Any software project’s main goal is to produce high-quality work while spending less money and taking less time to complete. Regular software testing helps achieve this. Any IT project must include software testing as a crucial component. The software is examined for errors and problems that might have a negative impact on the user experience. Testing is primarily divided into two categories: Manual Testing and Automated Testing. This Tutorial on Automation Testing will teach us everything there is to know about test automation.
Let’s look at the subjects this tutorial on automation testing will cover:
- What is testing by automation?
- What separates manual testing from automated testing
- How are test cases chosen for automation?
- How are automated tests carried out?
- Various methods for automation testing
- Tools for Automation Testing
You can watch this lecture on automation testing where our automation test engineer course expert goes over every last technical detail.
What is the definition of Automation Testing?
Automation testing is the practise of running test cases by repeatedly carrying out pre-defined actions with the aid of tools, scripts, and software. The goal of test automation is to replace manual human labour with more efficient systems or tools.
Any software product’s success depends on testing. The likelihood is that most people won’t even buy or use your software, or if they do, it won’t be for very long, if it doesn’t operate properly. However, manual testing to find flaws or bugs is costly, time-consuming, frequently repetitive, and prone to human error. Automation enters the picture at this point. For software development teams to keep up with the increasing demands for higher-quality software at breakneck speeds, automation is essential.
One of the key choices you’ll need to make when you start testing is whether to use automated testing or manual testing. As a result, you need to be aware of how manual testing and automated testing differ greatly.
Difference between Manual Testing and Automation Testin
Accuracy & Reliability
Automation Testing
- High, as tools and scripts are used
Manual Testing
- Low, as manual tests are more prone to
human error
Time required
Automation Testing
- Relatively Low
Manual Testing
- Relatively High
Investment Cost
Automation Testing
- High, Return of Investment(ROI) is high
Manual Testing
- Low, Return of Investment(ROI) is low
Usage
Automation Testing
- Suitable for Regression Testing, Performance Testing, Load Testing
Manual Testing
- Suitable for Exploratory, Usability and Ad hoc Testing
Human Element
Automation Testing
- No human observation involved
Manual Testing
- Allows for human observation to find out any glitches
Customer Experience
Automation Testing
- No guarantee of positive customer experience
Manual Testing
- Helps in improving the customer experience
Technically, neither of these choices is superior to the other. However, project size, budget, and time constraints will undoubtedly be deciding factors that influence which approach will work best in your testing procedure. An automated testing programme might miss insights from a test that a human mind can gain from manual testing. While large projects that call for repeatedly testing the same areas are better suited for automated testing. Can we automate each test case, though?
What tests should be automated?
Since it is impossible to automate all testing, it is crucial to choose the test cases that should be done so. There are a few test cases where automation can be used:
- Automating repetitive tasks is a good idea. These tasks not only bore you, but you also frequently make mistakes on them.
- Invest in a tool or automation strategy that will handle data export, number crunching, and complex graph creation for you rather than doing these things manually.
- For tests that call for multiple data sets, automation is an option. Automate the process so that data is entered into forms rather than by hand.
- Load testing is another excellent scenario in which automation can be used.
- For test cases that execute on a variety of hardware or software platforms and configurations, automation is an option.
You now understand when to conduct automation testing. In the following section of this tutorial on automation testing, we’ll go over a step-by-step process for creating an automation plan. Visit Automation Testing Certification by Rise Institute if you want to learn more about automation after this blog tutorial.
What is Automation Testing and how is it done?
Test automation success requires thorough planning and design. When automating a process, the following steps are taken:
Choosing a Testing Tool
Any process begins with a definition, so you should define the purpose of automation before applying it to test automation. Once you are certain of the tests you are running, you must choose your tool. Although there are many different types of testing tools available, it’s crucial for automation to pick the one that best fits your test requirements. When choosing an automation tool, bear the following essential advice in mind:
- Is it simple to create and maintain the tool’s scripts?
- Does it function on platforms such as desktop, mobile, and the web?
- Does the tool have a feature for reporting test results?
- What kinds of testing can this tool support?
- How many languages can you use the tool with?
