Author Copy. Not for Distribution.

Software Automation
Testing Secrets Revealed

Author Copy. Not for Distribution.

 Publishing-in-support-of,

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING
RZ 94, Sector - 6, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075
Shubham Vihar, Mangla, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh - 495001

Website: www.educreation.in
________________________________________________________________

Second Edition : 19 Oct'17

First Edition : 12 Feb'16

© Copyright, Authors
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical,
manual, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of its writer.

ISBN: 978-1-5457-0825-5
Price: INR 1015.00

The opinions/ contents expressed in this book are solely of the authors and do not
represent the opinions/ standings/ thoughts of Educreation or the Editors .The book is
released by using the services of self-publishing house.

Printed in India

ii

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 Disclaimer
This is a work of author's personal automation experience summary and author do not
represent any company or any form of organisation in this book. Names, tools, websites,
characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s
imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in
this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby
disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or
omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other
cause.

This book is not intended as a substitute for the official guides provided by tools such as
selenium, uft and ranorex etc. The reader should regularly consult official pages of
automation tools in matters relating to features and functionalities and particularly with
respect to any code examples that may require to build automation frameworks.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper testing tools. Like
any tools involving software engineering, (testing tools) poses regular changes and
releases. The authors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for upgrading
their knowledge by visiting official web pages of automation tools. Before practicing the
skills described in this book, be sure that your testing tool is latest and downloaded from
official websites of software testing tools

Credits:

iii

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 Software
Automation Testing
Secrets Revealed
(Revised Edition) - Part 1
Cucumber BDD, Selenium
Webdriver, Protractor, Selenium Grid, Appium,
TestNG, Jenkins, UFT, RFT, Visual Studio, Excel VBA,
SOAP, Selenium IDE based Automation Testing

Narayanan Palani

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING
(Since 2011)
www.educreation.in

iv

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  Learn to write automation test scripts using Selenium
Webdriver in java programming, javascript, C#, python and
run in Cucumber BDD feature files.
 Conduct experiment to write protractor-based Cucumber BDD
framework in javascript.
 Build TDD frameworks with the help of TestNG, Visual
Studio, Jenkins, Excel VBA, Selenium, HP UFT (formerly
QTP), Ranorex, RFT and other wide-ranged QA testing tools.
 Design first Appium scripts after setting up the framework.
 Build concurrent compatibility tests using Selenium Grid!
 Reap the benefits of well-built Selenium Webdriver automation
framework!
 Apply powerful programming techniques in order to build
well-established data-driven framework, keyword-driven
framework, hybrid framework, Agile Continuous Integration
Automation Framework.
 Exploit opportunities to design web service-based REST/SOAP
automation frameworks and SQL automation to validate
database!
 Utilize construction practices using Object Recognition
technology of test automation tools and capture dynamic web
elements.
 Debug problems in software development life cycle with a
view to improve testing process using test estimation
techniques, tool selection process.
 Raise quality automation scripts by understanding the machine-
learning basics of Selenium automation framework properly.
 Resolve automation issues and introduce cucumber, SpecFlow-
based behavior-driven development and test-driven
development in functional testing.
 Repeated interview questions are explained with justifications
for Cucumber BDD, Selenium IDE, Selenium Webdriver and
Selenium Grid.

Author Copy. Not for Distribution.

 Note: Part 2 has been sold separately at
https://www.educreation.in/store/selenium-webdriver-software-
automation-testing-secrets-revealed-part2-na
rayanan-palani.html

vi

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 This book has been dedicated to
Sree Raghavendra Swamy

Pujyaya Raghavendraya Sathya Dharma Rathayacha

Bajatham Kalpa Vrukshaya Namatham Kamadehnave
vii

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 viii

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 Most Searched
Computer Science Best Seller
The first edition of the book, “Software Automation Testing
Secrets Revealed”, was published on 12 Feb '16. It has been
searched and referred across the globe and sustained to be the three
times best seller in computer science books in India!

India wide Google Search-Google Keyword Planner Results for

the period Feb '16–Jan '17.

ix

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 Readers are located across the IT-based Indian cities, such as
Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Worldwide Google Search-Google Keyword Planner Results for

the period Feb '16–Jan '17.

Author Copy. Not for Distribution.

 Global Reach of the Book
CHARITY CONTRIBUTION
The first publication of this book has been ranked #1 in
Computer Science Sales Ranks of Amazon India (as on 19 Aug
'16) and successfully crossed more than 1,069 copies (from Feb
'16 to Jun '17) of sales worldwide; hence, part of author royalty
has been distributed for the following charity programs:

Serial Amount Type of Schedule of Transaction

Location Transaction ID
no. (INR) charity event date
Food
1 1,019.55 27/03/2017 Srirangam, India 384621490621369 27/03/2017
distribution
Food
2 2,000 11/04/2017 Alangudi, India 100001031007 28/03/2017
distribution
Food Thirukarugavur,
3 2,000 11/04/2017 IRC6226851 27/02/2017
distribution India
Food Rameshwaram,
4 2,000 24/05/2017 100001024791 27/03/2017
distribution India
Food Thirukarugavur,
5 2,400 11/06/2017 IRD4121002 10/05/2017
distribution India
Food Rameshwaram,
6 2,000 18/09/2017 100002117914 23/07/2017
distribution India

xi

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 Review This Book
And Get “Mobile Software Testing” Book Free
Please rate this book with your respective review comments in the
website from where the book has been purchased (like amazon). If
the book is lent from some other sources, such as libraries, kindly
rate the book in amazon or goodreads and also share the
screenshot(of the website with your name,review and date visible)
and email id in the following facebook page:
www.facebook.com/softwareautomationtestingsecretsrevealed/

Selected posts(screenshots)of positive reviews will receive e-book

of Mobile Software Testing for free of cost within 90 days from
the date posted based on author's decision.

xii

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 FAQ About the Book
“Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed” – Is this book
mainly for Selenium?
The first part of the book offers an introduction note on each
automation tool-based testing taking account the respective
viewpoints of the author itself; the succeeding part of the book
predominantly deals with detailed explanation of Selenium
Webdriver.

Why this book has been republished in the year 2017?

On 12 Feb '16, the first edition of the book was released, and it
received amazing sales record of more than thousand copies across
the world within the first year of release. Moreover, it has been
consistently ranked first on the computer science best sellers in
India sales channels. In order to describe each testing tool with
latest information, it is indispensable to revise the topics and
provide latest details to readers. Thus, the republication has been
planned during 2017 along with latest tool-based sections to
facilitate engineers preparing for software testing job interviews
and certifications.

Can a reader expect complete knowledge of automation testing

in this book?
This book is an author's diary on automation testing instructions
based on his project experiences and knowledge regarding the
automation testing tools. Clear direction will be provided by the
habit of learning from a book, whereas complete knowledge is
possible only when those learnings are put into practice, for
example scripting the regular automation in automation projects.

xiii

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 Does this book contain clear split of tools and flow between
every chapters?
Not less than ten different automation tools have been discussed in
this book which includes Cucumber BDD, Selenium, TestNG,
Jenkins, Ant, Appium, UFT, RFT, Visual Studio, Excel VBA,
SOAP, AutoIT etc. Hence, expecting a flow from one chapter to
another chapter is impossible while programming languages may
differ from each other at times. So this book can be preferred to
refer as a guidance to build initial framework.

Why topics such as Jenkins and AutoIT are not explained in

detail?
Primary purpose of this book is to provide basic introduction of the
frameworks with the help of different set of automation tools;
hence, explaining every tool in detail in one book is inconceivable.
So, Part 2 comes as an aid, which has been released to explain
minutely the various aspects of Selenium Webdriver, and the
descriptions of tools such as Jenkins, AutoIT, SOAP, HP UFT are
not compiled within this book. Particularly, Selenium Grid is
included only with few samples since it‟s difficult to cover all the
tools in detail with multiple samples. If such tools need more
scripting examples, there may be possibilities on Part 3 onwards
(please search in Google for Part 3 and Part 4 availability).

Who are the target readers for this book?

As this book is a fundamental introduction to test automation, it is
primarily targeting freshers, non-IT professionals learning software
testing to join IT organizations. It is also important to note that the
book will not make any sense for experienced test automation
professionals. Part 2 is highly suggested for engineers with few
years of automation testing experience.

Where the readers can refer the code examples since there are
very less or few code examples in the book?
Since the target readers are primarily from graduation, freshers,
Non-IT background and are novice to the software engineering
roles, most of the scripts are accessed from GitHub and the details
xiv

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 provided in relevant sections of this book. So reading this book
will offer justifications and explanations with limited amount of
code examples only. The basic idea lies in getting readers‟
understanding about the topic using this book, referring the video
to know how to script and the GitHub code base to use them to
start writing first set of scripts in their automation testing learning
experiences. Please refer “How to read this book” section for more
details.

I just have Part 1 of this book. Can I get enough learning on

Selenium scripting?
This book is not only meant for Selenium but also explains most of
the major “most used” automation tools. Part 1 alone cannot serve
the purpose of learning Selenium completely. So Part 2 is
predominantly focused on Selenium Webdriver which is widely
used as a web automation tool.

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 Praise forthe Book
This book has been reviewed by a number of technology
professionals across the world. Some of their comments are listed
below:
“This is one among the best books in the field of automation
testing. This smartly demonstrates a nice blend of automation tools
and its efficiency. A must read for testing professionals for
enriching their proficiency and mastering the automation world.”
Satyadip Das, Test manager, Lloyds Banking Group
"Those want to jump-start their carrier in automation testing. This
book is a bible for them to guide and lead the life in a systematic
manner."

Arul Velan, Wipro technologies

"Very much helpful for those who are new to automation testing,
Detailed explanation with perfect practical coverage. What else
you need to jump-start in the globe of software automation!"

Altamash Khan, Senior Test Engineer,

Wipro Technologies

"This book provides practical insight into the world of software

testing. Very concise and just filled with excellent information."

Anku Jain, Senior Test Engineer,

Wipro Technologies

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 "Automation testing – doesn't only means that you save some time.
It just more than saving the time, it gives a life to the system to
function on its own."

Sathya Narayanan, Wipro Technologies

"Future belongs to those, who believe in the beauty of their

dreams. And this book will surely help you in guiding your way
toward automation testing."

Pratiksha Kadam, Senior Software Engineer,

Wipro Technologies

"In celebration of the release software automation testing, I

appreciate your dedication and hard work. You deserve to be proud
on your achievement. May your future efforts be equally
successful and rewarding. Thanks for releasing software
automation testing."

Raman Sharda

"Encyclopedia of all automation tools!"

Raghavendra Mesta, Wipro Technologies

"This will be definitely helpful for all the current automation test
engineers and upcoming automation test engineers. All the best!"

Greeni Hari, Wipro Technologies

"Hope it is easily understandable by everyone."

Jagan Kanniappan, Accenture

"Great effort by the author! It is a step-by-step guide which aims at

making sure anybody can do automation be it Selenium or any

xvii

Author Copy. Not for Distribution.

 other tool. I would say this book is a wonderful package available
in market right now, just go for it."

Shweta Bhat, Wipro Technologies

"Book is really helpful in understanding core of automation

testing, a great guide that is useful in planning test strategy and fit
right into product management."

Ishwar Singh, Consultant, Deloitte

"Let the 'Software Automation Testing' be helpful to all the testing

professionals to explore the unexpected."

Neenu Ratheesh, Wipro Technologies

"This book will be a great help for anyone to learn aboutTest

automation frameworks, use as an effective reference guide to
select and use various automation tools. This book is another solid
contribution from Narayanan Palani to help anyone to develop and
become an expert in automation testing."

Libin Jose Mannala, Wipro Technologies

"Automation testing is the current and future approach for the

robotic systems. This book from such an experienced and
thoughtful person Mr. Narayanan will sure help the budding
techies to enhance as an expert."

Arun Kumar, Technical Lead, Wipro Technologies

"Automation testing is more than enough for a smart tester to

sustain in smart world. This book enlightens the way to achieve it
in the crazy labyrinth of test automation techniques."

Sumayya Nej, Wipro Technologies

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 "Time is power and money, and that‟s exactly why automation
testing has an important role in the software industry. It is the
solution to maximize the effectiveness, efficiency and coverage of
software testing. Automation testing reduces the work force as well
as the time for repetitive tests from days to hours with improved
accuracy. Identification of the right automation tool is critical to
ensure the success of the project."

Neethu Joseph

"Great book! This book is for people who want to know in depth of
Selenium Webdriver concepts. And also the topics have been
explained in detail which will be very useful for the people who
want to start a new career or for cracking interviews. This is a must
buy!"
Dinesh Balaji,
Test Automation Specialist, USBANK

"Automated tests can run fast and frequently, which is cost

effective for software products with a long maintenance life."

Rahul Bhat

It is a fantastic book! If your organization is interested in having a

mature automated testing process, you need this book. I already
recommended it to all friends on mine and got very good reply. I
would recommend it to anyone who already has or planning to
automate their testing practices. Thank you for the great work!

Rohan Vakharia

"'Software Automation Testing' presents a test automation

methodology which is practical, useful and complete,
encompassing the state of the art of test automation as it stands
right now.
If your organization is interested in having a mature automated
testing process, you need this book.

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 It will guide you throughout the entire process from thinking about
standards to implementing and maintaining them.
Also, it guides readers through each step in the planning, selection
and implementation process to assure that automated software
testing will be developed in a systematic manner. Bon
Apprentissage!"

Anjana Nambron, Wipro Technologies

"Automation testing has gained more prominence in recent times

because of the software industry rapidly evolving where
functionalities of a mobile app or a web app have to be tested and
certified thoroughly within a short span of time. This book will
help the young job seekers in understanding on the processes,
methodologies adopted by different companies having a wide
range of automation practices and frameworks."

Sriharsha Karanth

"Keep up the good work, as always you do. It will help everyone to
know when exactly automation testing can be used and how useful
it will be by saving time …."

Vijayalakshmi N Savanth, Wipro Technologies

"I know you are dynamic and interesting blog writer. Nice to see
you as a good author. You are brilliant person and we are
expecting soon to read the revealing secrets of the Software
Automation Testing … your abstract tells – sample projects to
download and practice on specific chapters! This would be helpful
for advanced and all levels of testing professionals."

Vijeyasekaran Kbd

"With growing trends of companies rapidly moving toward

automation testing, having automation skills are no more
considered just a „good to have skill‟. For IT professionals who

xx

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 want to have a career in automation testing, this book is a great
start to kick off as Narayanan Palani has explained in detail the
fundamentals of automation. This book is a great guide to learn
automation."

Rajavarman Rajendran, Test Specialist, USBANK

"This book is really helpful for people who want to grow in the
testing domain. Everything is explained in very easy language. A
book highly recommended for testers."

Soma Mazumder, Wipro Technologies

"Automation testing is very important in every project testing life

cycle. Through automation, we can achieve more test cases in less
time. So it is both cost effective and also helpful to achieve the
stringent time lines. This book will be an eye opener for job
seekers in the above field, to achieve their goals and also to
optimize their performance."

Sunit Roy, Consultant, Capgemini

"This book will surely encompass all corners of testing a to zee ....
It will be beneficial for all testers irrespective of what profile they
are into … people looking for transitioning from manual to
automation will get the most …."

Shubham Joshi

"It will be beneficial for all testers irrespective of what profile they
are into … people looking for transitioning from manual to
automation will get the most …."

Karthik Manoharan, Senior Analyst,

Wipro Technologies

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 "Good"

Krishnamurthy Chinnasamy,
Finance Manager, Britannia Industries Limited

"Very nice Narayanan."

Kothandan Sivalingam,
Quality Analyst, Dupont sustainable solutions L&D

"Clear and easy to understand! Congrats"

Kamalbharathi Murugesan,
South Plainfield, New Jersey

"I, as a professional automation tester, often fall in situations

where we need to take call on what automation solution to employ
for a project that would be most effective and efficient at the same
time. But it is hard to take such decisions with limited insight and
knowledge of the available tools for automated testing in the
market today. The book here by Narayanan provides a panoramic
view into these tools, thus empowering the reader to take more
educated decisions to provide better automation test solutions."

Sohag Satpati

"Softwareautomation testing – secrets revealed follows ajob-

oriented testing process thatcan make anyone industry ready. Keep
up the good work & all the best!"

Mitha SR Nair, BA, Wipro Technologies

xxii

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 xxiii

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 About Author

NARAYANAN PALANI
MS (SOFTWARE ENGINEERING) – BITSPilani
EXEC MBA from K.J. Somaiya Institute
of Management and Studies, Mumbai

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
Nine years of strong QA experience in automation, functional,
performance and penetration testing
Exclusive agile test projects experience using Selenium,
Cucumber, TestNG, HP UFT and Ranorex
Strong on test process, programming such as Java, JavaScript,
VBScript, C#, Ruby, Python, Gherkin
Proven test automation capabilities in TDD and BDD – SpecFlow
for integration and unit testing
Formulated high-quality master test plan, test strategy, automation
PoC, estimates and test scripts
Efficaciously implemented SDLC, ISO and CMMI standards and
worked on Agile model-based projects
Delivered high-quality test results and defects using HP QC, Rally
and other test management tools
Experienced investment banking, trading and FX projects using
Murex, Intelligent FX and Summit
Directed functional, automation, performance and support
members to deliver high-quality results

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 CERTIFICATIONS
International Software Testing Qualifications Board – CTAL Test
Manager
International Software Testing Qualifications Board –
CTFLCertified Scrum Master
PRINCE2 Project Management Foundations
Microsoft Certification Software Testing using Visual Studio
ITIL Foundation Certification
HP-accredited Integration Specialist in Application Security
IBM-certified Specialist in Rational Appscan
HP-accredited Integration Specialist in Quality Center v9 and QTP
v9
IBM-certified Rational Specialist in Test Management and
Rational Robot
IBM-certified Solution Designer in Rational Functional Test
IBM-certified Solution Designer in Rational Performance Test
IBM-certified Solution Designer in Rational Manual Tester
IBM Examinations in Requirements Gathering and Use Case 1 & 2

BACKGROUND
Narayanan Palani is endorsed as exceptional talent within digital
technology by Tech City UK. Being in a leading position of proven
and renowned software testing industry, Narayanan Palani
volunteered to share his technical knowledge through his best-
selling book series “Software Automation Testing Secrets
Revealed” which ranks top amongst the books on computer
science across APAC, USA and UK. His well-designed GitHub
open-source testing projects are accessed worldwide profusely and
have been assisting job seekers to bag junior testing jobs
successfully.
Being a leading test specialist and, at the same time, holding six
awards, fifteen international certifications, eight published research
papers and four books selling worldwide, he proceeded further to
innovate and implement cutting-edge technologies as part of his
recent roles. His IBM professional certificate profile i is viewed
worldwide, and newcomers are being inspired to take interest in

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 software testing profession. His name is also enlisted for the
nomination of the Testing Leader of the Year 2016ii and 2017.iii
As Narayanan is groomed from testing research background, he
has been answering the questions from the people worldwide and
is ranked no. 1 with more than 566,000 viewers in Quora. His
more than 55 LinkedIniv recommendations are strong evidences of
his novel work as a testing leader, and the research papers such as
Right Brain Testing using Gestalt psychologyv is still referred by
the research scholars for software testing R&D.
Apart from his spectacular personal records on software testing, he
has trained and developed at least twenty-one non-IT/fresher
candidates into software testing within a short period of one year,
and surprisingly, most of them are showcasing their abilities as
strong team members in testing projects and, thus, his ambition of
generating employability among the job seekers has been
materialized.

Linkedin Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/narayananpalani/

xxvi

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 Foreword

Ponsailapathy Viswanathan
Director-Delivery, Virtusa Polaris

Ponsailapathi Viswanathan “Pons” has over 22+ years of IT

experience in Travel, Banking and Insurance industries, mainly
focusing on software delivery and solution. He has played key role
in building the testing practice at Europe for his organization and
handled strategic roles in the design and set-up of TCoE
engagements for global banks across Americas, Europe & Middle
East.
He led the set-up of near-shore delivery center for his organization
in Northern Ireland, UK to service European customers and
successfully established global delivery teams which can operate
in tri-coastal model for global banks.
Also built technology CoEs for mobile testing, security testing &
nurtured test automation, performance engineering practices to
develop innovative solutions for Banking & Insurance customers.

Linkedin Profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ponsailapathi-viswanathan-224a755/

xxvii

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 Foreword
Information technology is one of the challenging and rewarding
industry. As per NASSCOM & other market trends the global
testing market is estimated to reach US $50 Billion by 2020. QA
enterprises and test automation engineers will find exciting
opportunities in the area of big data, mobile and API testing. Test
automation skill is going to be one of the most wanted skill in
Y2017 and beyond.
Considering the industry demand, there is a need to upskill
ourselves continuously to stay ahead of the game and reap the
benefits of latest technology. Now the industry is looking for cost
effective solutions, tools like Selenium will be the best fit to
manage the client requirements both in terms of technical
complexity and cost.
To pick-up the nuances of test automation quickly, Narayanan
Palani has scripted this book very nicely with simple examples
based on his experience.
As an automation architect, Narayanan Palani has successfully
implemented robust test automation utilities for complex trading
applications in banking space. His penchant for perfection and
innovative approach has created a huge positive impact in test
automation projects with excellent results in terms of ROI (Return
on Investment). Test automation techniques orchestrated by him
made a difference in test automation strategy and maintenance of
the test scripts.
Most of the people, don‟t share their hard learnings or
techniques to others easily. Hats off to Narayanan Palani for his
initiative to publish his decade long experience in the Test
automation to aspiring candidates. He has articulated the end to
end test automation techniques effortlessly in line with industry
best practices. The secrets revealed here will enable the reader to
build the test automation suite with ease.

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 I take this opportunity to congratulate Narayanan Palani for
his effort to spread the learning‟s with testing community! Looking
forward to see more such products from him in near future!

Happy reading!
Ponsailapathy Viswanathan, Director-Delivery, VirtusaPolaris

xxix

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 How to Read This Book?
There are two parts associated with Selenium Webdriver reading,
which are as follows:
Book1: Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed
Book2: Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed Part 2
Selenium Webdriver
Video Support:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke_AQVxMhds

Both the books are supported by 11 hours 12 minutes training

video available in YouTube.

Note: Change the Settings of Quality from 'Auto' to'1080p HD'for

better view

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 Code support:
http://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation
If readers are unable to download/clone the whole project from
github, please download from:
https://goo.gl/ayVfs4

While reading this book, the technique of Pomodoro should be

followed thoroughly for better understanding:

Dos:
- Minutely focus your attention for 25 minutes without being
interrupted on any chapter.

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 - Opt for a breather for 5 minutes to relax your mind. Perform
Google search to analyze your area of difficulty and then jot
them down on a paper (post these questions in quora.com or
stackoverflow.com to get answered by experts).
- Write sample code and execute them to analyze results,
exceptions or errors, if occurred any.
- Revise the same chapter at least 4 times in order to strengthen
your concept as more concrete in its approach.
- A 15-minute break is advisablefor refreshment and then should
continue reading the next chapter.
- In case of meeting an alien programming language, in the
course of reading, practicing Java programs using „Java
BlackBook by Steven Holzner‟ is duly suggested, thereafter,
practicing scripts in command and be prompt to compile and
execute.
- Save the practiced scripts and get them uploaded to Git and be
an „open-source framework developer‟ at
github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation.

Don‟ts:
- Never force yourself to complete the book overnight or within
a week.
- Never plunge yourself into various programming languages
until automation framework has been developed in that
language.
- The task of reading the chapter and practicing the scripts
should not be performed simultaneously; a comprehensive
reading is must for a good conceptual understanding of the
subject, so the reading should not be a futile attempt;
„knowing‟ and „doing‟ are two different words.
- In case of meeting an unknown programming language in the
course of reading, practicing Java programs using „Java
BlackBook by Steven Holzner‟ is advised, but practicing
scripts in Eclipse or any IDE, while learning those
fundamentals, is strictly prohibited, as command prompt gives
quick learning in Java fundamentals (to analyze errors) rather
than IDEs which help in building the scripts (whereas Eclipse
can be used for Selenium-based learnings).
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 - The idea like programming language has to be learnt first in
order to start learning Selenium scripting should not be
presupposed; both can be learnt in parallel to understand how
the script works for Selenium-based tests.

