Automated Web UI Testing

 

What Is Automated UI Testing?

The automated testing of web UI testing is another method to move left quality testing within the workflow of a development team. Like all automated processes it must be run with no supervision by an individual. While some Parasoft tools use automation to manage things such as pipelines for CI/CD Our bqurious program deals with UI automated testing. Testing is carried out using an automation tool instead of relying on manual testing.

Test scripts can be used to perform a variety of tests, which return results as pass or failing. Then, the dev team can work on bug fixes or other modifications made to software.

This blog addresses these questions:

  1. What exactly is automatized UI testing?
  2. Does automated UI testing worthwhile?
  3. What are the most frequent automated web UI testing issues?
  4. What is self-healing testing automation?
  5. What is the UI testing best techniques?
  6. What are the most effective automatized UI test tools?

Is Automated UI Testing Worth It?

Any development team that wants to streamline workflow and reduce releases should look into automated UI tests. Manual testing will always play an important part in the development process however automated tests provide an improved quality base.

Furthermore, it lowers costs, provides the accuracy of results and speeds up the whole review process.

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Common Automated Web UI Testing Challenges

Write UI testing scripts could take a lot of time with the task pushed to the beginning of the process. However, the effort pays back in the end However, UI scripts are brittle in nature. Most testing is conducted using Selenium test scripts, which can be written in a variety of languages like Java, Python, and C#.

Key Challenges

  • Knowledge-heavy. The person who is writing the scripts should possess technical expertise and knowledge of the subject.
  • Time-consuming. A test may take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to run because of the procedures. Open the browser and perform tasks as if you were a human setup the test, and then tear it down loading data and more.
  • Maintenance. Modern applications have a an interactive frontend user interface. When a page loads , and then it refreshes the elements' locators and links could alter under the hood according to the way they are identified. The waiting conditions could break the test. If a webpage takes longer to load, this results in an unfinished test.
  • Handling multiple errors. Complex scenarios mean huge data volumes. The process of sorting through these isn't easy.
  • Troubleshooting. Find out what went wrong with an experiment can be challenging dependent on the nature of the problem and the time it takes to fix it.
  • Dynamic applications. The changes are constantly made to web-based applications and also to the apps due to the rapid or agile development. Tests have to be updated from a maintenance standpoint as well as an outcome viewpoint.

Test automation runs nightly however the tests can take up to six hours to complete. Sprint to sprint, plus release candidate implies that tests that fail could delay the release, and reports could show failures. It doesn't mean the application isn't working; rather, it means that the tests may be broken.

Teams can fix this issue with self-healing, so that a test can be fixed and not hinder the release. Another alternative is a "codeless solution", using objects as repositories, using elements that do not complicate UI testing and using best methods to conduct UI testing.

What Is Self-Healing Test Automation?

In essence, self-healing test automation makes proactively modifications that could solve automation script breakages. If an object is altered beyond its default configurations an automated program may not recognize it. This will stop the process.

Self-healing automation means that your UI test scripts are able to keep running while being aware of any changes. This eliminates the requirement for human intervention and also automates testing on the internet. UI testing.

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Automated UI Tests Best Practices

Because that the UI will be what people feel and experience and interact with, automating testing to reduce the release cycle is vital. Like everything else in the field of development there are invariably guidelines that teams should follow to get the most value from their investment in automation.

  1. Be consistent with the naming convention.
  2. Examine the tests are best automated.
  3. Make high-quality test data.
  4. Tests should be distinct.
  5. Do not rely on just only one type of testing.
  6. Be aware of the time when you need to actually stop during a UI test.
  7. Not all tests have to be run in all browsers.
  8. Consider headless browser testing.
  9. Think about using an BDD Framework.
  10. Make use of data-driven tests instead of. repeatedly testing.
  11. Make tests as simple as possible.
  12. Capture screenshots to help improve failure analysis.
  13. Make use of the best automated testing tools

Top 10 Web UI Test Tools: Automated Web UI Testing

There are at least a dozen new UI automation tools have come out in the last few years. Each instrument has its unique specific focus and strategy, it could be difficult to decide what to do to begin. However, there are 10 important web-based UI testing tools that you can use to determine which one comes with the features that your company requires.

As every UI tester might argue, UI testing is relatively easy, as long as there aren't any GUI changes. The issue lies in the fact that... Things are constantly changing. The solution you've picked to conduct UI testing, the conditions that change can result in either a revolutionary experience thanks to self-healing or AI locators or an embarrassing failure of manual workflows that are a mess.

