Testing is one of the vital processes in the software developer lifecycle. Testing ensures the software’s quality, performance, and security by testing the application with different testing environments. Manual testing methods lead to human errors and inconsistency and become time-consuming. Automation testing was introduced to overcome these limitations.
Automation testing plays an important role in software development. The frameworks that promote or provide a guide to automation testing are called automation frameworks. The success of the test automation depends upon the automation testing framework.
This blog will help you build an automated testing framework from scratch and understand the significance and advantages of automation testing.
Automation Testing Framework
The automation testing framework is a fundamental part of testing; it is a set of rules or guidelines to design a test case in the testing environment. These frameworks enable the test functions to execute more effectively. The rules of the testing framework include improving the coding standard by eliminating manual testing methods. Using the test data techniques based on its benefits, accessible storage, object repository, and documenting every action to avoid the same type of error occurrence in the future.
Benefits of Automation Testing Framework
The implementation of testing frameworks will increase the test execution speed and accuracy by testing the application with multiple devices and with different operating systems such as Android, IOS, and Microsoft OS. The maintenance cost will be reduced after adopting the automation testing framework. It allows the maximum test code coverage in the initial stage itself.
This leads to eliminating human interference in application testing. The frameworks will have predefined coding beneficial to the test success, This allows the reputation of test code; hence it can be reused across the various stages of the automation testing.
Types of Automation Testing Framework
Before building the frameworks, it is important to understand their types and functionality. Every type of automation testing framework has its unique architecture. Choosing the right framework that suits your needs is important when building a test plan based on the requirements. The automation testing framework has been classified into six types. They are
- Linear automation testing framework
- Modular-based automation testing framework
- Data-driven automation testing framework
- Keyword-driven automation testing framework
- Library architecture testing framework
- Hybrid testing Framework
Linear Automation Testing Framework
Linear automation is also called a record and playback framework. This framework is commonly used for building small applications. The testers do need to create a function manually, steps are written in sequential order. Since the steps are in linear order, this helps enable the testers to record the test in each step and playback the process to conduct the test automatically.
In the Linear automation testing framework, testers do not need to write customizable code, so test automation expertise is unnecessary. It takes more time to maintain a code and does not leave any space for code reuse. Most automation tools provide the record and playback feature.
Modular-based Automation Testing Framework
The modular-based automation testing framework implementation requires the testers to divide the application code into multiple units, functions, classes, and sections. After dividing the multiple modules in the application in this framework, the test cases are created separately for every module.
Then, the test cases in each module are executed separately and are combined to form a large test script in a hierarchical order. The modular-based automation testing framework creates an abstract layer upon each section so that multiple sections do not affect other layers or overlay other sections.
Data-driven Automation Testing Framework
In a data-driven framework, the data are stored on external files such as text files, excel files, CSV files, DAO objects, and ODBC files. Multiple scenarios can be created since it requires less number of test scripts.
Keyword-driven Automation Testing Framework
Keyboard-driven automation testing is also called a Table-driven framework. It is used for building small projects or small applications. This performs based on the specified keyword in the table. The single keyword in this framework can be used to execute multiple test scripts so that it is reusable.
Library Architecture Automation Testing Framework
The Library Architecture automation testing framework is similar to a modular-based framework but with some benefits. It breaks the application into similar tasks within the scripts. These functions can be stored in the library and used whenever the script is needed.
Hybrid Testing Framework
The Hybrid testing architecture is a combination of both keyword-driven and data-driven automation testing frameworks. This leverages the benefits of all kinds of frameworks. In this framework, the test is fully scripted; hence, it has a higher effect on the automation effort. This framework can be easily adapted to get the best result.
Building the Automation Testing Framework from Scratch
Designing a framework from scratch requires three fundamental stages: planning, designing, and implementation. Here are the step-by-step processes that will guide you in building the framework.
Planning phase
The planning phase is the foundation step for optimizing the testing strategies. The first step in the planning phase is to define the scope and objective. Before initializing the process, understanding the requirements and objective of the application or project is necessary.
Selecting Automation Tool: Choose the appropriate tools and libraries for the automation test. From the understanding of the scope and objective of the application, it is important to choose the tool that will assist in satisfying the requirements.