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 Table of Contents

S. No. Content Page

1. Introduction 1
2. Test Automation Framework 4
3. Selenium 12
 Selenium versions and their capabilities 12
 FAQs about automation tests using 17
Selenium tool
4. Author‟s Perspective 18
5. Cucumber BDD (Behavior-driven 25
Development)
6. How to Write First BDD Scripts in 28
Cucumber, Selenium Using Java?
7. Automation Framework Using Selenium 32
Webdriver with DotNet
8. Selenium Webdriver Tests in Python 41
9. Selenium Test Automation Framework using 48
Javascript
10. Selenium Test Automation Framework using 51
Java
11. Selenium Webdriver Test Script Design 120
Basics in JAVA
12. Jason Phantom Ghost Driver Test 125
Automation
13. Maven Test Automation 130
14. Schedule the Projects in Jenkins 150
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 15. Selenium IDE 153
16. Selenium Grid for Compatibility Tests 170
17. Protractor End-to-End Automation 194
Framework
18. Automation Tool Selection-Know How 197
19. Test Requirements 199
20. Test Plans 199
21. Test Scenarios 200
22. Test Cases 200
23. Agile Scrum-based Testing-Continuous 203
Integration
24. Test Estimation 206
25. Automation Return on Investment 218
26. Automation Test Scheduling 220
27. Unified Functional Testing – Test 227
Automation Basics
28. UFT Test Automation Framework using 236
Excel VBA
29. Ranorex 240
30. VB Scripting Excel Macro Automation 241
31. How to Test Excel Sheet? 267
32. IBM Rational Functional Test 269
33. SOA Test Automation 278
34. SOAP Messages Automation 280
35. Data Warehouse Testing (DWH) 289
36. Structured Query Language (SQL) for 294
Software Testing

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 37. Object Recognition 298
38. Object Recognition Technology – 299
automation testing
39. Why to Learn Appium? 302
40. Technical Round-based Interview Questions 366
41. Selenium Interview Questions and Author's 370
Views
 Selenium IDE-based interview questions 375
and author's views
 Cucumber BDD-based interview 388
questions and author's views
 Selenium Webdriver 3.0-based interview 391
questions and author's views
 Selenium Grid 2 interview questions and 401
author's views
42. Selenium Cheat Sheet 406
43. Book Chapter-based References 407

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Introduction
As an exclusive specialized industry, software testing is growing
rapidly into automation, and the need of development experience
and tools knowledge is enormous to sustain in testing profession!
Tool-based testers are migrated to core automation testers over a
period of time with various tool experiences. The agile-based
projects brought the need for testers with strong development
background; hence, automation testers are migrated to 'developer-
in-test' roles to categories as a test specialist who is good at coding
background.
This book brings the essence of automation basics in different
topics varied from Selenium Webdriver to Excel VBA Test
Automation – so that the target audience can be benefited with
knowledge across the automation possibilities.

How manual testers learn automation testing? 10 easy rules!

If you are decided to learn automation,
1. At first, choose right 'automation tool' and stick to it until
learning the framework
2.Watch 'YouTube' related to the automation tool tutorials
3.Refer sample code-based 'Books' of the testing tool
4.Design your 'first script' in the automation tool with the help of
sample scripts in github.com
5. 'Execute' and see how your automation script works!
6. Learn how you can actually design an 'automation framework'
by yourself
7. Share your scripts in github.com and the script with fellow
testers
8. Post your questions in forums (e.g. qualitytesting.info) and get
the valuable answers from experts
9. Document what you learnt, else you will forget over the years
10. Main point: 'teach' at least one person how to script first
automation code!

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 Narayanan Palani

How to get benefited from this book?

Automation test frameworks are explained in the beginning of the
chapters which will assist in understanding the types of
frameworks used across the organizations.
Set of questions provided at the end of the chapter related to
automation framework types – which are open questions and
unanswered! The main reason is to keep these questions open and
go through the rest of the chapters. So that the readers surely get
the answer to these questions when the chapters are understood,
and relevant open-source projects are practiced in parallel.
Note: These questions remain open in the absence of good
practice. It is suggested to practice available projects online to
move to the next chapters, which will help in building the skillset
and get benefited maximum from the book in parallel.
Immediate chapters are discussing about how to select automation
tools for the projects based on the nature of each tools.
When testers are contributing to automation test projects, the key
factors differentiating them from others are: test estimation, test
environments, cost estimation, time estimation, test schedule
compression techniques, function point-based test estimation,
Delphi test estimation technique, automation return on investment,
automation test scheduling.
After discussing key foundations of automation tests, the main
topics of automation tools are discussed such as Selenium IDE,
Selenium Webdriver using Java/TestNG/Ant and Selenium
Webdriver using Dot Net/Cucumber. Reason being, Selenium
Webdriver using SpecFlow and C++ is an emerging field within
BDD and TDD. This has been detailed in respective sections and
moved toward other famous automation tools such as HP UFT,
Excel VBA Automation and IBM RFT (rational functional test).
Since Cucumber is an emerging BDD tool in testing domain, this
has been elaborated in an exclusive section. Along with Cucumber
BDD, SOA tools such as SOAP UI also detailed to give basics on
how to automate when the GUI is unavailable! This is irrelevant
topic in this book to discuss specifically at sections of SOA,ETL
domains – but the reason SOAP UI is discussed is mainly on the
job market needs!

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Knowledge in SOAP UI and ETL basics increases the possibilities

to get good job profile in quick span of time. So these sections are
briefly explained along with sample test strategy, test plan and test
cases of functional testing.
Automation testing book explaining about functional testing is not
new, and it is always beneficial to refer the foundations of
functional/manual testing by sample documentations. Importantly,
the basics of functional testing are provided through the sample
test plan, test cases which will be helpful to build the fundamentals
while practicing the automation framework.

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 Narayanan Palani

Test Automation Framework

As a first step in test automation, it is important to learn how to
build an automation framework; hence, this chapter explains from
basic on how to build an open-source framework for testing.

Set of practices, assumptions and concepts is used to design

automation frameworks utilizing testing tools which are used for
automation testing. The main benefit of automation framework is
to provide better reusability of test scripts. This can be possible
only if the automation framework is designed to help faster
development of test scripts for new testing cycles, flexibility in
adapting the product changes, comfort in training newcomers in
order to understand the framework and especially the maintenance
of automation framework once developed!

Test automation framework maintenance:

Developing a test automation framework with open-source tools,
such as Selenium, TestNG, Ant and Jenkins, to have web browser
automation testing is simply an amazing idea! But this framework
should support the maintenance of test data exclusively from excel
sheets! Thus, it is important to extend the framework with the help
of Read_XLS.jar in order to read and write the excel from
automation framework during test execution.
Types of automation test frameworks:
Linear Scripting
Keyword-driven testing
Structured-driven testing
Data -driven testing
Hybrid automation framework
Agile Continuous Integration Automation Framework

Famous and widely used automation frameworks and test

automation tools are as follows:
Automation framework using Selenium Webdriver, JUnit, TestNG,
Ant and Jenkins
Excel automation framework using HP UFT

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Excel VBA Automation frameworks

Web Services (REST/SOAP) Automation Frameworks

Definition
Set of assumptions, concepts, methods and workflows that
constitute a work platform and best practice that provide complete
support for automated automation framework testing and
maintenance.
This includes script organization, documentation, coding standards
&instructions, version control and unit test of the test scripts.
Key SFERMS Benefits – stable, flexible, extensible, reusable,
maintainable, scalable.

Following are some of the key elements in which frameworks are

assessed against:

Usability
Automation framework usability can be described as how
effectively new test analysts/SME (Subject Matter Expert) can use,
learn or control the system. Some questionswhich are tobe asked to
yourself to determine usability might be as follows:

Is there a UI metaphor (driver script) that I am using to help users

adapt?
(for example, the „Eclipse‟ is a metaphor for Selenium)
If a new test analyst takes responsibility over the test automation
scripts, the amount of knowledge required on the subsystems and
dependable software, such as Eclipse IDE (for Selenium
Webdriver using JAVA), .Net (for Selenium Webdriver using C#)
or any driver scripts which run their automation engine (such as
UFT, Selenium) in the backend to produce results.

Best practice:
It is always a best practice to use an exclusive usability
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 Narayanan Palani

document for the actions such as Web Launch, User Login,

Driver Script Launch; in additional to this document, library
functions specification document should be designed to list the
reusable libraries designed as part of the project-Sibbi Maruthu,
Automation Test Program Manager

Are the most common operations streamlined to be performed

quickly?
Actions, such as Web Launch, User Login, Driver Script Launch,
are taken into consideration on how quick the automation
framework is. Especially, Rational function test needs test
configurations to be completed first in order to run the test scripts
in test execution. Flexible tools, like Selenium IDE, look forward
for assertions and assessors to be incorporated manually in the test
script. On the basis of how quick these operations are performed in
the test design, the overall test strategy gets affected on the test
automation projects.

Can new test users quickly adapt to the automation framework

without help? (Is it intuitive?)
If subject-matter experts learn the automation framework, it must
be user friendly and straightforward in user interactions rather than
code amendments which are complex for any new test users such
as fresh test talents. What would be the ideal hands-on training
required for the framework and how long it takes to master the tool
– these are the key aspects of looking at it. While discussing on the
training, it is also important to have a look at the test framework
document on how extensive it has been documented. If the
documentation is not in place, this could be one of the primary
causes of automation framework failures over a period of time in
agile testing projects.

Do validation and error messages make sense?

An excellent automation framework is judged on the basis of how
effectively the errors are handled and the measures are taken into
account in order to capture the maximum possible issues during
test execution. Taking screenshots is not the only test deliverable
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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

as part of automation. The match between expected and actual

results has to be proved with the help the test inputs and outputs.
Thus, validation check against the test results should result the
need derived from test requirements. If the test results don't match
with the needs of testable requirements, though the automation tool
run the test scripts, it is unableto serve the purpose of test
objective.

Maintainability (flexibility/testability)
The definition of maintainability implies how brittle the code is to
change. As a result, I tie the terms flexibility and testability into the
overall maintainability of a project.

Does the entire team understand the code base or do knowledge

islands exist?Is the code thoroughly regression tested?
Can modifications to the project be done timely?

Best practice:
Automation scripts, functional library, other test scripts can be
externally controlled with different files which can be easy to
maintain file model since any update to the functional library in
future will affect specific files and rest of the framework remains
reusable!
Scalability
Scalability is the ability for your program to gracefully meet the
demand of stress caused by increased usage. In a nutshell, ensuring
your program doesn‟t slow or bust while pounded by more users
than you originally anticipated.

What is your current peak load that you can handle?

How many database records can be created until critical operations
slow down?
Is the primary scaling strategy to “scale up” or to “scale out” – that
is, to upgrade the nodes in a fixed topology or to add nodes?

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 Narayanan Palani

Availability (or Reliability)

How long the system is up and running and the mean time between
failure (MTBF) is known as the availability of a program.

How long does the system need to run without failure?

What is the acceptable length of time for the system to be down?
Can down times be scheduled?

Extensibility
Are there points in the system where changes can be made with (or
without) program changes?

Can the database schema flex to accommodate change?

Does the system allow inversion of control (IoC)?
Can end users extend the system (scripts, user-defined fields etc.)?
Can third-party developers leverage your system?

Security
The measure of system‟s ability is to resist unauthorized attempts
at usage or behavior modification, while still providing service to
legitimate users.

Does the system need user or role-based security?

Does code access security need to occur?
What operations need to be secured?
How will users be administered?

Portability
Portability is known to be the ability for your application to run on
numerous platforms. This can include actual application hosting,
viewing or data portability.

Can the data be migrated to other systems?

For web applications, which browser does your web app support?
On which operating system does your program run?

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

The above questions are kept open and unanswered

purposefully.The readers have to keep these questions in mind
while going through further chapters in test automation. So these
questions will be helpful in identifying answers for your own
projects at the particular test environment. The next chapter helps
in understanding the types of famous automation tools and their
classifications.

How an uncontrolled automation program can cause millions

of money to QA departments in 2020 and beyond?
Quality assurance evolved from Glenford Myers' theory (1979) to
college text books and remained as one of the standard practices
for the application life cycle with continuous focus toward test
automation! Test engineers of the 90s evolved as SDETs(software
development engineers in tests)in current generation, and test cases
are getting converted as BDD (behavior-driven development)
scenarios! Undoubtedly, it is happening across the IT industry and
happening for good!
Not less than 60,000 monthly Google searches are performed on
Selenium Webdriver (a famous test automation tool) across the
globe;-this statistics proves the demand for automation-based
SDETs and the QA job market:
At the same time, we are heading toward a dangerous future with
endless automation code garbage!
// Example of an infinite loop (Deadlock) in QA Test Automation
Script:
while not selenium.is_text_present(
'logged'):
pass
//Reference:https://saucelabs.com/blog/selenium-tips-infinite-
loops-take-forever
Meanwhile, industry has been observing that the script migration is
almost impossible when organizations move from tools, such as
HP UFT (earlier called QTP) to latest tools (e.g. Selenium
Webdriver); the one and only option is to clear the garbage and
rewrite the code from scratch – in this way, functional QA teams
move toward a fast-phased test automation programs. So, the focus
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 Narayanan Palani

toward 'script maintenance' is almost unrealistic since the amount

of tests to get automated is humongous!
While millions of (QTP)old scripts/tests are getting rewritten in
Selenium for the next ten years, it is 'highly possible' that the
automation tests become non-maintainable garbage of the next
generation!
Hence, there is a strong possibility for most demanding new role in
testing programs(by 2020 approx.) just to maintain automation
code and to unit test the entire QA code base in order to maintain
automation scripts called 'software maintenance engineer in tests'
(SMETs).

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

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 Narayanan Palani

Selenium
Industry-wide best practice in test automation is to look for the
possibility of Selenium implementation in web-based testing
projects. Selenium has been evolved over a period of time since
2004, and it is available in four different types at the moment in
2015: Selenium IDE, Selenium Core, Selenium RC and Selenium
Grid. Selenium IDE (integrated development environment) is
available as an add-in for Firefox. Selenium Grid is used for NFT
(non-functional tests) like performance tests and concurrent tests.
Selenium Webdriver is widely used across the platforms as an
open-source test automation tool, and organizations build
automation framework on top of Selenium to make use of the tool
for testing projects.
Selenium 3.0 released on 13 Oct 2016 as per the updates at:
https://seleniumhq.wordpress.com/2016/10/13/selenium-3-0-out-
now/

Selenium versions and their capabilities

Selenium 4/
Selenium 1 Selenium 2 Selenium 3
Selenium 5
Release date

Future
2004 2011 13Oct „16
release*

Selenium
Webdriver,Sele
Selenium Selenium
nium Selenium
IDE,Selenium Webdriver,Sel
Tools

IDE,Selenium W3C,Appiu
Core,Selenium enium
RC,Selenium m[for
RC,Selenium IDE,Appium[f
Core,Selenium mobile]
Server or mobile]
Server,Appium[
for mobile]
Webdriver
W3C
Advantages

Jason Huggins – introduced and Beginning of

webdriver
Project Manager bind tight with W3C
server
for Selenium underlying web compliance
protocol is
Core browser;Object protocol
used
oriented

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Internationall
Firefox is W3C compliant
y agreed
connected with webdriver
Table-based standards are
the help of server: gecko
runner followed and
Firefox driver is used
gecko driver
extensions for Firefox
will be used
Internet
Selenium
Explorer's COM
Webdriver
HTML Table- object collection Selenium Core
may be
Selenium IDE used to removed
planned to be
communicate for
removed
tests
Safari
Chrome,Opera
extended to
extended to used
Three columns used as part
as part of
of webdriver
webdriver tests
tests
Selenium Introduced Jason Improved
Coredesigned by Wire Protocol Jason Wire
Jason for time representing Protocol
and expenses commands for targeted in
system Firefox driver Selenium 4
Since there were Selenium 5:
defects from
Target to
Internet
enable html5
Explorer,Firefox,
Selenium Core features,user
Opera for the
project integrated facing
Javascript
with webdriver APIs,friendly
application (time
project; hence, it locators,more
and expenses
has become focus of
system), he
Selenium webdriver
decided to run
Webdriver API towards
the tests in
mobile and
javascript and
drive the improved
application protocol
Incredibly
Disadvantages

Challenge-not
difficult to
possible to
manage table-
analyze source
based scripting
code of IE and
hence Selenium
other browsers
RC introduced

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 Narayanan Palani

Selenium RC
scripts written in
multiple
languages and
Every browser
communicate to
follows different
Selenium Server,
wire protocol-
and this server
challenge for
has internal
webdriver
communication(c
ore protocol) to
Selenium Core
javascripts
Browsers have
Scripts running
become more
in javascript
complicated in
sandbox is a real
every version
challenge hence
hence Selenium
integrated with
decided to use
webdriver in
W3C for next
next version(in
version(in
Selenium2.0)
Selenium 3.0)
Selenium
Webdriver:Guar
anteed [but no
plans to use from
Selenium 4.0
onwards]*as per
the update from
Selenium
Simon on Sept'16
Webdriver:
Selenium IDE:
Limited [there
Guaranteed
Selenium are plans to
Selenium RC:
Life span

Core:Limited remove from

Limited [since
[not used in Selenium 4
Selenium Core is
Selenium 3.0 onwards as per
removed in
onwards] the web
Selenium 3
discussions-yet
onwards, scripts
to be
are to be
confirmed]
migrated to
Selenium
Webdriver]
Appium:
Guaranteed[not
yet migrated to
Selenium 3.0 as

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

on Sept2016]

*Features/functionalities of future releases may change and

requesting readers to watch seleniumhq.org

This table given above is derived on the basis of the inputs from
[1] Simon Stewart (2016 May 26),Selenium 3 0 Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS4ZqLpA9r4
[2] Simon Stewart (2016 September 14),Learn Using Selenium 3
0Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bistojJPR98
[3] W3C (2016 September 14),World Wide Web Consortium from
https://www.w3.org/
[4] SeleniumHQ(2016 September 14),Selenium from
https://www.seleniumHQ.org/
[5]Simon Stewart (2017September 6),Selenium 3 0 Retrieved from
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/asos-qa-meetup-the-future-of-
selenium-by-simon-stewart-tickets-36864574936

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 Narayanan Palani

Job Market Analysis

As per the job comparison between Selenium and qtp, there has
been considerable amount of increment of job seekers‟ interest
toward Selenium as of year 2017:

Similarly, job posts are increased rapidly for Selenium in recent

years comparing to qtp:

Reference:
https://www.indeed.com/jobtrends/q-selenium-q-qtp.html
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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

FAQs about automation tests using Selenium tool

Can Selenium be used for windows applications(example:
automating desktop applications such as calculator etc.)?
Appium has been designed to support desktop/windows
applications. Refer:
https://github.com/appium/appium-desktop/releases/

Selenium is primarily used for web browser automation testing;

Appium is used for mobile android,windows and iOS applications;
In order to automate windows applications, following the open-
source automation tools have been referred:
'Winium','Twin','White' and 'WinAppDriver'.
Winium:
https://github.com/2gis/Winium
WinAppDriver:
https://github.com/Microsoft/WinAppDriver
White:
https://github.com/teststack/white
Twin:
https://github.com/JamesMGreene/twin

How Firefox-based tests are executed in Selenium 3.x

onwards?
Gecko driver needed for Firefox tests when Selenium version 3.x
are above has been used in framework(whereas there is no need of
driver for Firefox tests in earlier versions). More details and
configuration are provided in Part 2 of the book.

Which is the best tool alternative to Selenium?

Protractor:
If the application is designed using AngularJS,it is most
recommended to use Protractor end-to-end test framework. Refer
the slides of protractor at:
http://ramonvictor.github.io/protractor/slides/
Tosca:

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 Narayanan Palani

It is an anotherautomation framework using model-based test

technique and risk-based test technique.Further details are
furnished at:
http://toolsqa.com/tosca/tosca-test-automation-suite/
Author‟s Perspective
This section shares the work experience, talks and useful blogs of
author in relation to test automation to benefit readers on their job
interviews.

Selenium vs QTP – which is better to learn for jobs?

Both are mutually competent enough, and I would foresee more of
Selenium in next ten years and less of QTP!
But when you go for interview,it doesn't mean which is the
future,but which are in the market now!
So look experience on both!
Moreover, you should be good candidate to migrate scripts from
QTP to Selenium, if required!

Which technology is better to learn – Hadoop or Selenium?

Both are equally renowned but Selenium holds a strong future for
the next ten years in the industry to becomethe most wanted tool!
Example: Sales force widely used CRM tool and Selenium
automation, best supports such testing!

How is Selenium used in agile projects?

Insprint automation is the target for agile projects, and Selenium is
one of the most targeted tools in agile projects!
1. Framework constructed using Selenium during the initial
sprint.
2. Selenium Page Objects Model used mostly in advanced
disciplines.
3. Sprint planning consists of tasks related to Selenium scripting.
4. Sprint sizing evaluates automation efforts.
5. Retrospective discussion on what went wrong in automation
scripts to improve in next sprint.
6. Cucumber-based feature files support Selenium scripts.

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

How do I get text for a read-only input field box using

Selenium Webdriver?
If it is a javascript-based framework using Selenium Webdriver IO,
then
this.client
.getText(selector);
Note: Selector is the object pass through locators.
If it is a Java-based Seleniumframework, then
driver.findelement(by.xpath(selector)).getAttribute(“Value”);

Why do organizations prefer to use Selenium for automated

testing?
The three primary reasons are:stability,cost and resources.
It's one of the few stable tools from open sources and also free, and
majorityof engineers know Selenium in the market to employ!

How does the software QC and QA process work at your SaaS

company?
It works with the help of cloud tools such as JIRA for continuous
integration,Jenkins for continuous deployment and open sources as
such as Selenium for automation testing of SaaS products.

How do I explain about Jenkins in a Selenium project in an

interview?
Single line of answer: In CI/CD of agile projects,Selenium acts as
tool for continuous testing and Jenkins acts as continuous
integration tool for builds!

Do we have any tools or something to improve the rendering

time of the homepage in Selenium automation?
Simply use explicit wait or fluent wait to increase rendering time
rather than using simple implicit fixed waits.

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How do I use tab button functionality using Selenium?

keys.TAB does it for you!
It is as simple as
1. WebElement webElement =
driver.findElement(By.xpath(""));//You can use xpath, ID or name
whatever you like in object
2. webElement.sendKeys(Keys.TAB);
3. webElement.sendKeys(Keys.ENTER);

What is the most reliable locator in Selenium Webdriver?

Most unique xpath is most reliable!
If following types are still failing, I would suggest you to ask
developers to add new object (tag) with description what you want
(may be you can ask for qa-selector field like ID)!

Types:
 ID (Unique Locator):
 Example:driver.findelement(By.id“textbox”));
 Class
 Name
 Value
 Text (Link text, Partial Link text)
 XPATH (Relative X path)
 CSS (Fastest Locator)
 DOM
If none of the above works for you at times, use qa-selector as
discussed in your script across!
so it will be like,
driver.findelement(By.qa-selector(“textbox”));

How do I become a good tester in Selenium?

A tester can be a good tester only when he/she finds most of the
defects and helps the entire team with automation capability!
If you want to achieve that stage using Selenium frameworks, you
need few more tool knowledge as I recommend:

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

If you are interested in this approach, it is the right time to choose

right programming language for your career which is not limited
to,
Java
.Net
PHP
Python
TCL/TK etc
Ruby javascript
Once you decide, for example you want to be a software developer
in tests in Java (known as automation testers), you can start reading
some great examples from part2 of this book.

Which language is demand now for Selenium: Python or Java?