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UI Testing Tools & Features

To achieve the former over an attempt to achieve the former, I've looked over my top 10 UI testing tools you should consider.

  1. Bqurious
  2. Katalon
  3. Selenium IDE
  4. ababl
  5. TestIM
  6. Functionize
  7. Perfecto
  8. TestCraft
  9. Squish
  10. AutonomIQ

This chart will explain the features of each tool.

Criteria & ToolsRecording AbilitiesPure Selenium or Dependency FreePage Object ModelLocators RecommendationsBDD IntegrationSelf-Healing CapabilitiesSupported Languages
SelenicYYYYYYJava, Junit, TestNG
KatalonYPartialNPartialYPartialJUnit, Nunit, TestNG
Selenium IDEYPartialNPartialNPartialJava, Javascript, Python
MablYNNPartialNPartialProprietary
TestIMYNNPartial?PartialProprietary
FunctionizeYNNPartialPartialPartialProprietary
PerfectoYNNPartialPartial?Proprietary
TestCraftYNNPartialPartialPartialProprietary
SquishYYPartialYPartialNJavascript, Perl, Tcl
AutonomIQYPartialNPartialPartialPartialJava, TestNG

In addition, Selenic, Katalon, and Selenium IDE have basic reporting. The additional automatized UI testing tools had advanced dashboards. Below, we go over each of the tools in detail to provide details on features that are applicable for automated website UI testing.

There are certain essential questions you should ask yourself when you are evaluating UI testing tools to ensure you're using an application that's a good match and can accomplish what you require. No matter which tool you select you will find that all the UI testing tools come with great user-friendliness features and have put user experience in the forefront.


1. Katalon

Created to serve:Users looking for a middle ground between code and codeless tools for testing.

A tool that is free Katalon is a great tool and is extensively used by system integrators to conduct UI testing. The recorder integrates with the Chrome browser to allow you to make test cases, and then the program creates them in Katalon's Katalon IDE using the page object model, which means they're extremely maintainable. You can at any time test your tests right within their IDE, as well as export to kinds of scripting for tests.

Prices:Free for the basic Katalon Studio (with paid plugins accessible as subscriptions via market). Support for Enterprise is available (but is quite expensive)

Pros:

  • Recommends smart locators
  • Make use of the model of the page (but only for tests created and managed within the IDE)
  • It has a self-healing feature (via an expensive plug-in)
  • Exporting capability various kinds of test scripts
  • BDD supported. Feature files execute Katalon test code

Cons:

  • Even though you can export your test scripts as Selenium or other test scripts, once exported, you lose the functionality that Katalon offers. Katalon as well. The export does not contain an object model for the pages meaning that the tests are difficult to reuse and maintain.
  • Support for customers is only available at an company level and is extremely expensive
  • It doesn't directly integrate with the existing framework for execution (uses an exclusive framework with CI integrations as plugins)

The main takeaways are: Users are able to begin using Katalon without any technical expertise, and can create test cases in a short time thanks to the keywords that are included in the software. You can start for free using Katalon Studio, but to gain the benefits new and exciting technologies, you'll need upgrade or purchase plugins.

2. Selenium IDE

is designed to be used by: Users that are looking for an UI driven tool for recording and playing back.

Selenium IDE is an open source project which combines the potential of Selenium to create the form of a Chrome plug-in and is available for download for free. It's easy to get started with Selenium IDE requires no additional configuration beyond installing the extension onto your browser. This is in line with the project's guiding principle of offering a tool that is simple to use and provides immediate feedback.

Pricing: Free

Pros:

  • Users can save any test as a script, creating an extremely effective tool to create UI tests.
  • Provides multiple strategies to locate every single element it tracks
  • It has a self-healing function (but it doesn't work with Selenium scripts that aren't part from Selenium IDE) Selenium IDE, and isn't as reliable as self-healing functions in other software)

Cons:

  • This does not align directly with your process for CI/CD
  • Buggy and blackbox (when there's a problem that doesn't get recorded, you're pretty much stuck and must export into code in order to determine the issue)
  • Doesn't utilize pages object model in the creation of tests.
  • Although you are able to export your test results in various languages, you aren't able to import your tests at this point.
  • Although they provide CI integrations, it's not integrated directly into your framework
  • There is no built-in support for BDD

The main takeaways are: Selenium the IDE can be very easy to use, offering users the capability to swiftly build tests on their Web-based user interfaces. It's very Selenium user-friendly and feels like a natural experience for users who are used with the platform.