Choosing the Programming Language: Select a programming language; common languages are Python, Java, C#, Ruby, or Javascript.
Designing phase
In the designing phase, the structures and architecture of the framework are created as planned during the previous phase.
Designing the framework architecture
The entire structure and components of the applications are well-designed in this phase. This includes deciding on team management, configuration, and test case organization.
Developing Test Case Project Structure
Creating a well-structured and organized project repository helps to manage the application layout and also allows the identification of the components by the manageable structure of the application.
Implementation Phases
In the implementation phases, all plans and designs are put into action.
POM Implementation: Page Object Model (POM) is a design pattern used to execute the test, especially in a web application. In the web app, it stores all the web data. Increasing the maintenance of the application by reducing data duplication in the model. It separates the test scripts from the underlying page structure, making the tests more maintainable.
Implementing Test Utilities: Utility functions must be handled regularly, so develop a routine to implement the test utility function, such as logging, data recording, data reporting, and data interactions with the test environment.
Test Data Management: Test data management provides access or control over the test data. It also helps to create, manage, and deliver test data to the application. It provides reusable, sensible test data for developers and testers to perform reliable testing. The test data will be managed using Excel files, CSV, or databases.
Test case Implementation: Here comes an important part: now it is time to write the test cases in the selected programming language and automate using the chosen automation tool. The tool can be either an open-source or cloud-based tool like LambdaTest, depending on the application requirement. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test execution and orchestration platform that empowers developers and testers to perform automation testing seamlessly on over 3000+ real browsers and operating system combinations.
LambdaTest is an exceptional cross browser testing platform that aims to simplify and improve the automation testing process for developers and testers. What sets it apart is its remarkable ability to handle complex and unpredictable scenarios, offering a dependable solution for a wide range of testing needs.
But LambdaTest goes beyond the ordinary, making it an invaluable tool for handling intricate testing situations. With its user-friendly interface and advanced features, teams can effortlessly automate tests, ensuring efficient and effective testing across various browsers and operating systems. In essence, LambdaTest proves to be a versatile and robust companion for those looking to optimize their automation testing workflows.
Test Configuration Management Implementation: An application should be built to address different test configurations such as browsers, mobile apps, platforms, and others. Test configuration management reduces the possibility of undocumented changes entering the testing environment and will further assist in avoiding application performance problems, inconsistency on the system level, and compliance matters.
Test Execution: Test execution is the process of executing test cases and ensuring every functionality of the application features. It places the scripts in various scenarios and evaluates the results from each test. The test can be entirely automated using the automation testing tools. The test execution can be integrated with continuous improvement (CI).
Debugging: Automation testing frameworks also support debugging tools that automatically debug the errors and exceptions in the test code. These debugging tools debug the application in different scenarios and with different cases. It identifies the code bugs immediately and helps fix them from the early stage of the application development.
Framework Documentation and Feedback: The framework documentation makes the planning, designing, implementation, and review easy. Every test case should be recorded along with the expected result, which helps validate the result. It eliminates the confusion in implementation and helps maintain a cost-effective process.
The documentation includes basic detailed information about the automatic tools and automation testing framework. The documents of the framework can be generated automatically. It also contains details and insights about the test execution results, reports of the debugging tool, and so on.
The feedback generated from the automated testing framework will help improve the quality of the code, application performance, security, scalability, and reliability of the application.
Continuous Review and Improvement: The constant monitoring of the application performance is important to understand the automation testing framework execution. Based upon the review, the frameworks can be improved, changes in requirements, and technological advancements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, developing a strong automated testing framework requires a systematic approach throughout the planning, designing, and implementation stages. The first phase includes setting project scope and goals and choosing suitable tools. The next phase involves designing a clear and systematic framework architecture, such as team organization and test case arrangement. The last stage is implementation, where plans are realized in connection with the Page Object Model, test utilities are involved here, data management is performed, and test cases are executed.
During this journey, documentation and feedback becomes essential. Then, full documentation that documents automated tools as well as the execution outcomes and debugging reports promotes clarity and enables further maintenance. The automated testing framework feedback improves code quality, application performance, and reliability. It is, therefore, crucial to carry out regular reviews and adaptations to keep the framework synchronized with changing needs, as well as technological progress that leads towards a more effective software delivery process.
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