Demand is based on the job available in the market, and as per the
current trend, Javais widely used and the most known with solved
open-source solutions.
There is a sharp demand for javascript-based Selenium across
companies such as CTS,Wipro and TCS.
Product companies wanted to develop Selenium scripts using
Python and, similarly, some insurance companies are targeting
Ruby.
Most media companies wanted C#-based Selenium framework
when their application developed using GitHub projects.
If you really wanted to learn all the programming languages,it‟s an
unfavorable for juniors because you need to figure out the flavors
of them by some good books such as the part 2 of this book.

What is the scope of Cucumber automation?

There is a good growth expected for Given,When and Then-based
Cucumber Gherkin scripting since Dan North introduced it and,at
present, most of the companies are adapting this approach as part
of their agile projects!

What is the golden rule or ratio for automated testing in

software development?

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Golden Rule 1:
Return on investment is always expected post 6 testing cycles!
Golden Rule 2:
It is not possible or worth to target 100% automation.
Golden Rule 3:
Once developed, automated scripts are not life proof (they have to
be maintained)!
Golden Rule 4:
If automation framework is not documented in detail, it is going to
be doomed in short time (no matter how strong the tool is!).

Is Selenium Webdriver completely open source? How does the

project get funded and stay active?
It is one of the best questions of the year I would rate!
Reason being, Selenium is a free tool but the entire pack of test
framework constructed using Selenium needs not be complete
open source!
For example, framework can be based on Selenium, but if you
have concurrent tests planned, and if you use SauceLabs for that, it
is licensed!
In this way, project fund can be estimated only afterthe careful
perusal of the complete test scope and automation test strategy!

What could be the reply when my manager says "manual

testing is superior to development because anybody can code"?
You need to take the advantage of your expertise of coding in
development and do not deny the opportunity at the same time;
hence, you should propose combined offer of being software
developer in tests (automation tester) to automate his/her
applications then you will be treated unique and really valued as
superior comparing to other developers and manual testers.

What is the use of NUnit?

NUnit acts as a test runner for the .Net-based projects (specifically
the automation frameworks built in using Visual Studio or Team
Foundation Servers).

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Hence, it talks to VS and in turn VS gets the build running by

using test automation engines calling application in the
background.
NUnit has the capability of VS within their settings and you can
learn further from .Net projects illustrated in this book.
How do I start working smartly as a QA engineer?
You need charisma to be a QA engineer!
Following characteristics are chiefly important while growing from
QA to test lead:
 Accuracy
 Fault finding
 Dedication
 Documentation skills
 Tools knowledge
 Reporting skills
 Defect life cycle knowledge
 Focus on test automation especially Selenium Webdriver

What do some senior-level QA software engineers advise to

entry-level QA engineer?
I have struggled through hard times as QA; hence, I think my voice
would fit as answer here:
Recommended Path:Test Analyst > Module Lead >Test Lead >
Test Manager > Head of QA
It depends upon how strong you are in terms of the skillset,tools
and technologies you work to accumulate knowledge with relevant
work experience over a period of time.
Example1: You can be a functional tester concentrating on
telecommunication domain with strong domain knowledge such as
LTE with more than 10 years of experience.

Automated testing: Is there any worldwide accepted

certification for Selenium?
There are Selenium certifications available for testers within India:
http://www.vskills.in/certification/Certified-Selenium-Professional
But it is not suggested(to opt just a tool certification) as you need a
professional certification from Oracle for JAVA or from Microsoft
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Visual Studio or Microsoft .Net certificate as evidence of your

expertise in programming languages.
Reason:
If Selenium gets out of date in future, you can still use these
certifications for the latest tool you use!

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Cucumber BDD (Behavior-driven Development)

Programming language used in this section: Java Programming
More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/SA
F/CucumberTestProject
Cucumber (e.g. SpecFlow) is widely used automation framework
to generate the test scenarios as feature files which are directly
influenced by testable requirements.

Example cucumber project

Requirement
Zoo website should provide the capability to check for animals‟
availability.

Feature file
Feature: Proof of concept of the cucumber framework

Scenario: My first test

Given I navigated to zoo website
When I click on the link
Then I check to see that no animals are available

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Step definitions
Each feature file,such as Given,When and Then, contains a step
definition which is as follows:
package cucumber.features;
import cucumber.api.PendingException;
import cucumber.api.java.en.Given;
import cucumber.api.java.en.Then;
import cucumber.api.java.en.When;

public class StepDefinitions {

@Given("^I navigated to zoo website$")
public void I_navigated_to_the_zoo_website() throws Throwable{
System.out.println("executed the navigate to zoo method");
}

@When("^I click on the adoption link$")

public void I_click_on_the_adoption_link() throws Throwable{
System.out.println("executed the click on adoption link method");
}
@Then("^I check to see that no animals are available$")
public void I_check_to_see_that_no_animals_are_available()
throws Throwable{
System.out.println("check that there is no animal");
}
}

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Cucumber runner
This component aids in running the associated feature file with its
step definition:
package cucumber;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
import cucumber.api.junit.*;
@Runwith(Cucumber.class)
@Cucumber.Option(
format = {"pretty,"json:target/cucumber.json"}
features = {"src/cucumber/"}
)
public class CucumberRunner {
}

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For further reading and practice, download the projects at

https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation

How to Write First BDD Scripts in Cucumber,Selenium Using

Java?
Feature file using Cucumber

Test run configuration for Cucumber

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Step definitions in Java

Code:
package cucumber.features;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.OutputType;
import org.openqa.selenium.TakesScreenshot;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
//import org.openqa.selenium.android.AndroidDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
//import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.interactions.Actions;
//import org.openqa.selenium.iphone.IPhoneDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;

//import org.openqa.selenium.safari.SafariDriver;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
//import com.sun.jna.platform.FileUtils;
//import cucumber.api.java.After;
import cucumber.api.java.Before;
import cucumber.api.java.en.Given;
import cucumber.api.java.en.Then;

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import cucumber.api.java.en.When;
//import cucumber.api.java.en.And;
//import cucumber.runtime.PendingException;
public class bbcradio {
public WebDriver driver;
@Before
public void setUp() {
System.out.println("*******************");
System.out.println("launching Chrome browser");
//System.setProperty("webdriver.ie.driver",
"E://AutomationProject//Training//LandroverTestProject//Browser
Drivers//IEDriverServer.exe");
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver",
"E:/AutomationProject/TrainingBBCRadioTestProject/BrowserDri
vers/ChromeDriver.exe");
}

@Given("^BBC Radio is open in ChromeDriver$")

public void BBC_Radio_is_open_in_ChromeDriver()
{
driver=new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio");
}

@Given("^I can see the radio nav$")

public void I_can_see_the_radio_nav()
{
driver.findElement(By.className("radionav__stations-link
radionav-dropdown")).isEnabled();
driver.findElement(By.className("radionav__categories-link
radionav-dropdown")).isEnabled();
driver.findElement(By.className("radionav__schedules-link
radionav-dropdown")).isEnabled();
}

@Given("^When I select \"([^\"]*)\" in the radio nav$")

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public void When_I_select_section_in_the_radio_nav(String

Stations,String Categories,String Schedules)
{
driver.findElement(By.linkText(Stations)).click();
driver.findElement(By.linkText(Categories)).click();
driver.findElement(By.linkText(Schedules)).click();
}
}

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Automation Framework Using Selenium Webdriver with

DotNet
Programming language used in this section: .Net Programming
More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/00
8AutomationProjects_Training/AutomationProject/Training/SVSF

DotNet-based Selenium Webdriver projects using C++

Programmingarethe most wanted skillset in IT testing domain.
Especially,integrating the project from feature file (as scenarios),
step definitions, Selenium objects and functions and then building
the project to deploy and run in tools, such as
NUnit/Gallio/MSTest, or alternatively scheduling it through
Jenkins is something reputed as end-to-end automation
implementation possibility at the moment in the industry.
Step-by-step approach!
Step1: Install visual studio
Navigate to any best solution of Visual Studio (free version
preferably for training) at:
https://www.visualstudio.com/products/free-developer-offers-
vs.aspx
Step2:Install and configure SpecFlow
First, select tools then 'Extensions and Updates' in Visual Studio
and search online for SpecFlow (whatever the relevant latest
version); Select the SpecFlow for Visual Studio 2013 (any latest
version) extension to download and install. Restart Visual Studio
to enable the extension (perform all necessary configurations
required for BDD projects as per the SpecFlow chapter).
Step3: Selenium Webdriver for DotNet
Install Selenium Webdriver through Package Manager Console
following the steps given below:
Select tools and then Package Manager Console
PM>
Command: PM> Install-Package Selenium.WebDriver
Make sure that the following references are updated in the project.
Selenium WebDriver API .NET Bindings and Selenium
WebDriver .NET Bindings support classes:
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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Reference: https://www.nuget.org/packages/Selenium.WebDriver

Step4:Feature file
Right click on the project, select Add Item and choose SpecFlow
Feature File and Add to open the new feature file:

It would have been added, and .cs file would have been associated
by itself:

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Write a scenario as perthe example given below:

Feature: Currency Exchange Rate in ABC Bank
In order to avoid silly mistakes
As a anonymous user
I want to check average INR exchange rate of banks in London

@RegressionTests
Scenario: average INR exchange rate of banks in London
Given I have opened the ABC Accounts page
And I have grabbed average "INR" rate in Exchange Rate section
Then I set "INR" currency in ABC Banks Today Exchange rates
section
When I compare calculated and rate along with fee values the
result should be correct

Click on generate step definitions:

Copy to clipboard and paste them to different .cs file to edit

further:
[Given(@"I have opened the ABC Accounts page")]
public void GivenIHaveOpenedTheABCAccountsPage()

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

{
ScenarioContext.Current.Pending();
}

[Given(@"I have grabbed average ""(.*)"" rate in Exchange Rate

section")]
public void
GivenIHaveGrabbedAverageRateInExchangeRateSection(string
p0)
{
ScenarioContext.Current.Pending();
}

[Then(@"I set ""(.*)"" currency in ABC Banks Today Exchange

rates section")]
public void
ThenISetCurrencyInABCBanksTodayExchangeRatesSection(strin
g p0)
{
ScenarioContext.Current.Pending();
}

[When(@"I compare calculated and rate along with fee values the
result should be correct")]
public void
WhenICompareCalculatedAndRateAlongWithFeeValuesTheResul
tShouldBeCorrect()
{
ScenarioContext.Current.Pending();
}

Another example:
Develop the feature file with scenarios in Gherkin format then save
it as a .feature file.
*Refer Gherkin/SpecFlow sections
Example:
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Feature: Currency Exchange Rate in ABC Bank

In order to avoid silly mistakes
As a anonymous user
I want to check average USD exchange rate of banks in London

@RegressionTests
Scenario: average USD exchange rate of banks in London
Given I have opened the ABC Finance page
And I have grabbed average "USD" rate in Average Rate section
Then I set "USD" currency in ABC Banks rates section
When I compare calculated and grabbed values the result should be
equal to "4" decimal

Step5: Step definitions

In the .cs file associated to your feature file, jot down the line-
based script.
Right click on the feature file and select generate step definitions'
and copy that to clipboard and paste to this .cs file and then edit the
.cs files with valid Selenium functions.
Example:
using System;
using System.Collections;
using FinanceIUA.PageObjects;
using NUnit.Framework;
using OpenQA.Selenium;
//using OpenQA.Selenium.Firefox;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;
using TechTalk.SpecFlow;
----
----
[BeforeScenario()]
public void Setup()
{
//driver = new FirefoxDriver();
//This is the initiation of a chrome browser and the location where
the driver is:
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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

driver = new ChromeDriver(@"E:\driver");

//driver = new ChromeDriver();
}
---
---

[Given(@"I have opened the ABC Finance page")]

public void GivenIHaveOpenedTheABCFinancePage()
{
financePage = ABCFinancePage.NavigateTo(driver);
driver.Manage().Timeouts().ImplicitlyWait(TimeSpan.FromSecon
ds(10));
driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("http://www.abcbank.org/");
}

For further reading and practice, download the projects at

https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation

How to run the Visual Studio-based Selenium project in

NUnit?
NUnit gives the flexibility to run the Visual Studio-based projects
with minor settings update which has been summarized below:
1. Install NUnit.
2. In Tools>Settings> select checkbox for Enable Visual Studio
Support and use solution configs while opening VS solutions.

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 Narayanan Palani

3. In tree display, select the checkbox for 'Show checkboxes'

which will allow user to select the respective tests to run during
test execution.

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Once the tests are executed, click on Tools>Save Results as XML

in order to save the test results.

ReportUnit
This tool helps in developing an html-based report out of xml
report of NUnit.
Download URL:http://reportunit.relevantcodes.com/
Once the tool has been downloaded, run the tool from command
line with the help of following syntax:
reportunit [input-folder-path] [output-folder-path]
Assuming the xml files of test results are stored at C drive's result
folder, you require the ReportUnit reports at reports folder; this can
be performed following steps given below:
1. Install Reportunit
2. Go to command line where Reportunit is placed
3. Enter the commands:
reportunit "C:\Results" "C:\Reports"
The abovementioned steps enable to get the html-based reports
within the folder reports-which can be shared with the stakeholders
in html format.

How to set up the NUnit executable project in Jenkins?

The steps are as follows:
1. Install Jenkins and open the URL localhost:8080
2. Once Jenkins is opened, click on Add New Item (new project)
3. Click Configure>Build>Add a build step>Execute Windows
batch command
You can run the Eclipse project from command line given below:
[PATH]\bin\nunit-console.exe
[Path]\Selenium.Tests.dll /xml=nunit-result.xml
If the project is Visual Studio/TFS-based Sln project:
[PATH]\bin\nunit-console.exe
[Path]\SeleniumTests.sln /xml=nunit-result.xml
So add the respective command line to run the NUnit project
command line instructions from Jenkin itself.
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 Narayanan Palani

4. Post Build Actions section> Test Report XMLs >Type 'nunit-

result.xml'
5. Post Build Actions section> Add your email id

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Selenium Webdriver Tests in Python

Programming language used in this section: Python Programming

In order to write automation scripts using python, tester should

understand the ease of use and smooth test execution using python
code base.
Sample Python Script to launch a web page in Firefox using
Selenium:
from selenium.webdriver import Firefox
driver = Firefox()
driver.get('https://www.google.com/')
driver.quit()

Prerequisites for python-based Selenium scripting

Click DOWNLOAD ZIP on the links of GITHUB below:
Entire slides (including the session slides shown today which are
md extensions):
https://github.com/davehunt/selenium-python-workshop
Instructions:
https://gist.github.com/davehunt/1f04963ca60c00b4490f04edf432f
40f
Login page used for sample scripts:
https://the-internet.herokuapp.com/login
To read the md files (slides available in GitHub links are md files;
use the tool below to read them):
http://markdownpad.com/
Note:
Better use Python v2.x only as python 3.x holds different scripting
standards.

Python installation steps

Install python using Command Prompt Admin
python-2.7.13.msi

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How to get into python prompt from command prompt?

Type 'python'

Install PyPOM - python:

pip install PyPOM

Command Prompt shows right version when entered PYTHON:

Type 'python' to see version of the tool being installed

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Install PyPOM:
While typing 'pip install PyPOM' make sure its entered after '>>>'

Installation work from Command Prompt(tested) – so run cmd

prompt and install PyPOM:
Alternative method is to type 'python.exe -m pip install PyPOM
Collecting PyPOM'

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 Narayanan Palani

Install Selenium:
python.exe -m pip install pytest-selenium

pytest-xdist:
python.exe -m pip install pytest-xdist

tox:
python.exe -m pip install tox

Cookie cutter:
python.exe -m pip install cookiecutter

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Move to python prompt from cmd by entering python:

Running first test:

enter file name after >>> as 020_our_first_test.py for example:

Capture object from the web page

Right click on the object and click on Inspect Element:

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 Narayanan Palani

Use $() syntax in console to double check whether the object

captured is right or wrong:

Firefox-based Selenium python test

If we wish to run a test in Firefox,sample script which works on
Firefoxis as follows:
from selenium.webdriver import Firefox
driver = Firefox()
driver.set_page_load_timeout(10)
driver.get('https://sameplewebsite')
driver.find_element_by_id('username').send_keys('XXXXXXXX')
driver.find_element_by_id('password').send_keys('XXXXXXXX')
driver.find_element_by_css_selector('#login button').click()
driver.get_screenshot_as_file("F:\\Selenium using
Python\\Screenshots\\loginpage.png")
driver.quit()

Chrome-based Selenium python test

(download chrome driver
from https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/chromedriver/downl
oads and place it in python's folder):C:\Python27\chromedriver.exe

Script:
from selenium.webdriver import Chrome
driver = Chrome("C:\\Python27\\chromedriver.exe")
driver.set_page_load_timeout(10)
driver.get('https://sameplewebsite')
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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

driver.find_element_by_id('username').send_keys('XXXXXXXX')
driver.find_element_by_id('password').send_keys('XXXXXXXX')
driver.find_element_by_css_selector('#login button').click()
driver.get_screenshot_as_file("F:\\Selenium using
Python\\Screenshots\\loginpage.png")
driver.quit()

If you really wish to learn how to run the tests without errors,
watch the video suggested in the link given below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRrubJ13I8s

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Selenium Test Automation Framework using Javascript

Programming language used in this section: Java Script

It is important to understand that the Selenium framework can be

scripted using javascript which is different from the way Java-
based scripts work!
The dissimilarities between Java and javascript-based scripting-are
explained as follows:
How Java-based Selenium scripts perform a web button click?
Example:
driver.find_element_by_css_selector('#login button').click()

How javascript-based Selenium scripts perform a web button

click?
Example:
return driver.find_element_by_css_selector('#login button').click()

Refer the below website for available functions:

http://webdriver.io/api.html

Feature file for the Javascript-based Selenium framework

@search
Feature: Searching for Selenium learning
As an internet user
In order to find out more about the Selenium books
I want to be able to search for information about the course of
Selenium test automation

Scenario: Google search for Selenium books

When I perform search on Google website for "Selenium books"
Then I should see relevant results in Google Search Results

Scenario: Google search for course of Selenium test automation

When I perform search on Google website for "Selenium test
automation testing training"
Then I should see relevant results in Google Search Results
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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Step definition for the javascript-based Selenium framework

module.exports = function () {
this.When(/^I perform search on Google website for "([^"]*)"$/,
function (searchQuery) {
return helpers.loadPage('http://www.google.com').then(function() {
// Perform a google search using a function which is scripted in
different file
return
page.googleSearch.performGoogleWebsiteSearch(searchQuery);
})
});
this.Then(/^I should see relevant results in Google Search
Results$/, function () {
// driver wait to get the results for 20000 milliseconds
return driver.wait(until.elementsLocated(by.css('div.g')),
20000).then(function() {
// Use the object of search results css locator:
return driver.findElements(by.css('div.g'));
})
.then(function (elements) {
// verify this element has any children on itself
expect(elements.length).to.not.equal(0);
});
});
};

Now perform search in first-step definition needs a function to

determine on how to perform a Google search on Google website!
Page object model within javascript-based Selenium
framework
This can be performed by introducing function within page object
model:
module.exports = {
url: 'http://www.google.co.in',
elements: {
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 Narayanan Palani

searchInput: by.name('q'),
searchResultLink: by.css('div.g > h3 > a')
},
performGoogleWebsiteSearch: function (searchQuery) {
var selector = page.googleSearch.elements.searchInput;
// return a promise so the calling function knows the task has
completed
return driver.findElement(selector).sendKeys(searchQuery,
Selenium.Key.ENTER);
}
};
Reference to the samples above:
https://github.com/john-doherty/selenium-cucumber-js

Useful Git project on reusable step definitions

Most of the reusable,required and commonly used step definitions
for the javascript-based Selenium framework have been
maintained at:
https://github.com/webdriverio/cucumber-boilerplate
These step definitions can be referred at:
https://github.com/webdriverio/cucumber-
boilerplate/tree/master/src/steps
Page object model-based functions can be referred at:
https://github.com/webdriverio/cucumber-
boilerplate/tree/master/src/support
Aiming at making sense out of how the step definitions help your
projects, try running some of the feature files at:
https://github.com/webdriverio/cucumber-
boilerplate/tree/master/src/features

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Selenium Test Automation Framework using Java

Programming language used in this section: Java Programming
More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/SA
F

This is one of the significant chapters in this entire book which

explains the entire Selenium framework construction in step-by-
step approach. Readers are requested to download the practice
projects from the link provided at the end of the chapter and follow
the instructions given in this chapter – so it will assist in practical
experience of how to construct or design or structure a framework
of Selenium from scratch!

Why Selenium is an important automation tool?

Until early 2006, there was no particular open-source tool (free
tool) available in the market, which could prove to be a stable
and trusted one to be implemented in testing projects. When
Selenium occupied the market, it expanded rapidly and became
the only open-source tool extensively used for web-based testing
(in comparison to any other paid tools/licensed tools).

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Automation framework is the combination of tools and their

integration to benefit the test automation of particular application
under test (AUT). While considering tools for the framework
design, cost and time are two primary factors. Since Selenium
Webdriver and tools like TestNG and Ant are freeware and stable
releases from open-source community, this attracts to build an
expert automation system that handles the software for multiple
test releases.
This particular automation framework design requires additional
expertise in understanding the test automation and how the
maintenance work can be minimized by developing an intelligent
system around the automation tools available.
Automation framework using Selenium Webdriver:
Prerequisite:
Download Eclipse from http://eclipse.org/downloads/
Note: Eclipse is famous for Java integrated development
environment (IDE). Since Java is largely used for Selenium test
automation, it is desirable to automate using Java programming as
a scripting language (not 'javascript language').
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High-level automation design:

Selenium Webdriver for hybrid TestNG framework

How to design the entire test automation framework with

required toolset?
The entire project discussed in this section can be downloaded
simply through the link given below:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B70x0BZZV5lzUXprYVZ
yVFRpaDg
Alternative link for the same file:
https://goo.gl/yZ5xfP
Instructions to download: Click on the link-->Open in Chrome--
>Click Download button ('click Download Anyway button' if
asked)-->Extract after download-->Place the Automation Project
Folder in C drive or D drive-->Once Placed, Install Eclipse as per
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the instructions in this section and follow the steps noted below to
access project.

Install JAVA
Java programming is a famous and important programming
language in testing industry, and the testers with Java knowledge
are paid high in the job markets!
Please download Java from the following link:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.
html

How to understand whether the Java is installed in the

computer or not?
Once the exe file has been downloaded from the website, double
click on the exe file and run the installation of the JAVA program
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in the computer. Once the task is performed, kindly check the C:/
Drive's program files folder. This folder should have 'JAVA' folder
with JDK and JRE sub-folders. As soon asthe folders are displayed
on the computer screen, it indicates that the Java installation is
completed but the configuration has to be done to make sure that
the JAVA files are successfully identified by the computer.

JAVA configuration
Once Java has been installed successfully, JAVA_HOME and
PATH has to be set up in the system following the steps noted
below:
Right click on 'This PC' and select Properties:

Alternatively,navigate to Control Panel and select Advanced

System Settings. In Advanced Tab, click on Environment
Variables:

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Click on New button and enter the location of JDK folder:

Note: The folder name differs according to your Java version. It is

preferable to navigate to the location and copy the path as shown
below:

Similarly, click on the New button again to enter path as shown

below:

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Note: Make sure that you have mentioned the path including bin
folder as above. You can take a copy of this path by just clicking
on the bin folder as shown below:

Why JAVA_HOME and PATH has been updated in

environment variable
Whenever the Java programs are compiled and executed in
computer, required JAVA files have to be referred. So the
computer is supposed to know about the location of the JAVA files
and the respective PATH of bin folder. So the file location is
provided through JAVA_HOME, and bin folder location is
provided through PATH set up. Once it is done, it is a good
practice to restart computer and check the version of JAVA
through command prompt. Simply running the command JAVA –
VERSION will provide the Java version in command prompt
which proves that the JAVA installation has been completed
successfully.
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Alternative way to set up JAVA_HOME and PATH is through

Command Prompt. This can be done by launching Command
Prompt as follows.
Step1: Press Windows+R (to open RUN)
Step2: Type CMD, press enter
Step3: In Command Prompt, type'SET JAVA_HOME =
c:/Program Files/Java'
Step4: Type 'SET PATH = %PATH%;%JAVA_HOME%\bin'

Once JAVA installation and configuration has been completed, it

is required to install Eclipse as it acts as a tool to write JAVA
codes!