4. Ababi

is designed to be used by:Teams who aren't interested in writing tests, and don't wish to set up an UI testing procedure, which means that you give the bulk of the work to the mabl.

Mabl is a distinct approach UI testing. It's more about journeys and less about experiences. Log into their website create a journey for an application that's all there is to it. They don't provide you with an actual test case or anything to do. After that they'll allow you to test the test on a regular basis. test and get results regarding its success.

Prices: Tiered pricing based on the number of journeys completed

Pros:

  • Recommends smart location devices (but they are a bit hidden by the user)
  • Self-healing is a very effective feature.
  • SaaS solution; simple to connect and start
  • Pricing model that can be scaled

Cons:

  • Doesn't make use of the model of the page object for recording journeys
  • Utilizes its own framework and there isn't any import or export of the test scripts.
  • Although CI integrations are available but you aren't able to incorporate the solution directly with your framework of choice
  • If something isn't working as you planned it can be very difficult to access "code" to configure or modify
  • The emphasis of "journeys" makes the creation of "functional validation" (i.e. testing with assertions) appear awkward
  • SaaS-only solution, no deployment on premises and no access to an application that is not available on the internet's public realm.
  • There isn't any built-in support built in for BDD

What you can learn from this:mabl helps users improve the speed and efficiency of their release pipeline by utilizing sophisticated auto-healing to keep the process in check regardless of any changes to the UI of the application. Mabl works as it should and human beings take an absence from its predefined analytics, meaning that basically, you give your data to mabl and trust that it will deliver the most efficient. Some people find that excellent, but for others it could be giving away too much control.

5. TestIM

Created to be used by:Organizations looking for an unconstrained solution to UI testing that is focused on the execution path for complicated workflows.

TestIM is an SaaS application developed in the minds of developers that realized even though they were putting in time and energy managing test environments that were automated, they worried that simple fixes to bugs could cause a problem for another component that was part of their application. This is why they developed this user-friendly solution to UI testing.

Price: Annual subscription based on the number of tests that are run
Pros:

  • Tests are extremely simple to make, thanks to an intuitive interface for users
  • Recommends smart location devices, along with a good strategy for keeping these
  • It is a remarkable self-healing feature in conjunction with the Smart Locator technology

Cons:

  • They don't utilize the page object model in their tests.
  • Incapacity to export or import test scripts
  • Users aren't allowed access to codes or take tests outside of TestIM
  • Framework that is vendor-locked -- scripts are within the TestIM framework
  • Unstable support for BDD

The key takeaways are:It's very easy to gain access to TestIM technology, and extremely simple to design tests that work perfectly, right out of the box. The elegant user experience makes self-healing look as if it's magic (If I'm looking for an option to enhance my user experience, I could be sure to trust a solution that offers an outstanding user experience isn't it? ) The main issue for users of TestIM is the fact that there's no method to gain access to the tests. Because all tests are within the TestIM framework which is a framework, you're subject to the whims of their structure, the business plan, as well as what happens to the business in the near future.

6. Functionize

Created to be used by: Manual testers or non-technical testers that are entering BDD (they refer to it as "ALP") as a purpose in UI testing.

Functionize offers all the features that you'd think of from a Web UI tester, but it also offers more advanced features around the location strategy, such as an auto-testing pitch that allows tests can be made only using the application. It is all done using their own proprietary framework.

Prices:No pricing information publicly accessible

Pros:

  • Fantastic visual representation of the test flow
  • Recommends multiple locators to locate elements
  • Self-healing capabilities
  • Alternative for traditional BB (using NLP, a proprietary NLP). This could be a problem If you want to perform conventional BDD (i.e. Cucumber)

Cons:

  • Doesn't make use of the model for page objects.
  • Framework that is vendor-locked
  • Test scripts cannot be imported or exported.

Important takeawaysFunctionize's AI appears to be capable of fulfilling the promise of the organization to reduce testing churn and improve the effectiveness and accuracy of testers. However, be wary of vendor-lock in this instance, when considering ways to incorporate it into the process.

7. Perfecto

was designed to serve:Users looking for a one-stop shop in UI as well as mobile-based testing. Since it's not scripted the best fit is for people who do not want to write code.

