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Published On: Thu, May 5th, 2022

7 Steps to Choose the Right Framework for Automation Testing

The essence of software automation is innovation. By decreasing the strain of manual testing and increasing the efficiency of systems, automation and its diverse implementations have transformed the software industry. Test automation software, in particular, has accelerated the market by introducing new software products. Test automation software is accompanied by test automation frameworks for quicker execution. Automation frameworks are best defined as a tried-and-true blueprint for the software testing process that can be applied to a certain set of apps or products as many times as desired.

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Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

What Is Automation Testing?

Before software is launched into production, automated testing is used to ensure that it is working properly and fulfilling requirements. Scripted sequences are run by testing tools in this type of software testing. Automated testing tools conduct software tests, report the results, and compare the findings to previous test runs.

Automated tests may be used for a variety of scenarios, including unit, API, and regression testing. The fundamental advantage of automated software testing is that it reduces as much human labor as possible into a series of scripts. If unit testing, for example, takes a significant portion of a quality assurance (QA) team’s resources, this procedure should be considered for automation.

Automated tests may be conducted many times throughout the day. This method is consistent with continuous testing, continuous integration (CI), and continuous delivery (CD) software development approaches, all of which strive to get code changes into production without requiring human intervention. 

What Is A Test Automation Framework?

Test automation framework is basically a collection of tools, compilers, and applications that facilitate the creation of automated test scripts. Take, for example, a cell phone. It comes with a user handbook that instructs us on how to monitor the device’s temperature, set up a security code and utilize the fingerprint scanner. You might argue that these are rules to follow if you want to get the most out of your phone.

On the other hand, a framework may be described as a collection of rules that an application must follow to achieve optimal outcomes. For automated test software, a test automation framework does this. It comes with a collection of reusable code snippets and internal libraries to aid in executing automated test scripts. It also aids in the establishment of safe techniques for the execution of automated tests, as well as providing a consistent test code syntax for the whole project or application.

Types Of Test Automation Frameworks

Developing test automation frameworks entails putting together a precise set of instructions for automating test suites for a variety of apps or code snippets. The specific requirements of this set of instructions vary depending on the kind of software to be evaluated.

  • Hybrid framework – Hybrid test automation frameworks are made by integrating one or more of the following frameworks, reducing their flaws while combining their benefits. Hybrid frameworks are very valuable in today’s agile software development environment since they allow for easy adaptation to new features and technologies.
  • Modular-driven framework- Larger test cases are disintegrated into smaller modules for individual testing in a modular-driven test framework. Individual test scripts may also be combined to create master test scenarios. It also guarantees that test scripts may be reused.
  • Behavior-driven framework- The behavior-driven test framework, also known as the behavior-driven development (BDD) framework, is an agile testing framework that creates test suites to verify application requirements supplied to users. 
  • Data-driven framework- In this framework, independent sources for data and test scripts for numerous application test suites that need to utilize the same set of data as input for their tests are managed. Several data sources may be accessed and utilized for various test scenarios, eliminating the need for multiple test scripts.
  • Keyword-driven framework- This testing framework, also known as table-driven testing, employs action-based keywords like click, sign in, verify the link, and so on. The keyword-driven testing framework develops scripts based on the application requirements by mapping the keyword repository to test data.
  • Linear scripting- Individual test cases or short snippets of code are created using linear scripting frameworks, often known as record and playback frameworks. This is handy for testing smaller apps and may be used to quickly construct test scripts. They’re often used to write test scripts in sequential order and execute them on basic applications.

Advantages Of Using Test Automation Framework?

It is an era of supervised learning and artificial intelligence. Test automation frameworks make use of technology to boost software quality and production. Let’s take a closer look at the most typical perks they provide and how they might aid businesses.

 

  • Efficiency

 

By automating test scripts, test automation frameworks provide an efficient manner of designing, maintaining, and executing test suites. They aid test effectiveness by lowering runtime, enhancing scalability, and quickly finding flaws.

  • Consistency

Test automation frameworks provide uniformity in coding standards throughout the enterprise by enforcing tight test design and code standards. Once a specific piece of code has been accepted by the system, this aids in implementing code reusability for numerous projects

  • Less manual work is required.

Automation frameworks reduce manual labor and, as a result, reduce the risk of human mistakes. Because it does not need much human participation, any differences linked to different coding standards or time restrictions may be rectified utilizing a test automation framework.

  • Reporting

Reporting components in test automation frameworks aid in creating thorough error reports. This provides developers with a clear picture of which programs went wrong and where the problem was discovered.