Launch Eclipse
Download latest Eclipse version from http://eclipse.org/downloads/
Once downloaded, please install it and open Eclipse from the
location it is downloaded by clicking on eclipse.exe as shown
below:

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Figure: Eclipse exe file to launch eclipse

Verify that the Eclipse is getting launched successfully:

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Set workspace for the Eclipse project as this location will be the
primary location to save all the Java files that are going to be used
for the automation framework:

Once the workspace has been provided, the welcome page appears
as shownin the picture below, and 'Workbench' button on the top
right side of the window is to be clicked to view workbench and
write the new programs:

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Package explorer
This is the left panel where the projects are listed along with source
code of the program required for the automation framework:

Create new project with the name SAF (Selenium Automation

Framework):

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This SAF (Selenium automation framework) will act as a primary

project for all the extensions and the test scripts used across the
testing project.

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Once the folder is created, this can be viewed in Eclipse:

The new SAF project will be listed in Package Explorer as follows:

Note: JRE system library is a custom folder created for the test
project automatically. If it is not created for available in different
folder, it means either Eclipse would have been updated to the
latest version or the folder creation is incorrect.

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Create Selenium Automation Framework packages

Right click on the SAF project, click on New and click on Package
to create new packages which are the most wanted facilities of the
automation framework.

Create a package named com.stta.property

This package is required to have reusable properties, such as xpath
property, and parameters, such as website URLs, browser details at
central location. So we can insist the automation framework to run
from particular URL in specific browser, just by updating the files
in this package!

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Create package com.stta.Logging

Similar to the package above, create another package and name it
as com.stta.Logging.
This package is an important facility of any automation framework
to capture the exceptions, failures and traces of test execution
using logs.

Create package com.stta.ExcelFiles

All the related data sheets can be downloaded and kept under this
package. This can be possible by clicking the right click on the
package and pasting the required excel files to this package.

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Create package com.stta.utility

Reusable javascripts, reusable functions and other centralized file
properties can be managed from this folder.

Create test script-based package com.stta.SuiteOne,

com.stta.SuiteTwo and com.stta.TestSuiteBase

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Create com.stta.xslt folder

All the test report-ability logics can be saved under this package so
that the latest versions and maintenance of the test reports are
made simple.

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Create a folder name JAR files to have all the relevant JAR
files
When the automation framework is designed, it is a mixture of
more than one extendable jar files downloaded from various source
locations. Moreover, each jar file differs from their old versions
due to latest defect fixes. So it is important to keep all the installed
jar files of the automation framework in this particular folder.
Right click on the project, click on New and click on Folder:

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Required downloadable jar files from various locations:

Apache POI API for excel data-driven framework:
Selenium doesn't support excel-based files at the latest releases,
and it is possible to read and write in excel files using Apache POI
API files!
Following are the files helpful in extending the excel read/write
facility:
poi-3.12-beta1-20150228.jar
poi-ooxml-3.12-beta1-20150228.jar
poi-ooxml-schemas-3.12-beta1-20150228.jar
Inside ' ooxml-lib' folder:
xmlbeans-2.6.0.jar
dom4j-1.6.1.jar
Note on dom4j.jar file: If this file is not found inside ooxml-lib
folder, it means that the file has not been provided for latest
versions of Apache API. So it is available from poi-bin-3.10-
FINAL-20140208.zip version. You can download this from
http://archive.apache.org/dist/poi/release/bin/

Note:Version of the files differson the basis of the time it has been
downloaded.

Download the file from http://poi.apache.org/download.html

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After downloading these files, place them into the JarFiles folder:

This indicates, you can view the JarFiles folder in Package

Explorer after refreshing the folder:

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Download the jar file for logs extendibility:

Logging services such as execution time, test failure, success and
exceptions are required to be captured during test execution. With
the help of log4j file, it is possible to extend this facility in
Selenium Automation Framework as the Selenium Webdriver
doesn't have log-capturing technology in recent releases.

Download the file from

http://logging.apache.org/log4j/1.2/download.html
After extracting the file, please copy the file log4j from
downloads:

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Paste this file into JarFiles folder which is created for the Selenium
Automation Framework:

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Main Selenium Webdriver-based jar files for Selenium

Automation Framework
The very important test engine of the automation framework is the
testing tool. Especially Selenium is made up of JAR files which
evolve over a period of time to upgraded versions. So ensure that
the latest version of file has been downloaded from the link given
below:
Download the files from http://docs.seleniumhq.org/download/

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Once the files are downloaded, confirm that all the jar files from
this file (including the jar files from sub-folders of this file) are
pasted into JarFiles folder which is created for the automation
framework.

It should be assured that the following files are included without

missing any of them as each file plays a major role in the
automation framework:

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Once these files are pasted into JarFiles folder, this may look like
the below structure:

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XSLT Report-based jar files

The basic need of an automation framework is the test report! If
the test reports are attractive, itoffers positive impression on the
automation framework from project managers and test managers.
So XSLT Report is one of the niche reporting methods, and
extending XSLT to Selenium Automation Framework helps in
getting the test reports to share it across the stakeholders!
Download the saxon jar file from
http://mvnrepository.com/artifact/net.sf.saxon/saxon/8.7
or from https://goo.gl/9da8gC

Alternatively, both the files can be downloaded from the link given
below:
https://github.com/prashanth-sams/testng-xslt-1.1.2/tree/master/lib

Once these two files are downloaded, place them into the JarFiles
folder:

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To combine the test results in XSL file, it is required to have

TestNG compatible xsl file in the automation framework.

Download the zip file from https://github.com/prashanth-

sams/testng-xslt-1.1.2or from https://goo.gl/7xSEPG

Once downloaded, navigate to the resources folder (testng-xslt-

1.1.2-master\testng-xslt-1.1.2-master\src\main\resources).

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Copy the file testng-results.xsl and paste it to the package created

for the XSLT Reports as below:

Once the file is located in this Package folder, this can be viewed
in Package Explorer:

TestNG plug-in to use the XSLT Reports

TestNG is used mainly to run the test scripts generated in
Selenium. So it needs to be extended to XSLT reporting jar files
using the plug-in. So the reports get the latest test execution status
automatically. Download the plug-in from the below link and paste
to the JarFiles folder as it is an important plug-in to capture the test
results.
Link:
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6vnknygMB3IdzF4X2taWFRR
MVE/edit
JarFiles folder structure after pasting the plug-in:

Project Build Path configuration

The need of placing all the relevant JAR files into one central
location in automation framework is felt to access them in order to
configure the project SAF.
Right click on the folder SAF, click on Build Path and click on
Configure Build Path:

In Properties of SAF,click on the Libraries tab then on Add

External JARs button:
Note:Ensure that the Libraries tab is clicked and then Add External
JARs button is clicked from there.

Select the path of the JarFiles folder and select all the JAR files in
the folder and then click on Open button:

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Once the files are selected, click on OK button and make sure that
the files are added:

Once files are added, they can be found in the Referenced

Libraries:
Note: Count the files from JarFiles folder and this Reference
Library to confirm that all the JARs have been selected to the build
path.

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Excel readability
Java program should be designed to interact to each column/row of
test data to read and write the data as part of test execution. This
can be done by using Read_XLS.java file.
Download the file from the below link and place it in the utility
folder:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6vnknygMB3INVFqYi03T2FrO
Xc/edit
Alternative Link: https://goo.gl/MC66oD
Utility folder:

Once it is placed in Utility folder, this can be found at Package

Explorer:

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Suite Utility
It is a best practice to have the test scripts in different test cases
and linked to respective test suites. Hence, each test suite can be
executed with the help of TestNG.
In order to have this flexibility, Suite Utility should be extended
from a JAVA file:
Download file from
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6vnknygMB3ISGdURlYwU20x
Wms/edit
Alternative Link: https://goo.gl/z39j5u
Paste the utility Java file in Utility folder:

This can be found in Package Explorer:

Test execution through TestNG

Create exclusive test suites for each set of test cases and have the
central testng.xml to execute required test scripts.
To facilitate this execution strategy, download the TestNG files
and place them in test-output folder:

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These TestNG files can be viewed from Package Explorer:

Place the files for logs and TestNG-supported xsl files in xslt
folder:

Create a file with name applog.log under com.stta.Logging

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Log4J file basically captures the records that are executed

currently by TestNG and update it to applog.log in the following
format:

2015-05-17 10:27:07,739 – rootLogger – INFO – All Excel Files

Initialised successfully.
2015-05-17 10:27:07,747 – rootLogger – INFO –
Param.properties file loaded successfully.
2015-05-17 10:27:07,747 – rootLogger – INFO –
Objects.properties file loaded successfully.
2015-05-17 10:27:07,747 – rootLogger – INFO – Execution
started for SuiteOneBase.

Once the execution is completed, these logs can be captured from

the following folder alternatively:

Once the log4j and TestNG result files are saved in xslt folder, it
can be viewed in Eclipse:

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Place the executable TestNG xml files in new folder 'test-output'

under SAF:

Once the TestNG files are added to the folder, this can be viewed
as follows:

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Run Test.bat for Ant build

Once the tests are built in the automation framework, they can be
combined using Ant and run it from command prompt. So this
build (ant) can be used in Jenkins.

Run Test Bat File

To have such compatibility with test execution, it has to be
controlled by servers or the central locations like Jenkins where the
bat file, shown below, can be located and timed to have a build at
particular test execution time:

Property file
This file has to be updated with parameters which are required for
the test automation project:
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Each browser required for Selenium framework has to be

downloaded and listed here for the reference(except Firefox as it is
an in-built feature):

Each object (xpaths preferably) can be listed by object.properties

file for ease of use. This is followed just to have multiple object
files and to replace them on the basis of the test environment where
the test execution is planned:

Customized screenshot utilities can be added to the projected and

extended through TestNG in order to capture the test evidences:

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Excel files for the test data of each iteration

TestSuiteList.xls centrally controls the subset of the tests like
SuiteOne,SuiteTwo etc.

Running the project from Ant

Navigate to the project folder in command prompt and enter ant as
command to know whether the Ant is installed in the system or
not:

If Ant is not installed, simply type 'Install Ant' in Google to find

the steps:

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Once file has been downloaded from

http://ant.apache.org/antlibs/bindownload.cgi, this can be extracted
from c:/ drive in the system. Once the file has been extracted from
C:/ drive, update the ANT_HOME and PATH in environment
variables (similar to JAVA_HOME and PATH which have already
been explained earlier).
Ant Home

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Path

Once ANT_HOME and PATH has been set, this can be verified by
entering the command 'ant -version':

If the system displays Ant versions and compilation date, it means

that the installation is completed and just that the configuration
needs to be updated for the automation framework.
Navigate to test-output folder of automation framework and check
for the build using the query 'ant':

If the message – BUILD SUCCESSFUL displayed, the build is

ready for the deployment!

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Similar to the query above, ant clear query should result in BUILD
SUCCESSFUL as the build has been placed in this folder for
compilation:

AutoIT

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Related videos to understand on Selenium Automation

Framework:
https://www.youtube.com/user/seleniumcoaching
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRHyCgy6fnM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eJ2cZXyJ0E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_9lThgxBEI

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Steps to use the existing or ongoing Selenium

Automationproject in Eclipse

Step1:
Place the AutomationFramework folder in C: drive like this:

Step2:
Launch Eclipse from the folder it has been installed (Unlike other
software applications, Eclipse needed to be launched by exe every
time to open and access whereas other software available in
shortcuts or different links to access while launching them).
Open eclipse.exe (preferable Eclipse Luna):

Step3:
Choose the folder of the Automation Framework folder and click
on OK button:

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Eclipse Luna launches the screen:

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Once opened,click on Workbench button and navigate to the

workbench, then right click on the Package Explorer and choose
Import:

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Choose Existing Project:

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Click on the Browse button to choose the project and select both
the checkboxes to search and copy the existing projects. Choose
SAF project in the list and click on OK Button:

Once the SAF project is visible in Package Explorer, navigate to

Configure Build Path as shown below:

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Right click on the folder SAF, click on Build Path and click on
Configure Build Path:

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In Properties of SAF,click on the Libraries taband then click on

Add External JARs button:
Note: Make sure that the Libraries tab is clicked and then Add
External JARs button is clicked from there.

(Follow the same steps mentioned in this section to add all the
external JARs.)

Final steps:
Click on Project--> Clean

Click on Build Automatically or Build All (If it is enabled).

Now the project should be ready to execute.

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Note:
Where to start the execution: Step 'Test Execution through TestNG'
in this chapter.
SAF-->testoutput folder-->testng.xml file-->Right click-->Run As-
->TestNG Suite

Where to start editing the scripts?

Navigate to SAF-->src-->com.stta.SuiteOne-->The Java Files
where the scripts are needed to be updated.

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What should be the first step to review the code?

Start looking at param.properties for the URL and
SuiteOneCaseOne for the navigation of the webpage while testing.

References:
What if there is an error while installing and configuring the
Selenium project in Eclipse?
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2638016/why-no-projects-
found-to-import
How to setup?
http://www.assertselenium.com/eclipse-2/how-to-setup-a-
webdriver-project-in-eclipse/
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18492668/how-to-execute-a-
selenium-test-in-java

Need certifications in Selenium?

Useful links:
http://www.vskills.in/certification/Testing/Certified-Selenium-
Professional
https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-certification-in-selenium

Download Selenium projects from GitHub

In previous chapters, it has been explained on how to construct a
TDD (test-driven development)-based hybdrid Selenium
framework. If one of few links is broken while downloading or if
there is any problem in downloading one or many tools while
performing installation, it is intricate to accomplish the framework
design. In order to prevent such issues from designing the
framework, entire developed framework has been made available
from:
http://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation
How to download and make use of such developed framework for
scripting has explained in the following section:

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Once page is opened, click on signup to register on GitHub Page:

Enter relevant details on GitHub registration to create user ID and

password:

Once logged onto GitHub Page, click on WATCH and STAR to

make sure you are following the project updates; when new
projects are added to the repository, 'watch'ed user IDs get notified
on the changes:

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Click on Clone or download and choose Download ZIP to

download the entire Automation Frameworks:

Alternatively, this Git project can be cloned and performed Git

Pull Action to update your local repository with up-to-date scripts.
Once projects are downloaded, there are four tools which are
required to access the automation frameworks and below, the
section will help in downloading and configuring such tools.

Install Java, Eclipse, Cucumber, TestNG

Java Installation
Install JAVA:
Java programming is a famous and important programming
language inthe testing industry and testers equipped with Java
knowledge are paid high in the job markets! Please download java
from following link:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.
html

How to understand whether the Java is installed in the computer or

not?
Once the exe file has been downloaded from the website, double
click on the exe file and then run the installation procedure of the
JAVA program in the computer. Once it is completed, kindly
check the C:/ Drive's Program Files folder. This folder should have
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'JAVA' folder with JDK and JRE sub-folders. Once these folders
are displayed in the computer, it means that the Java installation
procedure is completed but the configuration is yet to be completed
to ensure that the JAVA files are identified by the computer.
JAVA Configuration:
Once Java has been installed successfully, JAVA_HOME and
PATH has to be set up in the system as follows:
Right click on 'This PC' and select Properties:

Alternatively,navigate to Control Panel and then select Advanced

System Settings. In Advanced Tab, click on Environment
Variables:

Click on New button and enter the location of JDK folder:

Note: Based on your Java version, the folder name will differ. It is
better to navigate to the location and then copy the path as below:

Similarly, click on the New button again to enter the path as

follows:
Note: Make sure that you have mentioned the path including the
bin folder as above. You can take a copy of this path just by
clicking on the bin folder as below:

Why JAVA_HOME and PATH have been updated in the

Environment Variable:
Whenever the java programs are compiled and executed inthe
computer, required JAVA files have to be referred during
compilation and execution. So the computer needs to know where
the JAVA files are located and what is the respective PATH of the
bin folder? So the file location is provided through JAVA_HOME
and bin folder location is provided through PATH set up. Once it is
completed, it is always a good practice to restart the computer and
check the version of JAVA through the Command Prompt. Simply
running the command JAVA-VERSION will provide the java
version in the command prompt which proves that the JAVA
installation has been completed successfully.

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An alternative way to set up JAVA_HOME and PATH is through

the Command Prompt. This can be done by launching Command
Prompt as follows.
Step1: Press Windows+R (to open RUN)
Step2: Type CMD,press Enter
Step3: In Command Prompt, type' SET JAVA_HOME =
c:/Program Files/Java'
Step4: Type 'SET PATH = %PATH%;%JAVA_HOME%\bin'

Once JAVA installation and configuration have been completed, it

is required to install Eclipse as it acts as a tool to write JAVA
codes!

Eclipse:
Download the latest eclipse version from
http://eclipse.org/downloads/
Once downloaded, please install it and open Eclipse from the
location it is downloaded by clicking on eclipse.exe.

Cucumber:
Install the Cucumber Plugin into Eclipse. This plugin enables
certain features in Eclipse – e.g. a nice green cucumber icon for
feature files. Also, when you double click on a feature file then it
will open the feature in Eclipse rather than opening notepad.
In Eclipse, go to help->install new software.

Paste the URL:http://cucumber.github.com/cucumber-

eclipse/update-site
into the „Work with‟ text box. Press enter once you have pasted the
link. Note that if you are running behind a proxy server and you
get a „HTTP Proxy Authentication Required‟ error, you may need
to contact a system administrator to set up your proxy server
settings.
Seehttp://stackoverflow.com/questions/1940984/how-to-specify-
eclipse-proxy-authentication-credentials

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Click the Cucumber Eclipse Plugin checkbox and then hit next,
next, accept the license agreement and finish.

TestNG:
Follow steps:
1. Click on Help > Install New software
2. Add the linkhttp://beust.com/eclipsein Work with text box
3. TestNG feature will be shown, expand the tree node and then
verify the version.
4. Tick the check box of TestNG
5. Click on Next button and then the Finish button.
Steps to use the existing or ongoing Selenium automation project
in Eclipse:

Step1:
Place the AutomationFramework folder in C: Drive like this:

Step2:
Launch Eclipse from the folder where it has been installed (Unlike
other software applications, eclipse needs to be launched by exe,
every time to open and access, whereas other software available in
the shortcuts or different links to access while launching them).
Open eclipse.exe (preferable Eclipse Luna):

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Step3:
Choose the folder from the automation framework folder and click
on the OK button:

Eclipse Luna launches the screen:

Once opened,click on Workbench button and then navigate to the

workbench, thenright click on the package explorer and then
choose Import:

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Choose the Existing Project:

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Click on the Browse button to choose the project and then select
both the checkboxes to search and copy the existing projects.
Choose SAF project in the list and then click on the OK button:

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Once the SAF project is visible in Package Explorer, navigate to

Configure Build Path as shown below:

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Right click on the folder SAF, then click on Build Path and then
click on the Configure Build Path as follows:

In Properties of SAF,click on the Libraries tab, then click on Add

External JARs button as follows:
Note: Make sure that the Libraries tab is clicked and then Add
External JARs button is clicked from there.

(Follow the same steps which are mentioned in this section to add
all the external JARs)

Please select JAR files from the JarFiles folder of the project and
then click Open to list the jar files within 'Libraries'. If there are
existing JAR files with incorrect path or highlighted with errors,
remove them and add fresh files from JarFiles folder.

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Similarly, if JRE System Library exists, that is good to run the test
in java-based framework; if JRE System Library doesn‟t appear in
the Libraries above, click on 'Add Libraries' in the Libraries
section, and then choose the default JRE (respective version
display as third check box) and then click Next and Finish buttons
to display JRE System Library.

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Select the JRE System Library, and then click onthe Next button:

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Click on the Workspace default JRE or any other relevant option

of Java installation details (as per your target machine) and then
click on Finish:

Once the JRE System Library is added without any errors, it will
be listed in the Libraries section of the Build Path; right click on
Java project-->Build Patch-->Configure Build Path-->Libraries to
validate:

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Final Steps:
Click on Project--> Clean

Click on Build Automatically or Build All (If it is enabled)

Now the project should be ready for execution.

Note:
Where to start the execution?: Step 'Test Execution through
TestNG' in this chapter
SAF-->testoutput folder-->testng.xml file-->right click-->Run As--
>TestNG Suite

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Where to start the editing of the scripts?

Navigate to SAF-->src-->com.stta.SuiteOne-->The Java Files
where the scripts need to be updated.

What should be the first step to review the code?

Start looking at param.properties for the URL and
SuiteOneCaseOne for the navigation of the webpage while testing.

References:
What if there is an error while installing and configuring the
Selenium project in Eclipse?
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2638016/why-no-projects-
found-to-import
How to setup?
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http://www.assertselenium.com/eclipse-2/how-to-setup-a-
webdriver-project-in-eclipse/
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18492668/how-to-execute-a-
selenium-test-in-java

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Selenium Webdriver Test Script Design Basics in JAVA

Basic Java programming knowledge is required in terms of coding
the test scripts and maintaining the automation framework. In the
first step, the procedure to initiate a web-based application inside a
class of java file is described as follows:

Every test script has to be started with a package name (row 1)

followed by a set of imports that is required for the particular class
in the program. For example, Selenium is required to perform
automation test, so org.openqa.selenium.By is required to be
mapped in the import. This is to navigate to org\openqa\Selenium\
to refer relevant files required for the automation. Similar to
Selenium, TestNG (Automation Framework Tool)-related imports
has to be mentioned as part of the imports.
As per the generic nature of the Java program, the class has to be
defined by the class name (note that the file name and the class
name have to be the same).
Refer to the section (Row 17) where the test scripts have to be
written in order to invoke the application.

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Launch Webdriver
Step1: Sample scripts on web driver initiation
//To Initialize Firefox web browser
WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();
//To set time out 10 seconds.
driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(10,
TimeUnit.SECONDS);
//To maximize the browser.
driver.manage().window().maximize();
//To navigate to URL.
driver.get("http://www.abctest.com");
//To close the browser.
driver.close();

The above script will launch the respective web page and the close
immediately. This script is sufficient if the browser requirement to
test is only Mozilla Firefox. But most of the test projects are in
need of a cross browser testing. It means that the script written in
Selenium has to be run in either Internet Explorer or Firefox or any
other given browser as per the requirement of the application.
Selenium supports Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer widely
and it is easy to run the scripts using cross browsers in Selenium
framework.
As an initial implementation, browser drivers have to be placed in
BrowserDrivers folder in order to use the respective driver based
on the browser selection:

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Firefox-based driver is not required to be provided as an external

driver (similar to chrome and IE) as Firefox is supported by
Selenium Webdriver by default.

Prerequisite1 for Step2:

Create a Param.properties file and then update the web URL in the
properties file. This will facilitate the script to launch the URL
whenever required and it is a one-time activity to change the URL
when there is a URL change and amendment.

Whenever the URL undergoes changes for project needs, changes

in every part of the scripts generated is not required. Just the
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param.properties has to be updated with the right URL and the

script is ready!
Similarly, the testBrowser represents the browser centrally from
param.properties. If the entire script has to be run via Mozilla, this
testBrowser has to be updated before the test Run.
Next step is to create reusable functions (classes) to handle the
browsers as given below:

Prerequisite1 for Step2 (Refer SuiteBase.Java file):

When the browser is already opened in the system, the script has to
pick it up automatically for the test execution. This has to be
facilitated with the help of the scripts as given below:

Similarly, if no other driver exists in the system, automation

framework should launch the browser based on the selection at
param.properties as given below:

Step2(Reference: SuiteOneCaseOne.java file):

Same driver initiation can be simplified by using reusable
components such as loadbrowser.
Now the scripts required for the execution of the web driver launch
at any automation script (like SuiteOneCaseOne.java) contains just
two lines of code:
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loadWebBrowser();
driver.get(Param.getProperty("siteURL"));

Close the Webdriver

When no Webdriver exists before launching of the automation
framework, then the script should launch a new browser,test the
application and finally close the browser. In case there is an
existing browser, it simply has to be reused and it should not get
closed at the end.