Perfecto is around for quite a while and has been focusing heavily on mobile testing. However, they've got a good UI testing environment that allows development of cloud-based execution, maintenance and also reporting.

Pricing:Between $99 and $3588Plus per year for an ongoing subscription

  • Make use of the model of the page object (but not in own tests)
  • Offers multiple locations for web elements that have been recorded.
  • Recently , self-healing was introduced (although it's not entirely clear the purpose of it or the extent to which it can be used and, consequently, how effective it could be)

Cons:

  • Test scripts are written using TCL, a language that is proprietary to TCL.
  • It isn't possible to use your personal Selenium scripts
  • While they do offer CI integrations, it's not integrated directly to your framework
  • BDD implemented by third party implementation Project Quantum

The key takeaways are:Perfecto offers solutions for writing and maintaining test scripts in addition to managing and validating tests as well as debugging bugs. Perfecto's UI testing tool lets users choose between creating scripted or non-scripted scripts, and recently they added new features for maintenance and self-healing.

8. TestCraft

Created to serve:Users who do not wish to write code but seek advanced analytics to continually validate their tests.

TestCraft is a non-code Selenium test automation platform that is equipped with AI technology and unique visual modeling claims to accelerate test creation and execution, while reducing testing maintenance costs.

Pricing There is no pricing information is publicly accessible

Pros:

  • Utilizes the model of the page object (but it is only used in own tests)
  • Recommends smart-locators, also known as "smart bindings"
  • Self-healing is an integral component of their smart binding technology.
  • The built-in scheduler allows users to run test flows regularly in a given time

Cons:

  • Utilizes a custom framework
  • You can't import/export test scripts
  • Doesn't directly connect to your Framework (CI integrates as plugins)
  • BDD is supported by a third party implementation, Project Quantum

Important takeawaysTestCraft is an extremely powerful SaaS application that lets testers to build completely automated tests with no programming. Test cases are recorded using the interface and, from this, TestCraft will create a model for each test, and provide visual representation of the different routes the test will take. This makes it accessible to users with complex use patterns.

9. Squish

is designed to serve: Users who need to test GUIs as well as user interfaces (HMIs) particularly across various platforms. Squish makes testing easier on Windows, Java, QT, .NET, Web, iOS, Android, and other platforms.

Prices: A perpetual floating license can be bought at EUR4,990. Free trial is available.

Pros:

  • Support for testing across multiple platforms
  • The most powerful optical character recognition (OCR) capabilities
  • Sophisticated object identification and verification independent of layouts on screens
  • Excellent support for scripting languages.

Cons:

  • It is possible that there are improvements needed for user training as well as technical support, but the majority of feedback is favorable
  • A few issues have been reported in the process of the addition of additional objects on the map of objects

The key takeaways from this:With Support for GUI and regression test, Squish utilizes properties-based object identification to analyze the web-based UI. If you're working with BDD workflows it is possible to integrate Squish within your development environment. The ability to automate Chromium is available.

10. AutonomIQ

is designed to serve:Users looking for an intriguing hybrid of code and codeless. (There's code but it's supported by natural processing of language.)

AutonomIQ is a powerful tool that conveys a message on AI Machine Learning, and AI, but how does it actually do? It offers an easy three-step procedure to help with UI testing automation. It begins by finding your application's features using AI and then creating test cases based on that discovery process. The final step is to use the analytics engines to track and update your test case.

Price:No pricing information publicly accessible

Pros:

  • Strong NLP, AI, and ML
  • Utilizes the model for pages (but not in own tests)
  • Recommends smart locators through their Chrome Plug-in
  • Self-healing is a feature of their execution.
  • Alternative alternative to conventional BDD (using NLP that is proprietary). This could be a problem If you want to use conventional BDD (i.e. Cucumber)

Cons:

  • Utilizes a custom framework
  • You can't import test scripts
  • It isn't a direct integration into your Framework (CI Integrations can be found as plug-ins)
  • Unproven technology that has not been fully tested.

Principal takeaways:It seems that this technology is all-encompassing and can do it all. But why it is at the last place on my list? Because I've not been able to locate a customer of theirs that has real cases or use. If their solution does reach the expected outcomes, it could be very disruptive.

Note: This content is originally published by https://www.parasoft.com/blog/automated-web-ui-testing-best-practices-challenges-tools/

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