checking the browser response time and the server request processing time are two examples of performance testing.
Acceptance Testing
Acceptance testing is the last phase of testing before introducing the product into the market. It is done to ensure that all user needs, business requirements, and client demands are met, as well as to determine whether or not the product is ready for delivery.
Testing Frameworks
Let’s look at an example to understand testing frameworks and their kinds.
In a classroom, you will be given a few guidelines to follow, such as maintaining class decorum and avoiding needless contact with classmates while the class is in session. While it is possible to continue the class without following the instructions, the desired results will not be obtained.
During the testing process, a testing framework performs just that. It offers a set of rules for professionals that include coding standards, repository administration, and test to achieve benefits such as easier code reuse, decreased time spent managing scripts, and high portability.
The following are some of the most often used testing frameworks
Linear Framework
This is the most basic structure of all. You must create basic code to perform the test cases in this framework, with no modularity or sequential stages. It functions as a recording and playback model.
Keyword-driven Framework
It is a scripting approach in which you correlate keywords with specific activities such as browser opening and shutting, mouse-click events, and so forth. You may use these keywords later in your test scripts to conduct a specific step. You will also have a file where you will keep track of all the keywords and the activities they do.
Data-driven Framework
In a data-driven framework, all the testing data inputs have been retained in the table or extension files, including .xls, .xml, .csv, etc. The values from the table will be read when the test scripts are executed. With the aid of this framework, you may execute both positive and negative test scenarios.
Page Object Modeling Framework
You will establish an object repository for the web UI elements in the POM framework. It enables you to call these functions later without rewriting the code. As a result, there is less verbosity, more code reuse, and less time spent writing test scripts.
Modular Framework
The modular structure enables you to separate test scripts into discrete, self-contained components. To execute huge test scripts, these modules will communicate with one another in a hierarchical fashion. This will also assist you in creating the necessary test cases and testing the scripts independently.
Automation Testing Tools
An automation tool should be chosen depending on the sort of testing and framework you want to use. There are a lot of tools accessible in the market for you to pick from as per your needs. The following are some of the most popular automation tools.
Selenium
It is a web application and web browser testing tool. It includes a number of strong tools for testing web applications. It also supports different systems and browsers thanks to the Selenium IDE.
Sikuli
Sikuli is a free and open-source automated testing solution for GUI testing.
JMeter
It is a tool for doing performance testing.
QuickTestProfessional (QTP)
QTP is used by testers to do automated regression testing in order to uncover gaps between the actual and expected outcomes and to detect errors/defects in the output.
NUnit and JUnit
Professionals use these tools to do unit testing.
TestNG
TestNG is more of a framework than a tool, and it supports Selenium, REST Assured, Appium, and other frameworks. Testers can generate HTML reports for the tests indicating whether they passed, failed, or were skilled. They can re-run the failed test cases later.
SoapUI
It is a testing tool used to test APIs.
Appium
It is a tool for testing mobile applications and native apps.
The Advantages of Automation Testing
If you are studying Automation Testing, it is critical that you understand the benefits of doing so. Automation testing, like any other sort of testing, has advantages and disadvantages. You will learn about the top ten benefits of automation testing in this article.
- It is dependable since it is carried out using effective testing instruments.
- 70% quicker than manual testing, saving testers and the company a significant amount of time.
- Automation testing eliminates the need for human interaction while running test scripts.
- It enables the re-use and re-running of test cases.
- It boosts the speed and efficiency of the software testing process.
- Automation testing encompasses all application functions.
- It also enables speedier product distribution to the market.
- Automation Testing’s faster feedback mechanisms result in an easier information flow between developers and testers, allowing errors to be detected and fixed early.
- It improves accuracy since it eliminates the potential for human mistakes.
- It has the power to execute enormous volumes of test cases at a time.
Conclusion
This article has improved your understanding of what Automation Testing is, the sorts of Automation Testing, how it works, its benefits, and so on. With organizations eager to leverage Automation Testing for speedier product launches, the need for Automation Testing expertise is on the increase. So, why not use this wonderful chance to upskill yourself with Softlogic’s Automation Testing Courses in Chennai and grab the dream job?