Read the data from the excel sheets for the data driven framework
by locating the path of excel files as given below.

The main instruction for any Selenium-based automation test is

that the excel sheets should be closed completely before running
the tests. The excel sheets which are opened at run time lead to
errors in writing the data back to the excel sheets.

For further reading and practice, download the projects at

https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation

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Jason Phantom Ghost Driver Test Automation

Programming language used in this section: Java Programming
More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/W
DDF

PhantomJS is not a test framework but it facilitates the best test

runner to run our tests! Headless testing of web applications
(which means testing without using any web browser!) is possible
with the help of Jason Phantom Ghost Driver.

Headless browser testing

This is the latest technology and the fastest among the test
automations, where as this is not performed by any GUI-based web
browsers. Since the tests are running in the background, they run in
rapid speed with Selenium. This headless browser is a pure java
solution which is designed based on Rhino Automation Engine and
is not dependent on any browser or operating system! Tests run in
the background and provide results to the tester which is faster
than IE/Firefox/Chrome-based tests.

Install PhantomJS
Download Jason Phantom through
http://phantomjs.org/download.html

Once installed, clicking on the exe file inside the bin folder
displays this command prompt:

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Download the JAR (phantomjsdriver-1.2.1.jar) to use in Eclipse-

based projects at
https://drive.google.com/a/raghava.co.uk/file/d/0B6vnknygMB3Icz
ZQVGQzNTloZ2c/view
Alternatively, this JAR file can be downloaded from the Installable
folder at https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation
Once the JAR file is downloaded, add it to the build path of the
project.
How to add in the build path?
Right click on the project and Build Path>Configure Build Path>

Select Libraries>Add External Jars>Select phantomjsdriver-

1.2.1.jar. Once added, it looks like the screenshot as shown below:

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Once the phantomJs has been configured, go to your project java

files and then create a java file phantomjs.java and then paste the
below script (and make sure that the package name is edited in the
first line based on the package name in your project).
package com.stta.SuiteOne;

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

import org.apache.commons.io.FileUtils;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.JavascriptExecutor;
import org.openqa.selenium.OutputType;
import org.openqa.selenium.TakesScreenshot;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.phantomjs.PhantomJSDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.phantomjs.PhantomJSDriverService;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeTest;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

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publicclass phantomjs {
WebDriver driver;

@BeforeTest
publicvoid setup() throws Exception {
//Set phantomjs.exe executable file path using DesiredCapabilities.
DesiredCapabilities capability = new DesiredCapabilities();
//Make sure that the path of exe file has been provided here with /
for //every folder like the below:
capability.setCapability(PhantomJSDriverService.PHANTOMJS_
EXECUTABLE_PATH_PROPERTY,
"C:/Users/naray_000/Desktop/Training
Materials/Installable/phantomjs-2.0.0-windows/phantomjs-2.0.0-
windows/bin/phantomjs.exe");
driver = new
PhantomJSDriver(capability);driver.manage().timeouts().implicitly
Wait(15, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
}

@Test
publicvoid phantomTest() throws IOException{
driver.get("http://www.reed.co.uk/");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInLink')")).click();
//Update your registered user name
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInEmail')")).sendKeys("t
[email protected]");
//Update your registered password
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInPassword')")).sendKey
s("abcd1234");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInPanel')/div[4]/div/span/
input")).click();
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('keywords')")).sendKeys("Softwa
re Tester");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('location')")).sendKeys("cv313qd
");

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driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('homepageSearchButton')")).click
();
JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver;
js.executeScript("javascript:window.scrollBy(250,350)");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('jobSection27977887')/div/header
/div/h3/a")).click();

driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('applyBtn')")).click();
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('submitBtn')")).click();
//To capture page screenshot and save In D: drive.
File scrFile =
((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
FileUtils.copyFile(scrFile, new File("C:\\Test.jpeg"),true);
}
}
Once the JAVA file is added to the project, right click on the java
file and Run As, TestNG suite. Since it is a headless browser test,
it runs in the background and provides the results once completed!

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Maven Test Automation

Programming language used in this section: Java Programming

More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/01
4Maven%20Job%20Portal%20Project%20by%20Jeyabala/Maven
Project

Apache Maven helps to build the projects and manage the java-
based projects as Process Object Model (POM) of Maven is widely
used across the IT industry for test automation. Primarily, it is an
excellent build automation tool!

How to install Maven from Eclipse IDE?

It can be installed in the Eclipse IDE via the Help tab>Install New
Software>
Enter URL as http://download.eclipse.org/technology/m2e/releases

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Once it has been installed at the Eclipse, it can be verified by the

Window tab>Preferences>

Display Maven in the list as follows:

Press OK and then go ahead to create a new maven project for

your automation project!

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Create Maven project

New project can be created by File>New>Other

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Select a Maven Folder>Maven Project as follows:

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Click on Next in the box as shown below:

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Select QuickStart Artifact ID as shown below and then click on

Next:

Enter the required project details as shown below:

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Select POM.xml and then navigate to the script to update the

Selenium and the TestNG versions which are requiredfor the
project:

Sample POM file

<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0
http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
<modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

<groupId>SAF</groupId>
<artifactId>MavenProject</artifactId>
<version>0.0.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
<packaging>jar</packaging>

<name>MavenProject</name>
<url>http://maven.apache.org</url>

<properties>
<project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-
8</project.build.sourceEncoding>

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</properties>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
<artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
<version>2.45.0</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
<groupId>org.testng</groupId>
<artifactId>testng</artifactId>
<version>6.8.5</version>
<scope>test</scope>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
</project>

Add external jars of Selenium and testNG

Main Selenium Webdriver-based Jar files for Selenium
Automation Framework:
The very important test engine of the automation framework is the
testing tool. Especially Selenium, which is made up of JAR files,
that evolves over a period of time to upgraded versions. So make
sure that the latest version of the file has been downloaded from
the link given below.
Download the files from http://docs.seleniumhq.org/download/

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Once the files are downloaded, make sure that all the jar files from
this file (including the jar files from the sub-folders of this file) are
pasted into the JarFiles folder which is created for the automation
framework.

TestNG Plugin to use the XSLT Reports:

TestNG is mainly used to run the test scripts which are generated
in Selenium. So, this needs to be extended to XSLT reporting jar
files using the plugin. So, the reports get the latest test execution
status automatically. Download the plugin from the link given
below and then paste it to the JarFiles folder as it is an important
plugin to capture the test results.
Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6vnknygMB3IdzF4X2taWFRR
MVE/edit

JarFiles Folder structure after pasting the plugin:

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Project build path configuration for Maven

The need of placing all the relevant JAR files into one central
location in the automation framework is to access them to
configure the project MavenProject.
Right click on the folder MavenProject, click on Build Path and
then click on Configure Build Path as follows:

In the Properties of Maven Project,click on the Libraries tab, then

click on the Add External JARs button as follows:
Note: Make sure that the Libraries tab is clicked and then the Add
External JARs button is clicked from there.

Select the path of the JarFiles (relevant to Selenium and TestNG)

folder and then select all the JAR files in the folder and then click
on the Open button:

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Make sure that the added external jar‟s version and the pom.xml‟s
version of Selenium and TestNG resemble the same as per the
script shown below:

Delete the existing app.java project within src/test/java

Add the script as shown below as a WebDriverTest.java:

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Script for Maven-based Selenium Webdriver project

/*This is a sample projectwhich works on a job portaland is meant
for the job applicants; to login and to apply for a job, it is required
thatthe applicant registers for a valid account and then update the
email id and password as shown in the script below: */
package SAF.MavenProject;

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.JavascriptExecutor;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

publicclass WebDriverTest {
WebDriver driver;
@Test
publicvoid verifySearch() {
driver = new FirefoxDriver();
driver.get("http://www.reed.co.uk/");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInLink')")).click();

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driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInEmail')")).sendKeys("t
[email protected]");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInPassword')")).sendKey
s("abcd1234");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('topSignInPanel')/div[4]/div/span/
input")).click();
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('keywords')")).sendKeys("Softwa
re Tester");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('location')")).sendKeys("cv313qd
");
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('homepageSearchButton')")).click
();
JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver;
js.executeScript("javascript:window.scrollBy(250,350)");

driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('jobSection27977887')/div/header
/div/h3/a")).click();
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('applyBtn')")).click();
driver.findElement(By.xpath("id('submitBtn')")).click();
driver.quit();
}
}

Run Maven Test

Once the script is added and the amendments are made, Run the
test by right clicking on the pom.xml and then select Maven Test:

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How to run the Maven Project from the Command Prompt?

Download Maven from the link given below:
http://maven.apache.org/download.cgi
Set Environment Variables:

Navigate to Control Panel and then select Advanced System

Settings. In the Advanced Tab, click on Environment Variables:

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Click on New button and then enter the location of the JDK folder:

Update the M2_HOME in the Environment Variables:

Set the path as the bin file location of the Maven folder:

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How to check the Maven Project has been installed?

Type mvn -version from the command prompt as shown below:

Create a folder within the C: drive or any other valid drive:

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Navigate to the folder and then type mvn archetype:generate

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Press Enter for all the numbers asked:

Enter com.demopack as the group id:

Artifact ID: Enter as MavenProject

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Build Success:

Once the build is a success, verify that the src folder and the
pom.xml gets created within the MavenProject and then go ahead
and edit the script as described earlier in theEclipse steps.

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How to add the project into the scheduled tasks of Jenkins and
why?
When the automation tests are long running by themselves and
providing the test results, it is always an advantage with respect to
time as it is utilized in the best possible ways. Many projects target
on the evening test executions as the test runs overnight and
provides the test results by the morning.

How to set up the Eclipse executable project in Jenkins?

Steps:
1. Install Jenkins and open the URL localhost:8080

2. Once Jenkins is opened, click on the Add New Item (new

project)

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3. Click Configure>Build>Add a build step>Execute Windows

batch command

You can run the Eclipse project from the command line as shown
below:

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C: \eclipse\eclipsec -nosplash -application

org.eclipse.jdt.apt.core.aptBuild -data %WORKSPACE%
So, add the respective command line to run the Eclipse project
command line instructions from Jenkin itself.

4. Post Build Actions section> Add your email id

Schedule the Projects in Jenkins
Automation projects can be scheduled in Jenkins with specific
timings! This can be done by adding the Crone Expression to the
build.

Crone Expression:
String comprised of five fields with whitespace
For Eg: H 16 04 10 * which means 16:4PM; 04: 04th
Day;10:October

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Selenium IDE
Programming language used in this section: Selenese
More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/00
3SeleniumIDE-TestProject

Firefox extension which allows record/play testing paradigm:

Selenium IDE acts as a recording tool to capture the objects‟
properties of the application under test and then replay it back
whenever required. The most important feature of the automation
is to build a framework around the testing automation tool. This
can be possible with theSelenium Webdriver as IDE works only
for Firefox. So, if the requirement arises to perform test across
browsers then the test analyst has to choose the right test
automation tool for the purpose.

Automates commands, but asserts must be entered by hand:

Selenium IDE has three types of commands called 'Actions',
'Assessors' and 'Assertions'. But these three types can only be
entered manually into IDE and the record option doesn‟t
automatically add them into the script. So, the test analyst should
be aware of the various types of commands that are used under
these three types.

Creates the simplest possible Locator:

When recording the object properties, Selenium IDE picks the
simplest object property as reference. This leads to failure of the
script for the later cycles as the properties may change time to
time. It is always advisable to change the property to any of the
unique properties such as ID or xpath in such a way that the
property will not change across the test cycles.

Based on Selenese:
Selenium IDE commands are written in JAVASCRIPT and
HTML. So, these scripts are commonly known as Selenese.

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How to install Selenium IDE?

Install Firefox and then click on the Tools button and the Add-ons
button:

In the search box, search for Selenium IDE and then download.
Alternatively, navigate to http://www.seleniumhq.org/download/
and then download it from the link given below:

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Basic knowledge of Selenium IDE-Know How

Step1: Test Case Pane
Step2: Toolbar
Step3: Menu Bar
Step4: Log/Reference/UI-Element/Rollup Pane

Test Case Pane:

The Selenese script is displayed in the test case pane.
It contains two tabs:
One for displaying the command in Selenese (source) and their
parameters in a readable “table” format,so it is easy to insert the
assessors and the assertions as part of the script.
Toolbar: The toolbar of Selenium IDE contains buttons for
controlling the test execution of your test cases, including the step
feature.
Menu Bar:
File Menu: The File menu allows you to create, open and save test
case and test suite files.
Edit Menu: The Edit menu allows you to copy, paste, delete, undo
and select all operations for editing the commands in your test
case.
Options Menu: The Options menu enables the changing of the
settings. You can set the timeout value for certain commands, add
user-defined user extensions to the base set of Selenium commands

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and specify the format (language) used when saving your test
cases.
Help Menu:
Recording and Run settings
When Selenium-IDE is first opened, the record button is ON by
default.
During recording, Selenium-IDE will automatically insert
commands into your test case based on your actions.
Remember Base URL MODE – Using Base URL to Run Test
Cases in Different Domains
Record Absolute recording mode – Run Test Cases in Particular
Domain
Running Test Cases
Run a Test Case – Click the Run button to run the currently
displayed test case.
Run a Test Suite – Click the Run All button to run all the test cases
in the currently loaded test suite.
Stop and Start – The Pause button can be used to stop the test case
while it is in the running mode. The icon of this button then
changes to indicate the Resume button. To continue, click Resume.

Stop in the Middle – You can set a breakpoint in the test case to
make it to stop on a particular command. This is useful for
debugging your test case. To set a breakpoint, select a command,
right-click and from the context menu select Toggle Breakpoint.

Start from the Middle – You can tell the IDE to begin running
from a specific command in the middle of the test case. This also is
used for debugging. To set a startpoint, select a command, right-
click and then from the context menu select Set/Clear Start Point.
Run Any Single Command – Double-click any single command to
run it by itself. This is useful when writing a single command. It
lets you immediately test a command you are constructing, when
you are not sure if it is correct. You can double-click it to see if it
runs correctly. This is also available from the context menu.

Sample script to use Wait, Assert and Assertion commands:

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TC#1
Open http://www.abctest.com
Click id=abc-search
Type id=abc-search Tool efficient
Click //form[@id='abc-search-
form']/div/span/i
pause 3000
assertTitle abctest.com |
imagination at work
assertTextPresent ABCTEST is translating
the Industrial element
verifyText css=h2 Learn about
ABCTEST's
industry
solutions that
are powering
the Industry

Sample script to use screenshot command:

Screenshottestcase
open /
click id=search
type id=search SAP
clickAndWait css=button.btn.btn-
search
captureEntirePageScreenshot E:\Selenium
IDE\googlesearch.jpeg

Sample Selenium IDE Automation Scripts on Selenium Web

Page
Download the projects at
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation and refer the
samples here

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Test Case using verifyTextPresent, assertTextNotPresent:

01_Selenium_tabs
Open /projects/
clickAndWait link=Selenium
Projects
verifyText link=Selenium Selenium
WebDriver WebDriver
assertText link=Selenium IDE Selenium IDE
clickAndWait link=Download
verifyTextPresent Selenium
Standalone
Server
assertTitle Downloads
clickAndWait link=Documentation
verifyText css=div.ads > h3 Donate to
Selenium
assertTextNotPresent mnfbmdfgmjfg hndshsdfhdsfmjds
clickAndWait link=Support
verifyTitle Getting Help Getting Help
assertText css=h2 User Group
clickAndWait link=Support
clickAndWait link=Support
clickAndWait link=About
verifyTitle About Selenium About Selenium
assertTitle About Selenium About Selenium

Test Case using assertText:

selenium_projects1
Open /projects/
clickAndWait link=Selenium
Projects
verifyTextPresent Selenium Projects
assertText css=strong Selenium is a suite

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of tools
clickAndWait link=Selenium
WebDriver
verifyTitle Selenium WebDriver Selenium
WebDriver
assertTitle Selenium WebDriver Selenium
WebDriver

Test Case assertAlertNotPresent, verifyTextNotPresent,

assertTitle
selenium_projects2
Open /projects/webdriver/
verifyTextPresent Selenium is a
suite of tools to
automate web
browsers across
many platforms.
assertTextPresent Donate to
Selenium
clickAndWait link=Selenium
Projects
verifyTextNotPresent dmbmjbmSn Djfgjhfkhfnks
assertAlertNotPresent kdfkjdsb Jhdfjhdb
clickAndWait link=Selenium Grid
verifyText css=#mainContent With the release
>p of Selenium 2.0,
the Selenium
Server now has
built-in Grid
functionality. To
see the how to
configure this,
please see the
wiki.
assertTitle Selenium Grid Selenium Grid

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Test Case using verifyTable, assertTable

selenium_projects3
Open /projects/grid/
clickAndWait link=Selenium
Projects
clickAndWait link=Selenium
IDE
verifyTable css=table.0.0 Selenium IDE is an
integrated development
environment for Selenium
scripts. It is implemented as a
Firefox extension, and allows
you to record, edit and debug
tests.
assertTable css=table.0.0 Selenium IDE is an
integrated development
environment for Selenium
scripts.

Test Case using verifyElementPresent

selenium_projects4
Open /projects/
clickAndWait link=Selenium Projects
clickAndWait link=Selenium Remote
Control
verifyElementPresent //img[@alt='rc arch Internet
diagram'] Explorer
verifyElementPresent //img[@alt='rc arch Firefox
diagram']
verifyElementPresent //img[@alt='rc arch safari
diagram']

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Test Case using verifyElementPresent, verifyText,

assertElementPresent, assertText, verifyElementPresent,
verifyTable:
selenium_projects5
open /projects/
clickAndWait link=Selenium Projects
clickAndWait link=Download
verifyElement //div[@id='mainContent']/p
Present
verifyText link=Latest Releases Latest
Releas
es
assertElement //div[@id='mainContent']/div[14]/div[2]/ta
Present ble/tbody/tr/td/a[3]
assertText //div[@id='mainContent']/table/tbody/tr[4]/ Downl
td[4]/a oad
verifyElement //div[@id='side']/div/div/a/img
Present
verifyTable //div[@id='mainContent']/table[2].4.1

Test Case using assertText, verifyText, assertValue, verifyValue:

selenium_projects6
open /projects/
clickAndWait link=Selenium Projects
clickAndWait link=Download
clickAndWait link=Documentation
verifyText css=a.reference.internal Note to the
Reader - Docs
Being Revised for
Selenium 2.0!
verifyElement link=Introduction
Present
verifyText link=Test Automation for Web Test Automation
Applications for Web
Applications
verifyText link=exact:To Automate or exact:To
Not to Automate? Automate or Not
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to Automate?
assertText link=Introducing Selenium Introducing
Selenium
verifyElement link=Brief History of The
Present Selenium Project
assertElement link=Selenium‟s Tool Suite
Present
verifyText link=Choosing Your Selenium Choosing Your
Tool Selenium Tool
assertText link=Supported Browsers and Supported
Platforms Browsers and
Platforms
verifyText link=Flexibility and Flexibility and
Extensibility Extensibility
assertElement link=exact:What‟s in this
Present Book?
verifyText link=The Documentation The
Team–Authors Past and Documentation
Present Team–Authors
Past and Present
assertElement link=Selenium-IDE
Present
verifyText xpath=(//a[contains(text(),'Intr Introduction
oduction')])[2]
verifyTitle Selenium Documentation –
Selenium Documentation
assertElement link=Installing the IDE
Present
verifyElement link=Installing the IDE
Present
assertElement link=Opening the IDE
Present
verifyText link=IDE Features IDE Features
verifyElement link=Building Test Cases
Present
assertText link=Using Base URL to Run Using Base URL
Test Cases in Different to Run Test Cases
Domains in Different
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Domains
verifyText link=Using Base URL to Run Using Base URL
Test Cases in Different to Run Test Cases
Domains in Different
Domains
assertElement link=Selenium Commands –
Present “Selenese”
assertElement link=Script Syntax
Present
verifyText link=Test Suites Test Suites
assertText link=Commonly Used Commonly Used
Selenium Commands Selenium
Commands
verifyText link=Verifying Page Elements Verifying Page
Elements
assertText link=exact:Assertion or exact:Assertion or
Verification? Verification?
verifyElement link=Locating Elements
Present
verifyText link=Matching Text Patterns Matching Text
Patterns
assertElement link=The “AndWait”
Present Commands
verifyElement link=The waitFor Commands
Present in AJAX applications
verifyText link=Sequence of Evaluation Sequence of
and Flow Control Evaluation and
Flow Control
assertElement link=Store Commands and
Present Selenium Variables
verifyText link=Store Commands and Store Commands
Selenium Variables and Selenium
Variables
assertText link=JavaScript and Selenese JavaScript and
Parameters Selenese
Parameters
verifyText link=echo - The Selenese Print echo - The
Command Selenese Print

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Command
assertText link=Alerts, Popups and Alerts, Popups,
Multiple Windows and Multiple
Windows
verifyText link=Debugging Debugging
assertText link=Writing a Test Suite Writing a Test
Suite
verifyText link=User Extensions User Extensions
assertText link=Format Format
verifyText link=Executing Selenium-IDE Executing
Tests on Different Browsers Selenium-IDE
Tests on Different
Browsers
assertText link=Troubleshooting Troubleshooting
verifyTitle Selenium Documentation –
Selenium Documentation
verifyElement link=Introducing WebDriver
Present
assertText link=exact:How Does exact:How Does
WebDriver „Drive‟ the WebDriver
Browser Compared to „Drive‟ the
Selenium-RC? Browser
Compared to
Selenium-RC?
verifyText link=WebDriver and the WebDriver and
Selenium-Server the Selenium-
Server
assertElement link=Setting Up a Selenium-
Present WebDriver Project
verifyText link=Migrating from Selenium Migrating from
1.0 Selenium 1.0
assertElement link=Introducing the
Present Selenium-WebDriver API by
Example
verifyElement link=Selenium-WebDriver API
Present Commands and Operations
assertElement link=Driver Specifics and
Present Trade-offs

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verifyText link=Selenium-WebDriver‟s Selenium-

Drivers WebDriver‟s
Drivers
assertText link=Alternative Back-Ends: Alternative Back-
Mixing WebDriver and RC Ends: Mixing
Technologies WebDriver and
RC Technologies
verifyText link=Running Standalone Running
Selenium Server for use with Standalone
RemoteDrivers Selenium Server
for use with
RemoteDrivers
assertText link=Additional Resources Additional
Resources
verifyText link=Next Steps Next Steps
verifyTitle Selenium Documentation –
Selenium Documentation
verifyText link=Explicit and Implicit Explicit and
Waits Implicit Waits
assertElement link=RemoteWebDriver
Present
verifyText link=AdvancedUserInteraction AdvancedUserInt
s eractions
assertText link=Browser Startup Browser Startup
Manipulation Manipulation
verifyText link=HTML5 HTML5
assertText link=Parallelizing Your Test Parallelizing Your
Runs Test Runs
verifyTitle Selenium Documentation –
Selenium Documentation
verifyElement xpath=(//a[contains(text(),'Intr
Present oduction')])[3]
assertText link=How Selenium RC Works How Selenium
RC Works
verifyText link=Installation Installation
assertText link=From Selenese to a From Selenese to
Program a Program
verifyText link=Programming Your Test Programming
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Your Test
assertText link=Learning the API Learning the API
verifyText link=Reporting Results Reporting Results
assertText link=Adding Some Spice to Adding Some
Your Tests Spice to Your
Tests
assertText link=Server Options Server Options
verifyText link=Specifying the Path to a Specifying the
Specific Browser Path to a Specific
Browser
assertText link=Selenium RC Selenium RC
Architecture Architecture
verifyText link=Handling HTTPS and Handling HTTPS
Security Popups and Security
Popups
assertText link=Supporting Additional Supporting
Browsers and Browser Additional
Configurations Browsers and
Browser
Configurations
assertText link=Troubleshooting Troubleshooting
Common Problems Common
Problems
assertText link=Test Design Test Design
Considerations Considerations
verifyText link=Introducing Test Design Introducing Test
Design
assertText link=Types of Tests Types of Tests
assertText link=Validating Results Validating Results
verifyText link=Location Strategies Location
Strategies
assertText link=Wrapping Selenium Calls Wrapping
Selenium Calls
assertText link=UI Mapping UI Mapping
verifyText link=Page Object Design Page Object
Pattern Design Pattern
verifyText link=Data Driven Testing Data Driven
Testing
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assertElement link=Database Validation