Define the reach of Automation
The scope of automation is then defined, meaning you must choose which test cases to automate. You can adhere to the following advice:
- Scenarios with a lot of information
- Tests for functions that are common across applications
- Technology readiness
- How much of a business’s components are recycled
- The difficulty of the test cases
Development, Design, and Planning
You should choose the tasks your automated tests will carry out after deciding your goal and the types of tests to automate. Included in planning, design, and development are:
- Creating Test Cases: Create the test cases you want. Make sure to test more than just one aspect of the behaviour of the application when making test cases. Editing and debugging large, complex automated tests is always very challenging. It is best to break up your tests into a number of smaller, more straightforward tests.
- Creating Test Suites: Create test suites that can contain your test cases. The automated test cases are guaranteed to run sequentially without any manual intervention by test suites. Making a test suite with numerous test cases, a library, and a command-line tool that executes the test suite will make this task simple.
Testing Execution
During this stage, automation scripts are carried out. Both direct execution using the automation tool and indirect execution using the test management tool are options. Automated testing should begin as soon as possible and be run as frequently as necessary to get the most value out of it. The sooner testers are involved in the project’s life cycle, the better; additionally, the more thoroughly you test, the more bugs you find.
Maintenance
The next step after running the test cases is to create reports so that the actions taken during testing can be documented. Automation scripts need to be added, reviewed, and maintained for each release cycle as new functionalities are added to the software you are testing with subsequent cycles. In order to increase the effectiveness of automation, maintenance is required.
So, to get effective results when performing automation testing, follow these steps. The tools for automation come next. There are a number of cutting-edge automation testing tools, but before we talk about those, it’s important to understand the various approaches to automation.
Various methods for Automation Testing
The following are the three main methods that you can take into account when performing automation testing:
- Code-Driven: In this approach, the execution of test cases is the main focus in order to determine whether or not the various code sections perform as expected. A common technique used in agile software development is code-driven testing.
- Testing of graphical user interfaces (GUIs): This method can be used to test applications that have GUIs. Users’ actions can be recorded and analysed countless times by testers. A variety of programming languages, including C#, Java, Perl, Python, etc., can be used to create test cases.
- A framework for test automation is a set of rules that helps automated testing activities yield fruitful results. It brings together reusable modules such as function libraries, test data sources, object specifics, etc. various kinds of frameworks consist of:-
- Recording and playing back test scripts in a sequential or linear fashion using a linear scripting framework.
- Data-driven Framework: Concentrated on separating the logic of the test scripts and the test data.
- Framework based on keywords: Tests are scripted and run based on the keywords specified in the excel sheet.
- Testers break the application down into various modules and write their own test scripts using a modular testing framework.
- A hybrid testing framework combines different frameworks to take advantage of their individual strengths.
In essence, these are the ways that automation can be used during software testing. Let’s continue with our tutorial on automation testing and learn about some of the top tools available.
Tools for Automation Testing
For test automation, choosing an automated testing tool is crucial. There are many automated testing tools available, so it’s crucial to pick the one that best meets your requirements as a whole. When choosing an automated testing tool, take into account the following factors:
- Determine the testing scenarios you want to automate by thoroughly understanding your project requirements.
- Look for a list of tools that meet the needs of your project.
- Establish your spending limit for the automation tool.
- Now evaluate each tool based on important factors such as whether or not it is simple to create and maintain the tool’s scripts and whether it operates on platforms such as web, mobile, and desktop. Does the tool have a feature for reporting test results? What kinds of testing can this tool support? How many languages can you use the tool with?
- After comparing the tools, choose the one that fits your budget. Based on the important considerations listed above, make sure it gives you more benefits.
Let’s move on with this Automation Testing Tutorial and list some of the top tools used for automation testing now that you are aware of how to choose the right tool.
- Selenium is a well-known testing framework for web applications that works with many different browsers and operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Watir is an open source testing tool for automating web application testing that is pronounced like the word water.
- Ranorex – Ranorex is a versatile, all-in-one GUI testing tool that enables you to flawlessly carry out automated tests across all platforms and environments.
- Appium is a free, open-source tool for automating mobile testing that is backed by a thriving developer and expert community.
We have now reached the conclusion of this tutorial on automation testing. I hope you found it to be enlightening and that it helped you learn more.
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