Selenium is quite a common term among web developers. For those who don’t know, Selenium can be described as an open-source (free) framework that enables automated examination. This framework beholds great prominence as, before its inception, web application testing was conducted manually and therefore lagged. With the assistance of Selenium automation testing, it becomes convenient to check the functionality of a web application. Engineers will be greatly able to leverage this article that covers the major facts about the tools and also the steps to use them.
“Through Selenium automation testing, engineers will be able to expedite their testing of web application by incorporating mechanization.”
A Brief Introduction to Selenium Automation Testing
For the longest time, a new web application was examined manually, leading to numerous issues concerning time and accuracy. The idea of introducing the method of automation first occurred to Jason Huggins who developed the automated testing module, namely, ‘JavaScripTestRunner’ which was later renamed Selenium.
Selenium Automation Testing Tools
Before jumping on to the methods of conducting automation testing, it is essential to know the four major tools of Selenium through which the tests are conducted. They are – IDE, Remote Control (RC), Grid, and WebDriver.
Selenium IDE
Selenium IDE or Integrated Development Environment is utilized as a prototype automation QA tool primarily utilized as a Chrome or Firefox plugin. It records the user interaction and pens down code in different programming languages. The chief objective of this Selenium automation tool is the brisk creation of automation scripts.
Steps Used for QA Automation Testing Utilizing Selenium IDE:
1. Installation: Let’s begin with the installation of Selenium IDE in your Firefox browser. You can perform this by choosing add-ons from the browser menu and adding them to the browser list.
2. Develop a Test: This is when you get to develop your first-ever test. For practice purposes, you can choose to generate a temporary Facebook ID and password.
3. Recording: The third step of Selenium automation testing using IDE involves the recording of every activity executed in the browser. The complete bunch of recorded actions is considered the test script.
4. Playing Back: At this point, you can enforce the recorded script to assure that the browser is functioning accordingly. The user will now be able to focus on the steadiness and success percentage.
5. Retaining the Progress: In the last step, you will notice how the recorded script is retained with a “.side” extension for the upcoming runs and regressions.
Selenium Remote Control
As a product of the JavaScript program, this Selenium automation testing approach follows a similar policy of the Same Origin that enables JavaScript code to retrieve only those programs having similar domains as its launch domain. This automation process generated a problem for the Selenium users as they were required to assure both Selenium Core and the web application shared a similar domain for conducting the test.
To resolve this, Paul Hammant introduced Selenium Remote Control which urges the browser to vouch that both Selenium Core and the web application have a similar domain.
Steps Used for QA Automation Testing Utilizing Selenium Remote Control:
Before diving into the stepwise guide, it is important to know that it has two elements – Client libraries and the Selenium server. We would be throwing light on running an RC client by following the below steps:
Step 1: Make utility of the command prompt for launching the Selenium RC
Step 2: Develop a ‘new project’ in eclipse by putting your project name.
Step 3: Once done, this Selenium automation testing thoroughly verifies the remaining details and press ‘finish’.
Step 4: Design a new package in your project by pressing on the right-click option on the project, and opting for ‘new’ and ‘package’.
Step 5: Here, produce a fresh class in the aforementioned package by right-clicking on the produced package and pressing ‘new’ and ‘class’.
Step 6: In the last step of this automation QA, put forward the code and implement it by pressing on ‘run’.
Selenium Grid
Initially called Hosted QA, this Selenium Grid was invented by Patrick Lightbody. The main motive behind the creation of this Selenium automation was to cut back on the execution time of the test. One of the highlighting features is it stimulates parallel performance.
Steps Used for QA Automation Testing Utilizing Selenium Grid:
Step 1:Begin by installing Selenium Grid with the help of Java.
Step 2: utilize the command prompt for building the Selenium Hub.
Step 3: Utilize the command prompt for beginning the nodes. Additionally, you can also choose to compose them for aligning with your prerequisites.
Step 4: In this step of the automation QA, avail the Desired Capabilities and RemoteWebDriver elements for running the test.
Selenium WebDriver
This is a creation of Simon Stewart, Selenium WebDriver can be described as the earliest framework enabling cross-platform testing by constructing the browsers at the OS level. This was conducted by directly interchanging with the browser. The proposition of the automation WebDriver is more contemporary than Selenium IDE and RC, eventually regarded as a more advanced testing tool.
Steps Used for QA Automation Testing Utilizing Selenium WebDriver:
Before proceeding with the details, you need to know the elements comprising its architecture. They are – JSON wire protocol, Selenium test script, browsers, and browser drivers. Let us get going with the steps now.
Step 1: Install the recent Java version in your Selenium automation testing platform.
Step 2: Compose ‘Eclipse’ and design a workspace.
Step 3: Head towards the official site, and follow it up by downloading Selenium WebDriver Java Client.
Step 4: Download the browser driver, and build WebDriver by utilizing Eclipse IDE.
Step 5: Add a project to this automation QA platform.
Step 6: In the last step of this, end it by building a test script and clicking on ‘run’.
The idea of Selenium automation is a tremendous advancement in the current world of technology. Through this, it has become easier to comprehend how web applications are examined. It has also made the approach more methodical and accurate. For a complete understanding of the testing, consult AutomationQA, one of the popular platforms offering lists of top automation service providers. We strive to put forward the best QA service providers to boost your business operations and also guide you with the understanding of Selenium automation testing.
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