Any software needs to bring some changes after some time by providing updates and improving the functionality. To bring the new changes you should be alert that new functionality does not affect the existing functionality of the software. We use software testing techniques to ensure that new code can be added to the existing code without malfunctioning the software.
It also detects any kind of bugs or errors in any component of the software. Selenium automation testing is the term used to describe testing carried out with Selenium. Selenium, however, is a group of tools that each serve a specific purpose for Selenium automated testing. In this article, you will learn what are Selenium Mocha test suites and how we can organize and manage Selenium automated testing.
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What is Selenium Mocha Test Suites
Selenium is an automation tool that is used to automate web browsers and Mocha is a JavaScript framework that is used to run the test cases while performing the software testing using Selenium. Together these tools can be very efficient in the field of software testing. Now, let us see a brief and separate overview of both these topics: Selenium and Mocha.
Manual software testing, which is an essential step in the development of applications, has many disadvantages, the most significant of which is that it is a tedious and repeated procedure. Jason Huggins, an engineer at Thoughtworks, made the decision to automate the testing procedure to get around these difficulties. He created the JavaScriptTestRunner, a JavaScript program for automating web application testing. In 2004, the program’s name was changed to Selenium.
Selenium is an open-source tool that is for cross-browsing and it also automates web applications. The various components of the Selenium are as follows:
- Selenium IDE: Firefox plugins make up the majority of Selenium IDE (Integrated Development Environment). It is among the Selenium Suite’s simplest frameworks. We can record and replay the scripts thanks to it. Use Selenium RC or Selenium WebDriver to construct more complex and reliable test cases if you want to use Selenium IDE to generate scripts.
- Selenium WebDriver: It allows the tester to directly communicate with the browser for the testing process and it is controlled from the operating system (OS) level.
- Selenium Grid: It is a tool in Selenium that is used to run test cases on different machines in parallel.
Now, coming to Mocha, it is a JavaScript framework that is used with Selenium to rub test cases in automation browsing. Mocha has some features that make it different from others in software testing. It runs the test cases serially, one by one which increases the flexibility of the Selenium automated testing. It also maps the minor bugs and issues in the components of the software while executing the Selenium automated testing. So, Mocha and Selenium together make a great combination that can be used in various ways to test the software, known as “Selenium Mocha Test Suite”.
To leverage the true potential of Selenium testing using Mocha, always run your tests on a scalable cloud-based digital experiences testing platform like LambdaTest that offers manual and automation testing on 3000+ real browsers and OS combinations.
How to Organize and Manage Your Automated Tests
Before automating test cases in any organization, the method must be planned. It can be difficult for you to begin the automation if you are new to a team or squad at an organization and are unsure about the testing scope for your team or squad. However, the procedure can be carried out quickly and successfully if a well-thought-out strategy is in place. The challenge is to figure out the tech tools, strategies, and framework I need to apply, as well as which components and modules should be used for the testing review. Now, let us see how we can manage and organize Selenium automated testing. Given below are the four ways using which you can organize your Selenium automation testing:
1. Scope of Testing
When you are working in an organization there will be obviously different teams for doing a specific part of the project. They will follow the agile methodology to manage the workload. All the members of the team are organized considering the different skill sets they have. The teams are considered to handle different components of a project. For example, there may be a team for the backend of a web application. In this scenario, the quality assurance engineers find it difficult to finalize the testing scope in accordance with the teams.
Suppose this scene with a real-life example, there is a shopping application. There are many teams working on the different components of this shopping application. There is a separate team for the login and customer records, and there is also a team for the checkout and payment part of the application. Since all of these components are a part of the unit shopping application, you are assigned as the quality assurance for the core team. Then there are already teams for one component say “checkout and payments” and you are the QA for testing the functionality of the shopping application. So, there will be an overlapping workload between the team and the QA team. Then who will be responsible for the functional testing? It will get messy and eventually, it will decrease efficiency.
To overcome these kinds of situations, there should be proper communication between the team of the software and the QA team. You can organize a meeting and invite all the team members, PM/PO, team leads, QA team, and all who are involved in the testing software. Create an organized table and decide the specific task for each team/ squad. In the meeting, discuss the scope of testing, what are the prerequisites for the testing process, etc. And always remember to make a shared report where each member can update their progress. This will increase productivity and decrease the time for testing the software.
2. Prioritizing Test Scope Component
After organizing the testing scope of the software, all the team members have their own specified tasks. Then you will have the task ready that you need to perform. All the components that need to be automated are listed. But there are many of them. So, choosing which one should be first automated a task for the team/squad. In order to do this, we need to prioritize the different components according to their priority. And one should be aware of the priorities to do this. The priority of the components can be decided to take the suggestion of all the members involved in that particular task.
All the team members, PM/PO, leads and QA can put their suggestions and input to decide the priority of the components. Because all of them are experts in their field whether they are from QA, leads, PM, or PO. This will make a clear understanding of the priority and hence all the team forces can work accordingly to increase the efficiency of the software testing.
3. Test Management Tools
Till now, you have prepared the scope of software testing and you have all the information about the priority of the components. Now, you need to identify and make test cases for the Selenium automated testing. There are various test management tools that can be used to write down all the possible test cases. Writing test cases has many advantages in performing Selenium automated testing. Many testing engineers ignore this step and do not write and manage the test cases. But this may lead to confusion and it will increase the time to perform the Selenium automated testing.
Suppose, you are not writing the test cases. Then how will your team members know the test cases for that specific software? Let us assume that you can share the test cases and all the discussions with your teammates. But it is not possible for you to convey all the members like Project Manager, team lead, etc. It will eventually develop confusion and will take much time. So, it is always advised to use the test management tools to write down your test cases of Selenium automated testing. By creating test cases, you can connect them to the project management software your company uses, giving everyone visibility into the test cases that are connected to the narrative.
4. Execution Strategy of Test
Executing the test cases in the Selenium automated testing is a very important step. Because now you have all the test cases and you know the priority of the components of the software that needs to get tested. Now, you need to execute the test. It is done to maintain the efficiency and quality of the test process by making good planning of the execution process. There are many factors that should be considered while executing the test that is described below:
- Test Requirement: All the frameworks that are used in the Selenium automated testing should support the requirements of the software.
- Test Tools: There are many testing tools available but one should be attentive and choosy while selecting the appropriate testing tools for every project according to the components of the project. You can also try the open-source testing tool but it should be according to the programming language and framework.
- Test Data: It is advised to collect all the relevant data before starting the Selenium automated testing. For example, if you are about to test the software for various countries, then you should collect all the URLs of the countries.
- Test Environment: The tester should check whether the website is stable or not. Because there may be a captcha system to proceed with the website. It will not allow the Selenium automated testing to start because it is an automated testing technique. And the captcha needs manual help to proceed
- Test Maintenance: Maintain the flow of the testing process at every stage. Also, take regular reviews updated for the Selenium automated testing and try to fix the bugs as soon as possible.
Conclusion
We use software testing techniques to ensure that new code can be added to the existing code without malfunctioning the software. Selenium was developed by JavaScriptTestRunner, a JavaScript program for automating web application testing. Performing software testing without any planning may cause less efficiency and it will increase the time span of Selenium automation testing. To tackle these issues, organizing and managing the Selenium automated test are divided into four steps.
These are finding the scope of testing, making a priority of the test scope components, using test management tools, and a planned strategy to execute the Selenium automated testing. These are the measures that should be taken to efficiently organize your Selenium automated test.