7 Steps to Choose the Right Framework for Automation Testing

Follow the below-mentioned steps to get your hands on the right automation testing framework.

 

  • Step 1: Make a list for automation.

 

Make a list of the functionality that the tools and framework must provide. Write down each feature and its accompanying needs, for example, using the scenario provided:

  • Cross-browser testing: all browsers are supported.
  • On both iOS and Android smartphones, mobile automation is possible: native application for Android and iOS
  • Support for tabs and iframes
  • API Automation: collects data via APIs.
  • Data-driven testing: captures and saves enormous quantities of data, with each popular app’s UI differing somewhat.
  • Automates the collection and storage of enormous volumes of data in databases.
  • When developing issues, Visual Regression Testing employs a variety of colors and text suggestions.
  • Unit testing for features: produces flaws in popular applications and is compensated for them.

 

  • Step 2: Assess the project’s scope and scale.

 

Determine which project needs are within your automation’s scope. Create a test automation approach to determine the project’s aim and scope, as well as the expected results. Determine your aim early on, whether you’re automating six elements of a web app that supports Chrome and Firefox browsers or solely conducting API automation. Web and mobile automation on multiple mobile devices and browsers, API automation, as well as database automation mixed in with data-driven testing are all part of the test automation project given in the scenario above.   Because the breadth of the project is large, simplify it by concentrating on smaller components and gradually increasing the automation project to determine which tools are required.

 

  • Step 3: Determine the platform on which your application will run.

 

The tools you employ will be influenced by the platform you choose to automate. To automate mobile apps, you’ll need a different collection of technologies, such as Appium, then you would automate UI tests on desktop browsers. Different technologies are also available for automating APIs, databases, and online applications.

  • Step 4: Take into account different programming languages and frameworks.

Your automation engineers must be familiar with the various tools and frameworks that they will use while writing the script. Add those possibilities to the shortlist if they are well-versed in a certain language and framework.

Examine automation engineers’ knowledge and skill in test automation best practices before choosing them for a test automation project. They must comprehend:

  • Database automation and data management; how to choose the right tests to automate; how to figure out how much test automation is needed; and
  • How to build up and fill scenarios for UI automation using API and database automation.

If Javascript is the preferred programming language, the tools should be biased towards it. You may also need to investigate low-code technologies that employ automated scripts and applications rather than writing programming, depending on the skill of the team.

 

  • Step 5: Figure out how much it will cost.

 

Your test automation project should have a budget. Consider the size of your team, how much you’ll spend on wages and how long you’ll keep them, how much you’ll spend on tools and infrastructure, and how much you’ll spend on project upkeep. Then select if you’ll pay for a test automation framework or utilize community-supported open-source tools for free. Each option has advantages and disadvantages:

  • While open-source software is free to use, it is reliant on community assistance and upkeep. These tools are always changing, and you have the potential to help them become better over time. Open-source technologies, on the other hand, become obsolete without continuing community maintenance.
  • Commercial tools provide a lot of functionality right out of the box, but they may be rather expensive. Community assistance is more difficult to come by, and tutorials and training may be supplied at an extra expense.

 

  • Step 6: Investigate and contrast existing tools

 

Find out which tools automation engineers and other departments in the firm like to utilize. What kind of unit testing tools do the developers use? Is there a continuous integration pipeline in place that can record automated tests? Tools and frameworks may be split by test level; thus, depending on whether you’re testing APIs, UIs, databases, and so on, you’ll need various tools.

 

  • Step 7: Shortlist and create a POC (Proof of Concept)

 

Consider if the tools and frameworks are familiar to your team. You may accomplish faster setup and automation by utilizing familiar tools. The POC assists you in identifying potential hazards associated with the test methodology and tools you’ve chosen. During the POC process, make sure you have a checklist of questions to complete, and then determine whether the tool is worth employing in the future.

Selecting a test automation tool is difficult since each tool excels in its own field. For achieving the best results, you can leverage platforms like LambdaTest. LambdaTest is a cloud-based cross browser testing platform that lets you test web applications across more than 3000 different operating systems, devices and browsers. LambdaTest allows you to do both manual as well as automated browser testing.

Nothing is impossible, though, when you know precisely what you want to achieve. That’s why knowing your project’s goal from the outset, identifying your team’s strengths and limitations, and being prepared to do a thorough analysis of the tools can help you get off to a good start.

Author: Joanna Howard

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