Present
verifyTitle Selenium Documentation –
Selenium Documentation
verifyText link=Quick Start Quick Start
assertText link=exact:What is Selenium- exact:What is
Grid? Selenium-Grid?
assertElement link=When to Use It
Present
verifyText link=Selenium-Grid 2.0 Selenium-Grid 2.0
assertText link=Selenium-Grid 1.0 Selenium-Grid 1.0
verifyText link=How Selenium-Grid How Selenium-
Works–With a Hub and Nodes Grid Works–With
a Hub and Nodes
verifyTitle Selenium Documentation –
Selenium Documentation
verifyText link=Configuring Selenium- Configuring
Grid Selenium-Grid
assertText link=Hub Configuration Hub
Configuration
verifyText link=Node Configuration Node
Configuration
verifyText link=Timing Parameters Timing
Parameters
verifyText link=Customizing the Grid Customizing the
Grid
assertText link=Getting Command-Line Getting
Help Command-Line
Help
assertText link=Common Errors Common Errors
verifyTitle Selenium Documentation –
Selenium Documentation
verifyText link=Actions Actions
verifyText link=Accessors/Assertions Accessors/Asserti
ons
assertText link=Locator Strategies Locator Strategies
verifyElement link=Using User-Extensions

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Present With Selenium-IDE

assertElement link=Using User-Extensions
Present With Selenium RC
verifyElement link=.NET client driver
Present configuration
assertText link=Importing Sel2.0 Project Importing Sel2.0
into Eclipse using Maven Project into
Eclipse using
Maven
verifyText link=Importing Sel2.0 Project Importing Sel2.0
into IntelliJ Using Maven Project into
IntelliJ Using
Maven
assertText link=Migrating From Selenium Migrating From
RC to Selenium WebDriver Selenium RC to
Selenium
WebDriver
verifyText link=How to Migrate to How to Migrate to
Selenium WebDriver Selenium
WebDriver
assertText link=Why Migrate to Why Migrate to
WebDriver WebDriver
verifyText link=Before Starting Before Starting
assertText link=Getting Started Getting Started
verifyElement xpath=(//a[contains(text(),'Nex
Present t Steps')])[2]
assertText link=Common Problems Common
Problems
verifyText css=#mainContent > Selenium
div.related > ul > li > a Documentation
assertText css=#mainContent > Next
div.related > ul > li.right >
a[title="Note to the Reader -
Docs Being Revised for
Selenium 2.0!"]
verifyElement id=footerLogo
Present
selectWindow Null

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verifyElement link=Selenium Documentation

Present
assertText link=next Next
verifyText link=Note to the Reader - Docs Note to the
Being Revised for Selenium Reader - Docs
2.0! Being Revised for
Selenium 2.0!
assertText css=em Docs Being
Revised for
Selenium 2.0
verifyElement name=submit
Present
verifyText name=submit
assertElement css=a > img
Present
assertValue css=li > input[type="image"] Java
verifyValue //input[@value='csharp'] Csharp
assertText //input[@value='python']
verifyText //input[@value='ruby']
assertValue //input[@value='php'] Php
verifyValue //input[@value='perl'] Perl
assertValue //input[@value='javascript'] Javascript

Note:
Selenium IDE is not working on Firefox version 55 onwards (as
of 9th Aug'2017)
Reference:
https://seleniumhq.wordpress.com/2017/08/09/firefox-55-and-
selenium-ide/

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Selenium Grid for Compatibility Tests

Programming language used in this section: Java Programming
Version: Selenium Grid version 2.o

Concurrent tests are possible in Selenium Grid using existing

Selenium Webdriver scripts as a concurrent test execution tool!It
acts as a hub with multiple notes to run tests in the same or in a
different test environment in multiple browsers across different
operating systems!
Project on GitHub:
https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium/wiki/Grid2

Why such tools are required for testing?

When a retail company develops the shopping website to attract
online buyers, it has to get tested in the target systems which
imitate the customers using their systems; if customers are using
Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, Firefox to access the website in
operating systems such as Windows 7, Windows 2008 and
Macbook. This cannot be done in the Selenium Webdriver‟s single
test! It has to be reconfigured to run every time using a particular
browser and a particular operating system whereas all these tests
can run in seperate nodes of Selenium Grid in a single go! That is
the primary advantage of using Selenium Grid!

Benefits of Selenium Grid

Fast Test Execution Tim: Concurrent tests run in the given
configuration parameters
Easy to perform Compatibility Testing: Cross Browser, Cross
Operating System

Download the Selenium Server from SeleniumHQ download page:

http://www.seleniumhq.org/download/

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Once downloaded, store it in the local machine:

Navigate to the folder where it has been downloaded in the

command prompt:

Once navigated to the folder level in the command prompt, start

the server:
java -jar selenium-server-standalone-3.4.0.jar -port 4444 -role hub

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Note: The version of Selenium server changes from time to time

and when downloaded, note the version that has been downloaded
and use the right file name in the command given above.

Command Explanation:
java –jar:Launching a jar file (which is the compressed java
package
selenium-server-standalone-3.4.0.jar :Name of the selenium server
downloaded
-port 4444 :Port where Selenium listening to the nodes
-role hub:Act as a hub to execute the tests concurrent

If the following message is displayed without any error, it can be

understood that the Selenium Grid Hub is up and is running fine:

Press Ctrl+C to end the session of the server and ensure that the
server is closing down.

Launch the website given below to see the status of the Selenium
Grid:
http://localhost:4444/grid/console

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Configuration for the Selenium Grid using multiple browsers:

Download chrome driver from the following website:
https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/chromedriver/downloads
Download IE Driver from the following website:
http://docs.seleniumhq.org/download/

Once downloaded, place both the IE and the Chrome Driver in a

separate folder as shown below:

Use the command given below to launch the Selenium grid (if the
Selenium grid is already running as hub with the previous
command please keep it running and do not close. Use a separate
command prompt opened to type the command given below in the
same folder hierarchy of the Selenium server):

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java -jar selenium-server-standalone-3.4.0.jar -role node -

Dwebdriver.ie.driver="E:/BrowserDrivers/IEDriverServer.exe" -
Dwebdriver.chrome.driver="E:/BrowserDrivers/chromedriver.exe"
-hub http://localhost:4444/grid/register -port 5566

Error Handling:
If you receive a message such as this error, then try an alternative
command format:

Command:
java -
Dwebdriver.ie.driver="E:/BrowserDrivers/IEDriverServer.exe" -
Dwebdriver.chrome.driver="E:/BrowserDrivers/chromedriver.exe"
-jar selenium-server-standalone-3.0.4.jar -role node -hub
http://localhost:4444/grid/register -port 5566

If this code is also not working, then there are issues related to
Win7 of X64 in the Selenium Grid, hence remove the
configuration items of the browser and then run as shown below:
java -jar selenium-server-standalone-3.0.4.jar -role node -hub
http://localhost:4444/grid/register -port 5566
Further reference to these type of issues tracked under:
https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium/issues/3170

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When the command gets accepted, that shows a node confirmation

of the registration as shown below:

Refresh the web page to see the browsers in the Selenium Grid:

How to write the first code in the Selenium Webdriver and run in
the Selenium Grid?
Prerequisites:
Refer Selenium Framework (Hybrid) using Java (and TestNG) in
this book to build the framework and use this code sample in the
java-based Selenium test and run in the Selenium Grid (by running
the test in TestNG).
Code Sample:
//Import section of the code written in Java programming
import org.testng.annotations.AfterTest;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeTest;

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import org.testng.annotations.Parameters;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import static org.testng.Assert.fail;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
import org.openqa.selenium.Capabilities;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.ExpectedConditions;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.WebDriverWait;
//Class name of the program.File has to be saved in
GridConcurrentTest.java to work in the framework with the help of
Selenium and TestNG:
public class GridConcurrentTest {
WebDriver driver = null;
private StringBuffer verificationErrors = new StringBuffer();
// Transfer the details of the platform and driver and URL tolaunch
@Parameters({ "strPlatform", "driver", "url" })
@BeforeTest(alwaysRun = true)
public void setup(String strPlatform, RemoteWebDriver driver,
String url) throws MalformedURLException {
DesiredCapabilities bwsrSettings = new DesiredCapabilities();

bwsrSettings.setPlatform(org.openqa.selenium.Platform.WINDO
WS);
if (driver.equalsIgnoreCase("Internet Explorer"))
bwsrSettings = DesiredCapabilities.internetExplorer();
if (driver.equalsIgnoreCase("Firefox"))
bwsrSettings = DesiredCapabilities.firefox();
if (driver.equalsIgnoreCase("chrome"))
bwsrSettings = DesiredCapabilities.chrome();

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// This section launches the driver within the grid node by talking
to hub of Selenium Grid.
driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new
URL("http://localhost:4444/wd/hub"),bwsrSettings);
driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(30,
TimeUnit.SECONDS);
driver.manage().window().maximize();
driver.get(url);
}

// Simple test method to execute.

@Test(description = "Sample Grid Test")
public void testCalc() throws InterruptedException {
driver.navigate().to("www.webdriverinselenium.com");

@AfterTest
public void afterTest() {
driver.quit();
}
}

Note:
Refer the code base at GitHubto build this same code inside the
following framework:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/
master/SAF

Step by step enhancements of the Selenium Grid scripts to the

hybrid Selenium Framework:

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Launch Eclipse from the folder where it has been installed (Unlike
other software applications, eclipse needs to be launched by exe
every time to open and access whereas other software available in
the shortcuts or different links to access while launching them).
Open eclipse.exe (preferable Eclipse Luna):

Step3:
Choose the folder of the automation framework folder and then
click on the OK button:

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Eclipse Luna launches on the screen:

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Once opened, click on the Workbench button and then navigate to

the workbench. Right click on the package explorer and then
choose Import:

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Choose Existing Project:

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Click on the Browse button to choose the project and then select
both the checkboxes to search and copy the existing projects.
Choose SAF project in the list and then click on the OK Button:

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Once the SAF project is visible in Package Explorer, navigate to

Configure Build Path as shown below:

Right click on the folder SAF, click on Build Path and then click
on Configure Build Path as follows:

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In the Properties of SAF, click on the Libraries tab, click on Add

External JARs button as shown:
Note: Make sure that the Libraries tab is clicked and then the Add
External JARs button is clicked from there.

(Follow the same steps which are mentioned in this section to add
all the external JARs)

Please select the JAR files from the JarFiles folder of the project
and then click Open to list the jar files within 'Libraries'. If there
are existing JAR files with incorrect path or highlighted with
errors, remove them and add fresh files from JarFiles folder.

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Similarly, if JRE System Library exists, that is good to run the test
in java-based framework; if JRE System Library doesn‟t appear in
the Libraries above, click on the 'Add Libraries' in the Libraries
section, and choose the default JRE (respective version display as
third check box) and click Next and Finish buttons to display JRE
System Library.

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Select JRE System Library and then click the Next button:

Click on the Workspace default JRE or any other relevant option

of Java installation details (as per your target machine) and then
click on Finish:

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Once JRE System Library is added without any errors, it will be

listed in the Libraries section of the Build Path; right click on the
Java project-->Build Patch-->Configure Build Path-->Libraries to
validate:

Final Steps:
Click on Project--> Clean

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Right click on a package to add a java file for Selenium Grid Tests:

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Enter the file name as shown below:

Once the file has been created, paste the sample code inside as
shown below:
All imports go next to the package name:

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All Java programming code samples go inside the class file:

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Now write a TestNG file to get the configurations for Test

Execution:

Code Sample for TestNG xml file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<suite name="SuiteOne">
<!-- Selenium Grid Tests -->
<test name="SuiteOneCaseOne">
<classes>
<class name="com.stta.SuiteOne.GridConcurrentTest" ></class>
</classes>
</test>
</suite>

Configure multiple browser and platform combinations in TestNG

file to run using Selenium Grid:
<suite name=" SuiteOne" verbose="1" thread-count="4"
parallel="tests">
<tests>
<!--Test Execution Parameters-->
<test name="Windows+Safari Test" >
<parameters>
<parameter name="platform" value="Windows" />
<parameter name="browser" value="Safari " />
<parameter name="url" value="http://webdriverinselenium.com"
/>
</parameters>

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<classes>
<class name="com.stta.SuiteOne.GridConcurrentTest" />
</classes>
</test>
<test name="Windows+InternetExplorer Test" >
<parameters>
<parameter name="platform" value="Windows" />
<parameter name="browser" value="InternetExplorer " />
<parameter name="url" value="http://webdriverinselenium.com"
/>
</parameters>
<classes>
<class name="com.stta.SuiteOne.GridConcurrentTest" />
</classes>
</test>
<test name="Windows+Firefox Test" >
<parameters>
<parameter name="platform" value="Windows" />
<parameter name="browser" value="Firefox" />
<parameter name="url" value="http://webdriverinselenium.com"
/>
</parameters>
<classes>
<class name="com.stta.SuiteOne.GridConcurrentTest" />
</classes>
</test>
<test name="Windows+chrome Test" >
<parameters>
<parameter name="platform" value="Windows" />
<parameter name="browser" value="chrome" />
<parameter name="url" value="http://webdriverinselenium.com"
/>
</parameters>
<classes>
<class name="com.stta.SuiteOne.GridConcurrentTest" />

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</classes>
</test>
</tests>
</suite>

Execute the Selenium Grid test by following the option in TestNG:

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Protractor End-to-End Automation Framework

Programming language used in this section: Java Script

One of the best tools in the market to compete with Selenium

Webdriver is Protractor (javascript programming)! It is primarily
designed for AngularJS based applications and it acts like a
abstraction layer around Selenium Webdriver to talk to AngularJS
applications.Since it is a Node.js-based javascript framework and
acts as a wrapper on top of Selenium, it works as a protractor with
additional capability when running against AngularJS based
applications and at the same time it works as a normal Selenium
test for any web application other than AngularJS! So, the tests are
compatible and fast enough to run and provide the test results!
Protractor-based framework has been integrated with Jasmine and
provides the feasibility to extend the tests from unit level to end to
end level BDDs within the framework!
The primary reason why protractor is super good is because some
of the object elements of angularJS applications are not included in
Selenium and supported by protractor:
ng-repeater
ng-controller
ng-model
Example:
<div ng-app="ShoppingApp" ng-controller="myView">

Protractor API acts as a wrapper around Webdriver and extends the

support for some of the wonderful locator strategies such as:
By.binding
By.repeater
By.textarea
By.model
Webelement.all
WaitforAngular
Example:

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Navigate to angularjs.org website and right click on the 'Name' text

box and then press Inspect Element (to identify the object
properties or xpath elements).

The entire section‟s outer HTML looks as shown below:

<input type="text" ng-model="yourName" placeholder="Enter a
name here" class="ng-pristine ng-valid ng-empty ng-touched">
This ng-model object within the angularJS application has been
supported by Protractor and it can be identified to enter the Name
in the code sample of AngularJS given below:
describe('angularjs webpage enter name', function() {
it('should add a name', function() {
browser.get('https://angularjs.org');
element(by.model('yourName')).sendKeys('Sample AngularJS
Test');
});
});

Let us understand how to construct a Cucumber BDD based

Protractor framework:
Feature: Test AngularJS Home Page
Scenario Outline:Enter your name in AngularJS Homepage
Given I open angularJS.org
When I type <Name> in the Name text box
Then I must be able to see the <Name> display

Examples:
|Name|

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|Tester|
|Expert|

The configuration file for Cucumber to talk to Protractor based

Step Definitions:
exports.config = {
specs: ['protractertest/functionaltest/features/*.feature' ],
framework: 'cucumber',
cucumberOpts: {
require: ['features/step_definitions/*_steps.js',
'features/support/*.js'],
format: 'pretty'
},
capabilities: { browserName: 'firefox„ }
};

Step Definitions:
this.Given(/^I open angularJS.org$/, function (callback)
{
browser.get('https://angularjs.org');
});

this.When(/^I type \"([^\"]*)\" in the Name text box$/, function

(nametext,callback)
{
element(by.model('yourName')).sendKeys(nametext);
});

this.Then(/^I must be able to see the \"([^\"]*)\" display$/, function

(nametext,callback)
{
var welcoming = element(by.binding(nametext));
expect(welcoming.getText()).toEqual('Hello '+nametext);
});

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Automation Tool Selection-Know How

Important tools in the test automation are always compared to find
out the best among them – so the right tool is picked every time
before automating the test projects. As an example, Selenium and
UFT are provided here with the comparison elements:

FEATURES SELENIUM UNIFIED

(IDE/WEB FUNCTIONAL
DRIVER/GRID) TESTING
License Open source and Licensed and very
free of cost Expensive.
Framework Integrate with Integrate with HP
Selenium, Eclipse, ALM (Application
Maven, Ant, Life Cycle
Jenkins, Hudson, Management)
TestNG, JUnit,
SVN, XSLT Reports
Continuous Possible through Possible through HP
Integration Jenkins, Hudson, ALM, Jenkins
Cruise Control
Script Creation High Low
Time
Image-Based Need Extensions Possible
Tests like SIKULI
Application Web applications Client server
support only. applications (like
built in TCL/TK and
PowerBuilder)
Browser support Supports IE, Supports only IE
Firefox, Opera, and Firefox.
Safari, etc.
Operating Windows PC, MAC, Windows Platform
System/Platform UNIX platforms. only.

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Object Oriented Supports Java, .Net, Supports VBScript

Language Perl, PHP, Python, or JavaScript.
support and C# and Ruby.
Scalability
Usage Needs a quite Easy to learn.
Expertise.
Technical No official technicalGood technical
support support. support via phone,
mail, web forum.
Test Test scripts can be Developed only in
Development developed in various QTP.
Environment IDEs like Eclipse,
Visual Studio, TFS
(Team Foundation
Server), Net beans,
etc.
Support for File Not available Supports all kinds of
Upload File upload
Database Not so convenient. Very well with
Applications Database
applications.
Report Integration with Quality Center has
Generation Jenkins can give built-in dashboards.
good reporting.
Reference:" Comparative Study of Automated Testing Tools:
Selenium and Quick Test Professional." by S.Rajeevan, B.Sathiyan

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Test Requirements
Earlier sections talked about the framework and the comparison
between automation tools. The next step is to understand how the
framework has to be constructed technically. But strong
fundamentals on test requirements, test plans, scenarios and test
cases are required in order to proceed on automation essentials.
So, this chapter basically explains the testing basics as a
prerequisite.
Requirements are any statement describing the functionality that is
expected of the system. It is always needed in order to be able to
design the test and it is also important to understand that it can be
introduced at any given level. The more details in the requirement,
results in easier test scenarios. Although a set of requirements can
be provided, it can never be complete or testable as required.
An example of a requirement is that a customer should be able to
place orders online or cancel online orders. This would be
classified as a high level requirement. In order to deal with this
requirement, we have to go through the concept of scenarios.
The requirements should always be needed to design a test. The
statement describes any behavior or any functionality that someone
expects from the system. Requirements can come in different
levels of details .The more the requirements for us the easier it is to
test because we know that the requirements are never complete and
will never be testable.
Requirements are illustrations that describe what is expected of the
system, it is always important that before you move to the next
step of software testing, you need to understand what is expected
of the system in the requirements document.
Please refer the Sample Test Requirement section to understand
how testable requirements look and how to derive the scenarios
from the requirements.
Test Plans
Master Test Plan contains a set of important project details on
testing activities such as Summary, Test Items, Environment,
References, Comprehensive Assessment, Identification of
Intermittent issues, Summary of Results, Evaluation, Limitations,
Summary of Activities and Approvals.

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Refer the sample test plan section for detailed section specific
examples.

Test Scenarios
Sometimes the requirements may not be elaborative or complete;
this could simply be because, for every requirement, there may be
several or multiple scenarios expected to give similar results, these
attributed to conditions that may happen along the line of
production.
The system needs to be tested on these multiple scenarios in order
to increase the chances of having a more reliable and efficient
system free from errors, which is the ultimate target of the project
as well as the software testing team. This also helps in having a
much more predictable system.

Test Cases
More Test Case Examples for this section:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/00
1FunctionalTestingProject-TrainingInstitute

In order to make sure that the scenarios are tested from one
scenario to another scenario in a systematic way, the team needs to
come up with the test cases, were all the scenarios will be tested
individually. Each case will be tested according to what has been
specified in the requirement document e.g. the conditions
associated with a particular test case such as a precondition and
postcondition which is the expected outcome.
These groups of test cases with similar requirements are bundled
up in one to create a test set. A test set is a group of test cases that
require the same steps to be executed. And they are executed by
creating a test script; these can be done for both manual and
automated testing.
Formula for test case: Input + precondition -> Postconditions +
output
Test cases are the means by which we test the scenarios. For each
scenario, we have a number of test cases. Each test case consists of

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a set of inputs that are going to be fed into the system and
precondition are all the conditions that exist before a test case.

For example:
Preconditions: all facts about the input e.g. card used, order has not
been canceled, card is still valid etc.
Input =order number
Postconditions: output = confirmation message e.g. order has been
canceled. As a result of order cancelation, card has been refunded
with the correct amount.
Refer to the sample test cases section for the detailed test cases
with each column and with example test cases.

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Agile Scrum-based Testing-Continuous Integration

Basic sections of this book explained about automation framework,
basics on test requirements etc. But the main reason to learn
automation is to implement in most challenging life cycles such as
Agile-based Continuous Integration. So the following section
drives through the fundamentals on Scrum-based Agile Testing.
Scrum is described as an iterative and incremental agile software
development framework for managing product development.
Scrum focuses on delivering the requirement on time as well as
responding to emerging requirements promptly.
 Scrum makes everything visible and allows clients to
experience each part of the development.
 It also helps in keeping track of the project development.
 Helps to keep up with time to avoid extra costs that come with
additional development time.
 Scrum allows you to see the problems in good time in order to
make necessary adjustments before it is too late.

Why do we need Scrum?

When we are planning to develop a software we don‟t know what
is going to happen in a few weeks time and so it becomes difficult
to keep track of the project progress. Delays in the project
development burdens the project with additional cost as you will
need additional development time. This will upset the client.
Scrum helps to keep track of the project progress and allows the
team to know exactly what‟s going on and where adjustments are
required to finish the project on time. Similarly, Automation
Frameworks such as BDD are built from the beginning when the
backlogs are constructed in Step1 as given below.

Step 1 - Create a Product backlog

The backlog contains all the features that the client would like to
have including their dream system and imagination, but that does
not mean everything will be included in the project. These features
got converted to Cucumber-based .feature files in automation
frameworks (still the automation scripts are not ready - so the
scripts status in Step1 would be pending).
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Step 2 – Estimate and prioritize

Once the product backlog is ready, product owner estimates the
timescale for the amount of work required for each feature
providing the total amount of work involved for the release
backlog.
The product owner then prioritizes the features, the most important
one gets placed at the top of the list and the less important one goes
at the bottom of the list. He then picks the features that will be on
the release and creates a release backlog.

Step3-Sprint
Sprint is a short duration milestone that allows the team to prepare
a chunk of the project to get in to ship ready state. Sprint is
generally ranged between 3 and 30 days depending on the product
release backlog. A project usually includes several sprints.
At the beginning of the Sprint, a team will have Sprint Planning
Meeting where the product owner and the team decide what will be
done. They select the features which occupy the highest priority
from the release backlog.

