In a modern app market, application testing is often considered the most important part of the application development lifecycle. This is because, during the testing phase, the testers can ensure that the development team has created a perfect application and is ready to be forwarded to the production team. The testing team indirectly connects the development and production teams efficiently. A properly executed testing process can ensure that the end users can release the application in a short period. Quick delivery of applications is another crucial process that helps companies to maintain their position in the present market. Selenium is one of the most popular automation testing frameworks that enable developers to improve their testing practices.
In this article, we will focus on integrating Java Selenium automation with modern testing practices like continuous integration. We will also try to understand the influence of various platforms and tools. Finally, we’ll wrap up our discussion with the influence of various platforms and tools. Let us begin our discussion with the basics of Selenium, automation testing, and continuous integration tools.
Selenium and Automation Testing
Before understanding the Java Selenium automation testing process, the developers need a basic idea of automation testing. This is the process of eliminating human involvement in the application development process. To eliminate this, the system will use a text file consisting of multiple data sources and parameters for the information that will help the system to interact with the application like a normal user. Based on these interactions, the system can generate a detailed test report describing the web application’s usability, interactivity, and stability. It will provide the developers with the required information to understand when the application is ready to be released to the open world. It is also possible for the developers to make changes in the test file to customize it according to the requirements.
The developers should also know that storing and reusing automation test scripts is straightforward. However, we suggest the application developers have a clear vision of their business perspectives and returns on investment before progressing towards automation testing. This is because the app developers have to make an initial investment to integrate all the tools, libraries, and plugins critical for the proper execution of automation, so the app developers must have a clear source to justify their investment.
Now let us understand the basics of Selenium. It is an open-source test automation suite for initiating automation testing on web apps. It was initially introduced in 2004 and has managed to maintain one of the top positions for over ten years. The Selenium Suite consists of four major tools that help at different stages of the application development process. The open-source nature of Selenium makes all of its features available to developers without any payment. Now let us briefly understand the component tools of this suit:
- Selenium WebDriver helps the developers to initiate their test cases and redirect them to the component elements of a web application. Many modern app developers consider the Selenium WebDriver as an updated and improved version of the Selenium remote controller that was previously presented in the test suite. One of the positive sides of the Selenium WebDriver is that it can natively communicate with all the elements of the web application. So, it helps the developers to initiate the testing process in the native environment of a browser.
- Selenium Grid helps the developers to execute the testing process in a parallel format. This means that with this tool, the developers can run multiple test configurations on different machines simultaneously. So, it is a very effective process for verifying the performance of complex applications that consist of thousands of other elements.
- Selenium IDE helps to create and execute the test cases in real-time. To create the test cases using this tool, the developer simply has to interact with the application like a normal user. Based on these interactions, the system will continue to generate the test file. Since the test cases are generated based on real user interaction, they are highly accurate in determining the application’s performance based on real-world scenarios and use cases.
Continuous Integration
In simple terms, continuous testing is a process of verifying an application’s build and unit testing. In this process, the system will automatically trigger the testing process as soon as it detects a change in the core framework of the application. The primary aim of this process is to ensure that any new feature introduced to the application keeps the proper functioning of the existing features intact. It is an essential step for applications that undergo a continuous development and updating process. It is also important to ensure that the application does not suffer from any critical bugs or errors that can completely crash it while the end users are accessing it. We can simply say that continuous testing is one of the most effective tests that help companies to maintain a positive image for their brand.
Best Practices for Introducing Continuous Integration in Java Selenium Automation
Various practices can help the developers to introduce continuous integration in their Java Selenium automation test efficiently. Based on our research and understanding, we have created a list of the most effective practices to simplify the understanding process for not only the new developers but also the veterans. They are as follows:
- The first step for introducing continuous integration in the test bench is to choose the perfect continuous integration tool, depending on the requirements of the developers. Jenkins is one of the most popular tools currently preferred by modern automation testers and developers. However, the developers must have a clear idea of their requirements before this process.
- After this process, the developers must complete the installation and configuration process based on the continuous integration tool they have chosen. It is very important to go through the installation documents and sample test cases from the official website.
- The next step is to create a new Java project that will consist of all the Selenium test cases. Various Selenium test files consist of multiple dependencies, so developers can use different tools like Maven to manage all of these dependencies.
- Now the developers have to write the Java-based Selenium test files to execute the test cases. The developers can also use various testing frameworks like TestNG to write the test scripts.
- The next step is to integrate the Selenium WebDriver dependency into the Java test file. The developers can also use the Maven tool to integrate this dependency according to their requirements.
- Now the developers have to configure this continuous integration tool to run the test cases in the build process. The typical approach for this step is to configure the pipeline so that it can automatically review and test the code build of the application.
- After completing the previous steps, the developers are ready to execute the Selenium-based test cases and verify their functioning. It is also possible to run all the Java Selenium test cases in a parallel format to improve the efficiency of the testing process.
- The final step in this process is to review the test reports after they have been successfully generated. Based on this, the developers can move on to the debugging process to remove all the bugs and errors that might be present in the application.
Integrating Tools and Platforms in Selenium Automation
The automation testing process can be complex and confusing, especially for new developers. However, thousands of tools readily available in the market can massively simplify Selenium-based automation testing processes. Moreover, the developers can use this tool to initiate additional features for improving the quality of the application development process. For example, we can consider cloud platforms that eliminate the headache and hassle of having a physical mobile device lab. This is because while working with this platform, the developers can achieve similar test results by conducting the test cases over the Internet. Moreover, with these devices, the developers do not have to rely on physical test labs and can conduct test cases from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, cloud servers allow access to multiple devices that are no longer available in the market.
We can improve our knowledge about the influence of cloud platforms by moving our attention towards LambdaTest as our benchmark:
We can define LambdaTest as a secure unified intelligent digital experience testing platform for executing cross-browser test cases on modern web apps. The current market considers cross-browser testing as a new standard for ensuring the best performance for end users. This is because, with the help of cross-browser test cases, the developers can maintain the application’s stability despite random changes in the operating system, device version, or complete hardware.
LambdaTest also offers various innovative features like parallel test execution to improve the efficiency of the test cases by almost twelve times. Other than working seamlessly with Selenium test cases, it can also execute all the essential test cases on other well-known frameworks like Playwright and Cypress.
We would like to mention that while the developers are working with Selenium test files, they can execute it on more than three thousand browser versions simultaneously. It allows the test execution on real devices present in the cloud platform with other simulation software to improve the efficiency of the final Test results. Lastly, the developers can use this platform to verify the proper performance of locally present web apps.
Conclusion
The primary focus of this article was to spread adequate awareness of the best practices for integrating continuous integration with Java Selenium automation. We also analyzed how the developers can improve the efficiency of their Java-based Selenium automation testing with various practices. App developers need to understand that the dominance of automation testing will continue to rise in the app market. The testers and developers need to keep their knowledge updated regarding all the important integrations and additions in this segment. To improve the knowledge of their application development and testing team, the app development companies can also conduct frequent seminars and awareness campaigns to distribute the required knowledge.