Sprint Planning Meeting has two parts:

1) Team and product owner to decide which features to develop
2) The team plans out the sprint
The selected backlog features are assigned to the sprint backlog
and to different team members. Each team member in automation
framework assigned to list of .feature files in BDD (refer BDD
section) design their automation scripts to get ready.
Every day the team meets for short meeting which is called Daily
Scrum. Each team member answers three questions during the
scrum meeting.
1) What have you done on this project since the last daily scrum
meeting?
2) What do you plan to do on this project between now and the
next scrum meeting?
3) What stands in your way to meet your commitments to this
sprint and this project?

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The purpose of the daily scrum is to discuss the progress of the

sprint and address any issues that might cause delays in the project.
In the sprint, the team must complete the feature/task that was
defined for that sprint. Bugs that are related to the features on the
backlog should also be fixed.
At the completion each of sprint, the team arranges Sprint Review
meeting. In this meeting, the team presents what was developed
during this sprint to the product owner and other stakeholders.
This meeting helps to decide what the team should do next. This
also helps the client as the client can see the progress of the project
and can provide a feedback. This prevents the risk of developing
features that the client didn‟t ask for and also in case of a delay in
the development process, the sprint will not be completed on time.
This means the project is running behind the schedule and
something needs to be done.
Therefore, it is important to monitor the progress of each sprint
with burn down chart. This is the best way to monitor the progress
and it gives the best visibility of the project. Burn down chart gives
day by day progress report and remaining work on the sprint.
Scrum is a simple and effective way to have control over your
development process. It ensures that things go according to plan.

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Test Estimation
Earlier chapter discussed about Sprint-based Agile Testing. This
chapter will help in understanding how important is the estimation
for automation projects. Due to incorrect estimation, large
automation projects led to expensive failures in the history. So this
chapter illustrates the details about how to estimate any test
automation assignment.
Projections of Testing Project based on the testing process, data,
extracts are basically derived from test estimation using various
test estimation techniques. Time and resources required for testing
and the number of estimations required for businesses have been
calculated before initiating the testing activities.
Test effort, duration, infrastructure, resources, required expertise,
tools and need for test environments are estimated and analyzed as
part of test estimation.
Test effort
Amount of time required to write the test scenarios, review of test
scenarios, write test cases, test case review, test data preparation,
test execution time, defect tracking time, backup time on each test
execution cycle due to environment issues, number of test
environment and systems required.

Duration
Schedule for Test Design (Scenario, Test Cases, Test Data, Test
Script Preparation on Test Automation), Schedule for Smoke Test,
Schedule for Test Execution, Schedule for Test Reports and Sign-
off.

Resources
Number of test resources required for functional (manual,
automation) and non functional tests (performance, penetration,
usability tests).

Tools
Required tools for test management, test case management, test
configuration management, test automation, defect reporting tool,
test report tool.
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Test Environments
Smoke Test Needs (Environment Shakedown Tests/Environment
Readiness Test), Number of test environments required, Number of
systems required in each test environment and their code versions.

Cost Estimation
A cost estimate is the approximation of the cost of a testing
program, project or operation such as change request testing. It has
a single total value along with a set of component values as part of
testing assignment.
Famous cost estimation techniques in the testing projects are
classified as top down method, bottom up method, analogues and
parametric test estimation.
Top-Down Test Estimation
Efforts are estimated at task level such as cost of test case
preparation, test execution etc. Individual work items as part of the
testing project have been taken into consideration. This estimation
starts from main modules and stepping into downstream of the
components and estimate the cost involved in each component.
This means, calculation of the test project duration and the cost by
comparing it with the set of the existing projects which were
successful.
It is a fast and easy approach compared to other estimation models
and the only negative factor is that the bottleneck cases are not
taken into consideration such as test environment downtime, poor
quality of test design etc.

Bottom-Up Test Estimation

Each low level components of testing project are classified and
taken into consideration along with Step 1. When the test
estimation is completed for each component, the sum of whole test
estimation is calculated for the entire project. Each test resource
availability, entry and exit time between the test cycles are also
taken into consideration. If a test specialist is involved in the test
design of cycle 1 and the test execution of cycle 3, then respective
amount of duration is included as part of the estimation. So, the
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resource identification, task dependencies between the resources,

details on when the task has to be completed and what is the
dependency with other test cycles are mapped with details for each
test cycle.
This method is a best approach only when the resources are
available from the beginning of project initiation or at least at the
time of test estimation. Also, test plan should be ready to refer for
bottom up test estimation as the plan derives the tasks on each test
cycle and test items. So, it is difficult to perform bottom up test
estimation in the early stages of the STLC (Software Testing Life
Cycle).

Analogues Test Estimation

When the project details are not completely available and the
dynamic projects such as continuous integration oriented agile
projects are estimated with the help of expert judgment and
existing project statistics. In analogues estimation technique, the
actual duration and effort vary drastically as the initial estimation
is derived with the help of judgments on key factors such as
resource availability, test cycle duration etc. Often, it has been
proved that the estimation derived from this technique is less
accurate. But it is one of the fastest techniques to provide test
estimations. It is not suitable for Agile-based sprint cycles as most
of the sprint projects are dynamic and this has to be estimated
accurately to avoid the pitfalls and failures. This is a proven
successful technique for change requests and any testing for small
needs.

Parametric Test Estimation

Scalable cost per unit is estimated as part of parametric test
estimation based on the statistical data available from the earlier
projects.
Cost per line of code for automation project and Cost per hour of
automation test execution are some of the key calculations in this
method. This is the most relevant test estimation technique for test
automation as the LOC (Line of Code) Estimation is highly
recommended.

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Time Estimation
Duration of test cycles, test resources availability and the time
required to complete the test activities are calculated as part of test
time estimation process.
CPM (Critical Path Method), CCM (Critical Chain Method),
Resource Leveling, PERT (Program Evaluation and Review
Techniques) and Monte Carlo Simulation are some of the famous
techniques used as part of the test estimation methods for testing
projects.
Critical Path Method (CPM)
The critical path calculates the longest path of the activities to the
end of the testing project. So, the highly critical path where the
earliest and the shortest time in each activity can start and finish
without extending the project is highly important. The visibility
into the critical path allows the test managers to prioritize the
activities and take appropriate actions to meet the schedule.

Critical Chain Method (CCM)

The fundamental idea of CCM is CPM with the key difference in
resource limitation. By adding resource limitation to the
calculation, this estimation differs from Critical Path Method. If
the test resource is extended in Sprint 1 of the Agile Project and
not available in Sprint 2 and available only for Sprint 3, this has to
be taken as a constraint while calculating the CPM. Adding
duration buffers by introducing alternative test resource to testing
project schedules to protect the targeted finish date from slippage
is a key factor while calculating the time required for the test cycle.

Resource Leveling on CPM

Changing and amending the test schedule in order to mitigate the
risks and changes over the test project is part of Resource Leveling
for testing project estimates. Resolving over-allocation of the
resources and conflicts over test cycles on test resources are
adjusted and amended in order to meet the deadlines of the test
projects.

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Test schedule compression techniques

As a result of test schedule analysis, test teams may identify a need
to compress the test schedule. Schedule compression shortens the
test project duration in order to meet the schedule deadlines
without reducing the project scope for testing the application.

Crashing Compression Technique

Crashing involves either adding test resources or increasing work
(e.g. daily test execution) hours (overtime, weekends) to shorten
task duration. Shorter test durations typically result in higher task
costs, so project teams must determine, prior to crashing, whether
the total cost savings is enough to justify the higher costs for the
allocated testing project. Crashing almost always requires cost
increases because it usually necessitates new tasks and activities
such as test design, execution and reporting. Crashing is a
controversial technique because adding test resources can increase
project complexity or risk and may ultimately have a negative
impact on the test schedule. Crashing does not involve reducing
test project scope or eliminating project tasks mentioned in the test
plan.

Fast Tracking Compression Technique

Fast tracking is a schedule compression technique in which test
project phases or activities usually conducted sequentially are
performed in parallel to reduce the overall test duration. If
possible, sprints run parallel in order to reduce the total duration of
the agile testing project. Extra care must be taken to make sure that
parallel work does not create additional work or increase risk in the
testing activities such as defect reporting. Fast tracking frequently
results in increased complexities in test dependencies, so additional
test project controls must be implemented to ensure ongoing and
accurate insight into test schedule performance.

Program evaluation and review techniques (PERT)

Probabilistic time estimation is followed to calculate the estimate
in order to get the realistic test estimation. The most pessimistic

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duration, most likely duration and most optimistic duration are

taken into consideration to derive at probabilistic test estimation.
PERT : ( P + 4M + O ) / 6
Standard Deviation of a testing task using PERT : ( P – O ) / 6
Variation of a testing task using PERT: (( P – O ) / 6 )2

P: The most pessimistic duration

M: The most likely duration
O: The most optimistic duration

Monte Carlo Simulation

Set of computational algorithms used to get random sampling data
to obtain numerical results of test estimation. So, this technique is
used mostly using software applications.

Test estimation flow chart

Identify
Stakeholders

Understand the Add/Amend Test

Prioritise the Time estimation/
User Stories/ Risk Mitigation Estimation to
Test Activities per test activity
Requirements Test Plan

Existing
Assumptions,
Test
Exclusions,
Project
Constraints
Records

Effective Test Estimation Techniques for Test Automation

Function point-based test estimation

Units of measurement in this method are known as Function Points
(FP) and this is calculated for the size of the software functionality.
Following five types are taken as Function Points:
External Inputs: Automation Test Data Sheets

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External Outputs: Excel Sheets and Test Outputs to extract test

records
External Inquires: SQL Queries/Set of actions requested to validate
the test
Internal Logical Files: Logs, screenshot, build and other logical
files of automation framework
External Logical Files: Driver Scripts (to interact with automation
test engines)

Development of Automation Framework – Function Point

Calculation:
Use the following formula to calculate the development project
function point count.
DFP = (UFP + CFP) * VAF
Where:
DFP is the development of Automation Framework function point
count
UFP is the unadjusted function point count
CFP is the function points added by the conversion unadjusted
function point count
VAF is the value adjustment factor

Enhancement of Automation Framework Function Point

Calculation:
Use the following formula to calculate the size for enhancement
projects.
EFP = [(ADD + CHGA + CFP) * VAFA] + (DEL* VAFB)
Where:
EFP is the enhancement of Automation Framework function point
count.
ADD is the unadjusted function point count of those functions that
were added by the enhancement project.
CHGA is the unadjusted function point count of those functions
that were modified by the enhancement of Automation

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Framework. This number reflects the functions after the

modifications.
CFP is the function point count added by the conversion.
VAFA is the value adjustment factor of the application after the
enhancement of Automation Framework.
DEL is the unadjusted function point count of those functions that
were deleted by the enhancement of Automation Framework.
VAFB is the value adjustment factor of the application before the
enhancement of Automation Framework.

Case study on automation framework FP analysis:

Using the following table for function point weightings:

Factors Weights
Simple Average Complex
Number of user 3 4 6
inputs(Number of Excel
Sheets for user inputs)
Number of user outputs 4 5 7
(Test extracts as Excel
Files)
Number of user inquiries 3 4 6
(SQL Scripts used to
extract search results in
Automation Framework)
Number of files 7 10 15
(Application Under Test)
Number of external 5 7 10
interfaces
(Driver scripts used to
interact with different
systems and automation
engine)

A system being developed has the following characteristics:

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Number of user inputs 10 (simple)

Number of user outputs 7 (simple)
Number of user inquiries 3 (average)
Number of files 6 (average)
Number of external interfaces 1 (complex)

Solution:
Basic Count Function Types Weight Total
10 simple inputs 10 * 3 30
7 simple Outputs 7*4 28
3 average Inquiries 3*4 12
6 average Logical files 6 * 10 60
1 complex Interface 1 * 10 10
Unadjusted 140
Total

Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO)

Effort and schedule are estimated by analyzing line of code in this
COCOMO model.
Case Study on a Sample Test Automation Framework:
COCOMO models include 3 automation framework development
types:
Organic: relatively small automation teams develop familiar types
of framework in an in-house environment. Most personnel have
previous experience on similar automation tools (Effort: PM=2.4
(KDSI) 1.05; Schedule: TD=2.5 (PM) 0.38))
Embedded: the automation project may require new tool and
technology, unfamiliar algorithms, or an innovative new method
for solving the problem of test automation (Effort: PM=3.0
(KDSI)1.12 Schedule: TD=2.5 (PM) 0.35)
Semi-detached: having a mixture between organic and embedded
types (Effort: PM=3.6 (KDSI)1.20 Schedule: TD=2.5 (PM)0.32)
Where,
PM = person-month (man-month)
KDSI = delivered source instructions, in thousands

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TD = number of months estimated for framework development

COCOMO calculation
Assuming an organic type project with an estimated size = 132,000
lines of code.
Effort: PM = 2.4(128) 1.05 = 392 person-months
Productivity: 132,000 DSI / 392 PM = 336 DSI/PM
Schedule: TD = TD=2.5 (PM) 0.38 = 24 months
Avg. Staffing: 392 PM / 24 months = 16 FSP
Where,
FSP = full-time-equivalent staff person
Collective test estimation technique
Automation Leads discuss with stakeholders of the project and get
the single outcome as test estimation. Project Managers, Business
Analysts, Developers are usually involved in this discussion to
contribute inputs to the test estimation.

Sample Test Estimation on Automation Framework Development:

Number Action Items Estimated
Hours
Environment Readiness
1 Test Environment Setup to perform 3
Automation Test
2 Automation Test Engine Installation 2
3 Network Connectivity Check 1
Data Gathering Stage
4 Object Data Collection 20
5 Understanding the Functionality 30
6 Automation Test Scenario/Test Case 2
Review
Tools Analysis Stage
7 Object Recognition 3
8 Tool Usability Comparison 5
9 Features Testability 5
10 Tool Support-Framework Compatibility 5

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Analysis
Sample Framework Design Stage
11 Library Architecture Design 20
12 Data Mapping Design 20
13 Driver Script Design 20
14 Utility Script Design 20
Total Automation Framework 156
Development Hours

Delphi test estimation technique

Test Manager acts as a moderator and collects the estimations from
experts confidentially.
Once the estimations are taken from each stakeholder of test
automation, he or she takes average of the estimates and update the
test plan as automation test estimate.

Sample Delphi Test Estimation on Automation Framework

Development:
Number Action Items (Average)
Estimated
Hours
Environment Readiness-From
Environment Managers
1 Test Environment Setup to perform 3
Automation Test
2 Automation Test Engine Installation 2
3 Network Connectivity Check 1
Data Gathering Stage-From Data
Architect/Test Leads
4 Object Data Collection 20
5 Understanding the Functionality 30
6 Automation Test Scenario/Test Case 2
Review
Tools Analysis Stage-From

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Automation Lead
7 Object Recognition 3
8 Tool Usability Comparison 5
9 Features Testability 5
10 Tool Support-Framework 5
Compatibility Analysis
Sample Framework Design Stage-
From Automation
Lead/Automation Test Analysts
11 Library Architecture Design 20
12 Data Mapping Design 20
13 Driver Script Design 20
14 Utility Script Design 20
Total Automation Framework 156
Development Hours

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Automation Return on Investment

Initial cost to automate (ICA)
Cost of licenses required for automation tools and cost for
developing automation scripts are known as ICA
E.g.: £1000 per test cycle

Number of Test Cycles (NTC)

Total number of test cycles planned for test automation
E.g.: Six Sprint Cycles are planned as part of the Agile Project
(NTC: 6)

Manual Test Cost Per Test Cycle (MTCPTC)

Average hourly rates of manual test analysts*total number of hours
is calculated as MTCPTC
Along with the hourly rates, additional costs like virtual
server/hardware costs and opportunity costs are included as part of
MTCPTC
E.g.: £25*350=£8750 for first test cycle
Automation Test Cost Per Test Cycle (ATCPTC)
Average hourly rates of automation test analysts*total number of
hours is calculated as ATCPTC
Along with the hourly rates, additional costs like automation test
machine/hardware costs and opportunity costs are included as part
of ATCPTC
E.g.: £27.8*350=£9750 for first test cycle
Maintenance Time of the Automation Framework for the next Test
Cycle (MTAF)
Approximately 5% to 25% are the average maintenance time for
any well developed automation frameworks for long running test
projects. This has to be calculated as part of MTAF.
E.g.: 10% (which is 35 hours) for the first test cycle
Multiply the difference between MTCPTC and ATCPTC and sum
it over the number of test cycles (yield).
This calculation provides the execution cost difference for test
cycles.

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ROI = (Total benefit derived from test automation/Total Cost of

Test Automation)
ROI = {NTC [(MTCPTC-ATCPTC)+MTAF]-ICA}/ICA

Calculations:
Note: Assuming that the efforts required for manual testing and
automation testing are getting reduced from Sprint 3 onwards.

Test Cycle Return on Investment

Sprint 1 (1*((8750-9750)+35)-1000)/1000
Sprint 2 (2*((8750-9750)+30)-1000)/1000
Sprint 3 (3*((2750-3750)+35)-1000)/1000
Sprint 4 (4*((1750-750)+35)-1000)/1000
Sprint 5 (5*((1750-750)+35)-1000)/1000
Sprint 6 (6*((1750-750)+35)-1000)/1000

Final Positive ROI in Sprint 4:

Test Cycle Return on Investment

Sprint 1 1.965
Sprint 2 2.94
Sprint 3 3.895
Sprint 4 3.14
Sprint 5 4.175
Sprint 6 5.21

As per the ROI calculation, the return gets added to the project
only when the automation is implemented successfully for the first
three sprints and moved on to fourth sprint.

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Automation Test Scheduling

This section explains on how to schedule the automation and
functional activities for the test project. This will help in
scheduling the projects later in tools such as Hudson or Jenkins.
When the automation test pack is being designed, the most
important decision is to plan the Test Scheduling of those
Automated Test Scripts. The objective of test automation is to
reduce the amount of time spent in Regression Testing. Following
are some of the strategies which can be implemented into
automation projects:

Activity list
Set of Test Scripts can be listed as part of the activity list and
executed based on the satisfied criteria like most of the test scripts
should be scheduled based on the preconditions and
postconditions. So, the continuation of the script execution can be
maintained till the end.
Example1:
Given below in the list, Test 9A and 9B are parallel tests. So, they
get completed in 3 hrs time whereas all the other tests can start
their execution only when the previous tests are completed (not
necessary that the precondition tests have to be passed).

Precondition Activity List Duration

Environment Set-up Sanity Test 1 Hr
Sanity Test Regression Tests 1 2Hrs
Regression Tests 1 Regression Tests 2 2Hrs
Regression Tests 2 Regression Tests 3 2Hrs
Regression Tests 3 Regression Tests 4 2Hrs
Regression Tests 4 Regression Tests 5 2Hrs
Regression Tests 5 Regression Tests 6 2Hrs
Regression Tests 6 Regression Tests 7 2Hrs
Regression Tests 7 Regression Tests 8 2Hrs
Regression Tests 8 Regression Tests 9A 3 Hrs
Regression Tests 8 Regression Tests 9B

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Regression Tests 9A & 9B Regression Tests 10 1 Hr

Example2:
Given below in the example, tests are listed based on the priorities
where Critical is the top priority followed by High, Medium and
the bottom priority is Low. When the project required only
important tests to be executed, 2 Critical and 4 High priority tests
can be executed in order to complete the test execution.

Precondition Activity List Priority

Environment Set-up Sanity Test Critical
Sanity Test Regression Tests 1 High
Regression Tests 1 Regression Tests 2 Medium
Regression Tests 2 Regression Tests 3 Medium
Regression Tests 3 Regression Tests 4 High
Regression Tests 4 Regression Tests 5 Medium
Regression Tests 5 Regression Tests 6 Low
Regression Tests 6 Regression Tests 7 High
Regression Tests 7 Regression Tests 8 Medium
Regression Tests 8 Regression Tests High
9A
Regression Tests 8 Regression Tests
9B
Regression Tests Regression Tests 10 Critical
9A & 9B

Bar chart
The best representation of automation test execution scheduling is
possible through Bar Charts when multiple Automation Testers are
involved in the test project.
Example1
The table below shows the number of days of the tests completed
and the remaining number of days to test the application in a
sample project.

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Completed Remaining Lead

Task Start Date
Days Days Contact
Sanity Tests 11/19/07 10 0 Rajavarman
Regression 11/19/07 20 0 Jagan
Tests 1
Regression 11/19/07 30 0 Karthick
Tests 2
Regression 12/01/07 25 35 Siva
Tests 3
Regression 01/15/08 0 15 Robin H.
Tests 4
Regression 02/01/08 0 160 Jessica S.
Tests 5
Regression 04/15/08 0 140 Pete P.
Tests 6
Regression 08/30/08 0 20 Robin H.
Tests 7
Regression 09/15/08 0 10 Jessica S.
Tests 8
Regression 10/20/08 0 10 Jessica S.
Tests 9
Regression 10/25/08 0 50 Rick S.
Tests 10
Regression 12/05/08 0 10 Tom W.
Tests 11

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Network diagram
List of Tasks of Automation Tests can be converted to network of
activities which connects one to another to represent the complete
automation tests in graphical representation.
Example 1:
Assume the table given below is the list of activities involved in
the automation test project. Each activity has to be updated with
the effort estimation, start date, end date and the resource allocated
to the activity.

Effort Planned Planned

Project Title Estimate Start End Resource
in XXX Date Date
1 Activity
Task:Sanity
1.1
Test
Sub Task:
1.1.1 Environment
Check
Sub Task: Web
1.1.2
Page Validation
Sub Task:
1.1.3 -
Operating

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System
Compatibility
Test
2 Activity
2.1 Task
Sub
2.1.1 Task:Regression
Tests 1
Sub
2.1.2 Task:Regression
Tests 2
Sub
2.1.3 Task:Regression
Tests 3
Sub
2.1.4 Task:Regression
Tests 4
2.2 Task
Sub
2.2.1 Task:Regression
Tests 5A
Sub
2.2.2 Task:Regression
Tests 5B
3 Activity
3.1 Task
Sub
3.1.1 Task:Regression
Tests 6
Sub
3.1.2 Task:Regression
Tests 7
Sub
3.1.3 Task:Regression
Tests 8

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The Network Diagram given below represents the whole

automation tests in single picture:

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Once the network of automation tests has been designed, they can
be listed further to calculate the time estimated for each tests in the
table given below.

Unit Unit of Unit of Unit of Unit of Unit of Unit of Unit of

of Time Time Time Time Time Time Time
Time
1 Activity
1.1 Task:
2 Activity
2.1 Task
2.2 Task

2.3 Task
3 Activity
3.1 Task
3.2 Task horizontal
bar
3.3 Task
3.4 Task
4 Activity

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Unified Functional Testing – Test Automation Basics

Programming language used in this section: VB Script

Tools Quick Test Professional (Unified Functional Testing)

Vendor HP
Description Quick Test Professional (QTP) is an automated functional
Graphical User Interface (GUI) testing tool that allows the
automation of user actions on a web or client-based computer
application.

It is primarily used for functional regression test automation.

QTP uses a scripting language built on top of VBScript to

specify the test procedure,
and to manipulate the objects and controls of the application
under test.
Testing The QuickTest testing process consists of 7 main phases:
Process
1. Create your test plan
2. Recording a session on your application
3. Enhancing your test
4. Debugging your test
5. Running your test on a new version of your application
6. Analyzing the test results
7. Reporting defects

Features & 1. Key word driven testing

Benefits 2. Suitable for both client server and web-based application
3. VB script as the script language
4. Better error handling mechanism
5. Excellent data driven testing features

HP Unified Functional Testing (formerly Quick Test Professional)

is a widely accepted tool for web-based testing and standalone
applications testing. Though the web browser-based testing has
huge competitions with open source tools such as Selenium
Webdriver, JMeter and other tools, UFT has high value over the
automation stability and maintainability.

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Selenium Webdriver is a famous open source tool used by the

industry and the only challenge with Selenium is that the test
automation for Standalone applications are not possible (Until
2014). The future versions may extend the facilities from time to
time. But HP UFT provides support to number of applications in
the latest version.
Astra Quick Test is the primary tool developed which leads to
develop Mercury QTP. Mercury introduced QTP during Nov 2002
and this has been changed as HP QTP in the year 2007. QTP is an
object-based testing tool used for functional and regression testing.
Since it follows keyword driven approach, it is flexible to build
automation framework around the test engine.
GUI and web applications are supported by QTP and multilingual
support is also available as one of the key feature of the tool!
Activex, Visual basic and Web are the default Add-ins to HP UFT
whereas the application specific add-ins are available along with
license of the tool based on the need.
VB Script is the programming language used in HP UFT and it is
very important to understand how to script for UFT using VB
Script, so this will reduce the amount of repeated scripts and
increase the reusability over the period of time during test cycles.

Five phase of test automation using HP UFT

Prepare: Design the test approach and collect the details of testable
items, data, requirements and test environment.
Create: Design test scripts.
Verify: Unit testing on the test scripts prepared.
Integrate: Connect to the test management, framework and defect
tracking system.
Maintain: Update/Amend/Facilitate the changes to the test scripts
for new test cycles.

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PREPARE CREATE VERIFY INTEGRATE

MAINTAIN

User interface of HP UFT

Earlier versions of HP QTP 10

User Interface in the latest version of HP UFT 11.0

Capture the level at Run Mode

Navigate to Tools>Options to set the object properties capturing
level based on the tests performed in the application under test. If
the tool captures most of the objects, it is easy to have a condensed

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object repository with possible objects from the application. At the

same time, this leads to delay in test execution when the objects
are huge in size.

With HP UFT, it is possible to set up the delay between the steps

by adding the delay time in the screen given below. When the
responsiveness of the application is slow, it is recommended to
have slow running tool to test and capture the evidence whereas
the test will fail when it runs fast during the slow page navigations
of certain web-based tests without any reason. So, it is always
recommended to design the test and perform unit tests to make
sure that the speed of the test has been controlled.

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Perform a basic test using Record and Playback

Click on Record and then select 'Record and run test on any open
Windows based application', click on the OK button:

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Record and Playback is not an efficient way to automate the tests

whereas this feature is provided to understand how the automation
tool has been designed and how it captures the test application
properties by itself. The efficient way of performing automation
test is to design the test scripts which are automatically captured
during Record in this feature.

Perform a basic test using this feature by,

1. Click on the Record button
2. Navigate to the page where the automation is required and then
perform the actions like click, edit, enter etc.
3. Once the test is completed, click on the Stop button and save the
test with a valid name.

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Playback: After recording the scripts, if the Run button is pressed,

the entire test gets repeated by the automation tool to see the test
results.

How to launch the browser in HP UFT

System Utility command is widely used to launch the applications
using HP UFT as given below:
SystemUtil.Run ( FileName, Parameters, Path, Operation )
Example:
Open Internet Explorer by providing path of the exe file:
SystemUtil.Run "C://Program Files/Internet
Explorer/IEXPLORE.EXE"
Alternative way to open Internet Explorer:
SystemUtil.Run "iexplore.exe", "", "C:\Program Files\Internet
Explorer\"
Open a web page along with Internet Explorer:
SystemUtil.Run "iexplore.exe", "http://www.abctest.com"

Open a notepad from HP UFT:

SystemUtil.Run "notepad.exe"
Open notepad file which is already created in the system:

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SystemUtil.Run "notepad.exe", "D:\SampleFile.txt"

How to write a reusable Launch Browser Script:

Public Function Web_LaunchURL (strAppURL,strBrowserType)
'Input value(s) are:
'String strAppURL
'Output Value(s) are:
SystemUtil.Run "iexplore",strAppURL,"",""
Call Web_Execution_log (1, strAppURL&" is launched", "PASS")
End Function

Following are the regularly used QTP functions as part of the

script:

Input Box Function

Syntax:
InputBox(prompt,title,default,xpos, ypos, helpfile, context)
Example:
sName= InputBox("Enter Your Name", , "Type Here", , ,
"help.hlp", 321321)

Sample script for the input box command:

Option Explicit
Dim sPrompt, sTitle, sHelpFile, sRes
Dim vDef
Dim nYPos, nXPos, nContext
sPrompt = "What is your name : sTitle = "Employee Data"
vDef = "Enter Here"
nXPos = 100 : nYPos = 100 : nContext = 1001
sHelpFile = "C:\WINDOWS\system32\winhelp.hlp"
sRes = InputBox(sPrompt, sTitle, vDef, nXPos, nYPos,
sHelpFile, nContext)

Message Box Function

Syntax:

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MsgBox(prompt, buttons, title, helpfile, context)

MsgBox "message"
Example:
MsgBox "Hello World"

IF Loop:
Sample Test Script in IF loop for HP UFT:
This if loops checks the length of the sChars. If it is more than 0
then it checks the value if it belongs to the category between 97
and 122. If yes, it displays message box to enter upper case as first
letter. Else it displays the words in ascending order as output.
Dim sChars
Dim nCharCode
sChars = "UnifiedFunctionalTesting"
If Len(sChars) > 0 Then
nCharCode = Asc(sChars)
If nCharCode >= 97 And nCharCode <= 122 Then
MsgBox "The first char must be uppercase"
Else
MsgBox nCharCode
End If
End If

Program to validate the test data in a VB Script Function:

sText="Welcome"
Function CheckText (sText)
Dim nChar
If Len(sText) > 0 Then
nChar = Asc(sText)
If nChar >= 65 And nChar <= 90 Then
CheckText = "The first character in the word is uppercase"
ElseIf iChar >= 97 And nChar <= 122 Then
CheckText = "The first character in the word is lowercase"
Else
CheckText = "The first character isn't alphabetical"

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End If
Else
CheckText = "Please enter something for the sText"
End If
End Function
For further reading and practice, download the projects at
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation

UFT Test Automation Framework using Excel VBA

Since HP UFT is technically coded with the help of VB Script
programming language, it is possible only through automation
experts to design and maintain the scripts for testing projects. To
enhance the automation tool with handy test data-based excel
sheets and run the test from excel-based documents, certain types
of Excel VBA-based UFT automation frameworks are designed in
order to run the tests from excel sheets. So the changes and
amendments to the scripts can be controlled from excel files, and
any business user can handle this by getting minimum instructions
on how to handle the Excel VBA-based tool to run the automation
tests in HP UFT.

Types of popular Excel VBA-based test automation

frameworks
-Keyword-driven framework
-Data-driven framework
-Table-driven framework
How keyword-driven frameworks are designed?
HP UFT has to be called from excel file using driver script in order
to execute the required test scripts for the testing projects. Press
Alt+F11 to open Visual Basic Editor of excel sheet and create the
following subroutine:
Private Sub ExecuteExcel_Click()
Dim Aut 'As Application
On Error Resume Next
'This is the main script to call HP UFT from Excel sheet:
Set Aut = GetObject(, "QuickTest.Application")

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If Err.Number <> 0 Then

Err.Clear
End If
Set Aut = CreateObject("QuickTest.Application")
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
'If HP UFT is not installed in the test system, this message
should be displayed:
MsgBox "HP Unified Functional Test must be installed to run
this Framework!"
Exit Sub
End If
On Error GoTo 0
Aut.Launch
Aut.Visible = True
Aut.Options.Run.RunMode = "Normal"
'Location of the test scripts are provided here:
Aut.Open "<Location of the UFT test script folder> ", True
Aut.Test.Run
Set Aut = Nothing ' Release the Application object
End Sub

Sample Excel VBA-based keyword-driven framework:

Execute button has been assigned to macro: ExecuteExcel_Click

and test scripts are converted to each column from Column B to F.
Any changes in the objects in near future, simple change over the
excel sheet will be suffice in order to maintain this keyword-driven
framework. Since the test scripts are listed from excel sheet and
converted as a test executable script (.vbs) during test execution,
HP UFT should be installed to run these tests.

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Sample table-driven framework using HP UFT and Selenium

Webdriver
Test projects which need multiple test engines, such as UFT and
Selenium, it is possible to develop the code to test from excel-
based automation framework.

Script to run HP UFT from Excel VBA:

Function UftRun()
Dim xl, bk, s, RowNo, qtpTest, qtpResults, qtp, qtpTestResults
Set qtp = CreateObject("QuickTest.Application")
qtp.Launch
qtp.Visible = True
'qtp.WindowState = "Maximized"
'qtp.Activateview = "ExpertView"
'app.Open "new text document", True
'app.test.Run , True
'Set xl = CreateObject("Excel.Application")
'Set bk = xl.Workbooks.Open("E:\AutomationFramework.xls")
Set s = ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets("Sheet1")
RowNo = 3
s.Cells(RowNo, 3).Value = ""
While Trim(LCase(s.Cells(RowNo, 1))) <> "end"
qtp.Open (s.Cells(RowNo, 1))
'Set s = Nothing
'qtp.Test.Settings.Resources.DataTablePath = s.Cells(RowNo, 2)
Set qtpResults = CreateObject("QuickTest.RunResultsOptions")
qtp.Test.Run qtpResults, True
qtpResults.ResultsLocation = "E:\Results\"
s.Cells(RowNo, 3).Value = "PASS"
RowNo = RowNo + 1
Wend
qtp.Quit
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Set qtp = Nothing

'bk.Close
Set s = Nothing
Set bk = Nothing
Set xl = Nothing
'qtp.Test.Close
OpenFile "E:\TestScripts\Reports\TestReport.html"
AddNewCase 1, "Load Homepage", "Homepage Rendered OK",
"Homepage Rendered OK", "Pass"
AddNewCase 2, "Customer Search", "Customer Record Found",
"Record Not Found", "Fail"
AddNewCase 3, "Close Browser", "Browser Closed OK",
"Browser Closed OK", "Pass"
CloseFile
End Function

Script to run Selenium from Excel VBA

Sub Selenium_Run()
Dim selenium As New SeleniumWrapper.WebDriver
selenium.Start "firefox", "http://www.google.com/"
selenium.Open "http://www.google.com"
selenium.Type "name=q", "Paris"
selenium.Click "name=btnG"
selenium.stop
End Sub

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Ranorex
Programming language used in this section: C#

In order to start the new test, perform the actions suggested below:
File>Click New Solution
New>Test Case
New>Recording solution
Click Record>Global Recording>Start
Note:Click on the web page, and after performing all the actions,
click on Stop button.

Right click on the actions and select „view code‟:

Ranorex sample code in C#
This section is similar to any other C++ scripting using the
different libraries required for the project:
// Click 'Save' button to open 'SaveDialog' after click action
repo.application.Buttons.ButtonSave.Click();

Ranorex sample code to click on an image in C#

Bitmap bmp = Ranorex.Imaging.Load(@"..\..\sampleImage.bmp");
myRepo.WinFormsApp.Self.Click(MouseButtons.Right,bmp);
myRepo.WinFormsApp.Self.Click(new Location(bmp, new
Imaging.FindOptions(0.90)));
Imaging.FindOptions.Default.Similarity = 0.90;
myRepo.WinFormsApp.Self.Click(bmp);
Report.Success("Image is identified and clicked");
Similarity is checked upto 90 percent in the script above (which is
mentioned as 0.90).

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VB Scripting Excel Macro Automation

Programming language used in this section: VB Scripting
More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/00
7ExcelVBATestScripting

Visual Basic Scripting is a largely used scripting language for

automation tools, such as HP Unified Functional Testing (formerly
Quick Test Professional) and TestComplete (which supports five
scripting languages including VB script!).
VB script is a light version of Microsoft's programming language
Visual Basic and default scripting language for ASP (Active
Server Pages). Projects that need custom automation frameworks
due to unavailability of front-end systems or the projects where
SOAP/REST messages have to be automated, excel-based
automation frameworks are designed using VB script in order to
overcome the challenges! This Excel Macro-based automation is
the most important automation skillset in which most of the
leading banks, telecommunication and public sector companies
look forward to have technical specialist with Excel VBA (Macro)
automation expertise. In this section, the introduction to excel
macro-based VB script automation is discussed.

Excel macro-based automation

Excel macros are designed with set of commands and functions
that are required to execute and run the automation tests for the
testing projects. MS Excel provides a built-in functionality known
as Excel formulas (build in macros) which are available for
scripting through macros.

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Type values in each cells and navigate to an empty cell, type

=SUM and then drag to select the data to see the sum of the
selected data. This is an example of a built-in macro of MS Excel.

Creation of macro
Microsoft VB Editor is the environment used to create or edit
macros and VB scripts. The complete automation script and the
logic of automation framework can be updated at Microsoft VB
Editor.
Following are the steps to be followed to create automation
framework with subroutines/macros:
-Open an excel sheet (latest version)
-Press Alt+F11 (shortcut key to open MS VB Editor) or
alternatively select Developer Tab, click on Visual Basic button.

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Enable excel macros

The scripts and subroutines can be saved in macros only when it is
enabled at macro security. In order to enable it, user has to click on
Developer, select Macro Security and choose the option of 'Enable
all macros' as mentioned below:

Sample script at Visual Basic Editor

Follow the steps below to create a macro:
1) Open anexcel file
2) Press Alt + F11
3) Verify Microsoft Script Editor is getting opened
4) Create a subroutine as:
Public Sub welcome()
MsgBox "Welcome to Excel Macro Automation Framework"
End Sub
5) Save the excel file

Follow the below steps to execute the macro created above:

1) Open anexcel file
2) Press Alt + F8
3) Verify macro is getting opened
4) Select the Macro name (which is saved earlier) and click on
Run button
5) The message box should be displayed as designed in the script

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Message box:

Sample script to access the data from the excel sheet

Often it is highly recommended to take the test data from excel
sheet and utilize it as part of automation test execution. For
example, if the set of HTTP requests has to be sent, the message
can be designed by parameterizing the values in the columns of the

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excel sheet. If hundred users have to log in to the particular page,

the log-in functionality is common. So this can be scripted in excel
macro, and the login credentials of hundred users can be listed in
the Excel and referred while running the script.

Access/read the text present in the excel file through a macro

function and follow the steps given below:
1) Create a macro.
2) Be clear about the Row-number and Column-number from
where the text is to be accessed.
3) Use the syntax: Cells (Row-index, Column-index).value.
4) The text captured by this step can be stored in a variable.
5) Then, it can be displayed through a MsgBox.
Public Sub welcome ()
MsgBox " Excel Macro Automation Framework "
strLoginID = Cells(2, 1).Value
MsgBox “The LoginID is : " & strLoginID
strPwd = Cells(2, 2).Value
MsgBox “The Password is : " & strPwd
End Sub

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Result:

Manipulation of the string through Excel macros enables the users

to perform the following tasks:
1) Copy the text
2) Modify the text and/or
3) Delete the text

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Steps to perform any string manipulations

1) Obtain the text which is to be manipulated.
2) Decide the text operation like Append, delete or modify …
which is to be performed.
3) Decide whether the new-text is to be displayed in Msgbox or
inside the excel file.

Script:
Public Sub welcome()
MsgBox " Excel Macro Automation Framework "
strLoginID = Cells(2, 1).Value
strPwd = Cells(2, 2).Value
Cells(2, 3).Value = strLoginID & "is the user id and " &
strLoginID & " is the password."
End Sub

Result:

Example script for case-based conditional loop

Assume that the browser has to be selected for each test
automation script and it has to be recognized by entering the
number in the excel sheet.

The following script is designed for browser selection:

Public Sub welcome()
For Row = 2 To 6
Dim str1 As String
Dim n As Integer
Var = Cells(Row, 1).Value

'This is the sample of CASE statement‟

Select Case Var
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Case 1: result = "Chrome"

Case 2: result = "Firefox"
Case 3: result = "Internet Explorer"
Case 4: result = "Safari"
Case 5: result = "Opera"

End Select
If Cells(Row, 1) <= 5 Then
Cells(Row, 2).Value = "The Browser selection is " & result
Else
MsgBox "Enter right number for the browser and continue"
End If
Next
End Sub

Press Alt+F8 to execute this script:

Valid result:

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Instead the value from 1 to 5, enter 7 in one of the rows and

validate the result:

Commonly used VB script functions are listed for reference:

String – accepts a number and a character. Returns a string created
with the character repeated the given number of times.
Len – returns the number of characters in a given string.
InStr – accepts two strings and returns whether the second is
contained within the first or not.
Left, Right – accepts a string and a length and returns a substring
of the given length from the beginning or the end of the original
string. It also returns the original string if the given number is
larger than the actual length of the string.
Mid – accepts a string, a starting point and a length andreturns a
substring of the given length from the starting point of the original
string.
Split – accepts a string and a delimiter character and returns an
array of substrings.
Date – returns the current system date. Time returns the current
system time. Now returns the system date and time.

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DateAdd – adds the specified number of years, months, weeks,

days, hours, minutes or seconds to the given date.
DateDiff – returns the number of years, months, weeks, days,
hours, minutes or seconds between the two given dates. The return
value is negative if the first date is after the second date.
Day, Month, Year, Weekday – accepts a date and returns just the
desired portion of the date.

GUI form control in Excel VBA

With the help of VB Form UI objects, Excel VBA automation
frameworks are designed with available objects to utilize functions
like RUN, COMPILE and other functions:
1) Text Box
2) Button
3) Label
4) ComboBox
5) ListBox
6) CheckBox
7) OptionBox (RadioButton)
8) ToggleButton
9) Frame
10) TabStrip
11) Multi-page
12) ScrollBar
13) Spin button
14) Image
15) RefEdit

These objects can be inserted by selecting Developer tab, click

Insert button then choose the object:

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Choose the button and change the name to RUN:

How to edit the name?

Right click on the button then click on Edit Text as shown below:

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Assign the script to the button

Once the script is assigned to the button, there is no need to
execute every time by pressing Alt+F8. So all users‟ need is to
click on the button RUN to execute!
This can be done by right click on the button, choose 'Assign
Macro', select the subroutine developed for the automation
framework and click on the button OK.

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Once the subroutine is assigned, just click on the RUN button to

get the results:
Step1: Click on RUN button

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Step2: Validate the results

Control form in Excel VBA

Click Insert and select UserForm in order to create a new form for
data inputs:

Create a form with following labels,text boxes and button:

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Write the script for sheet1:

Script for the form:

Basically, clicking on the RUN button opens the form:

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Click on the ReadFile button and see the data updated in the sheet:

Similarly, introduce a new button with the name Write File to write
back to the same location in excel is possible through the below
script:

Script:
In ReadForm:
Private Sub CommandButton1_Click()
TextBox1.Text = Sheet1.Cells(3, 2).Value

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TextBox2.Text = Sheet1.Cells(4, 2).Value

TextBox3.Text = Sheet1.Cells(5, 2).Value
TextBox4.Text = Sheet1.Cells(6, 2).Value
TextBox5.Text = Sheet1.Cells(7, 2).Value
End Sub

Private Sub CommandButton2_Click()

txtName = TextBox1.Text
intNumber = TextBox2.Text
txtSource = TextBox3.Text
txtDest = TextBox4.Text
intDate = TextBox5.Text

Sheet1.Cells(3, 2).Value = txtName

Sheet1.Cells(4, 2).Value = intNumber
Sheet1.Cells(5, 2).Value = txtSource
Sheet1.Cells(6, 2).Value = txtDest
Sheet1.Cells(7, 2).Value = intDate
End Sub

In Sheet1:
Public Sub RUN()
ReadForm.Show
End Sub

Nature of the automation frameworks in Excel VBA

Test data sheets are integrated with automation frameworks using
Excel VBA, and the framework runs the test automation tool in the
background by clicking on the RUN button or the similar button in
the excel sheet. This is the most important technology in
automation frameworks which is expected to grow large in the next
couple of years.

Example 1: Capture the test data in Sheet1, click on Run button

which leads to test execution through Selenium Webdriver.

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Example 2: Capture the test data in Sheet1, click on Run button

which leads to test execution through HP UFT.
Example 3: Capture the test data in Sheet1, click on Run button
which leads to test execution through SOAP messages.

Sample project on Excel VBA data comparison:

Step1 – Create a tab 'Source' with data in three columns 'Employee

ID,Name,Address' along with Compare button:

Step2 – Create a tab 'Target' with data in three columns 'Employee

ID,Name,Address'.

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Step3 – Create a blank tab 'Comparison':

Step4 – Test Script in ThisWorkbook:

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Write the sample scripts given below to understand the Excel VBA
code:

Public Sub ReconReport()

Dim rngCellSheet1 As Range
Dim intRow As Integer
Dim intCol As Integer
Dim intInternalCol As Variant
Dim intInternalRow As Variant
Dim SourceValue As Variant
Dim TargetValue As Variant
Dim printColHeading As Variant
Dim dtReport As Date
Dim intTotalSource As Integer
Dim intTotalTarget As Integer
Dim strRange As Variant

Worksheets(1).Name = "Source"
Worksheets(2).Name = "Target"
Worksheets(3).Name = "Comparison"

dtReport = Now()

Worksheets("Comparison").Range("A1:D1").MergeCells = True
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(1, 1).Font.ColorIndex = 5
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(1, 1).Font.Bold = True

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Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(1, 1) = "Report Generated On : "

& dtReport

intRow = 3
intCol = 1

Call LayOut(intRow, intCol)

Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol) = "DB"
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol).ColumnWidth =
8
Call LayOut(intRow, intCol + 1)
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 1) = "Column"
Call LayOut(intRow, intCol + 2)
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 2) = "Row"
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol +
2).HorizontalAlignment = xlRight

Call LayOut(intRow, intCol + 3)

Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 3) = "Source
Value"
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol +
3).ColumnWidth = 15
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol +
3).HorizontalAlignment = xlRight

Call LayOut(intRow, intCol + 4)

Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 4) = "Target
Value"
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol +
4).ColumnWidth = 15
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol +
4).HorizontalAlignment = xlRight

intRow = intRow + 1
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol) = "Source"

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Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol).Font.Bold =
True
intRow = intRow + 1

intTotalSource = 0
intInternalCol = 1
Do While (intInternalCol <=
Worksheets("Source").UsedRange.Columns.Count)
intInternalRow = 1
printColHeading = "N"
Do While (intInternalRow <=
Worksheets("Source").UsedRange.Columns(intInternalCol).Rows.
Count)
SourceValue = Worksheets("Source").Cells(intInternalRow,
intInternalCol)
TargetValue = Worksheets("Target").Cells(intInternalRow,
intInternalCol)
If Not SourceValue = TargetValue Then
If printColHeading = "N" Then
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 1) =
Worksheets("Target").Cells(1, intInternalCol)
printColHeading = "Y"
intRow = intRow + 1
End If
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 2) =
intInternalRow
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 3) =
SourceValue
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 4) =
TargetValue
intRow = intRow + 1
intTotalSource = intTotalSource + 1
End If
intInternalRow = intInternalRow + 1
Loop
intInternalCol = intInternalCol + 1
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Loop

intRow = intRow + 1

strRange = "A" & intRow & ":D" & intRow

Worksheets("Comparison").Range(strRange).MergeCells = True
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, 1).Font.ColorIndex = 5
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, 1).Font.Bold = True
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, 1) = "Total Number of
Difference : " & intTotalSource

intTotalTarget = 0
intRow = intRow + 3
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol) = "Target"
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol).Font.Bold =
True
intRow = intRow + 1
intInternalCol = 1
Do While (intInternalCol <=
Worksheets("Target").UsedRange.Columns.Count)
intInternalRow = 1
printColHeading = "N"
Do While (intInternalRow <=
Worksheets("Target").UsedRange.Columns(intInternalCol).Rows.
Count)
TargetValue = Worksheets("Target").Cells(intInternalRow,
intInternalCol)
SourceValue = Worksheets("Source").Cells(intInternalRow,
intInternalCol)
If Not SourceValue = TargetValue Then
If printColHeading = "N" Then
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 1) =
Worksheets("Source").Cells(1, intInternalCol)
printColHeading = "Y"
intRow = intRow + 1
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End If
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 2) =
intInternalRow
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 3) =
SourceValue
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, intCol + 4) =
TargetValue
intRow = intRow + 1
intTotalTarget = intTotalTarget + 1
End If
intInternalRow = intInternalRow + 1
Loop
intInternalCol = intInternalCol + 1
Loop

intRow = intRow + 1

strRange = "A" & intRow & ":D" & intRow

Worksheets("Comparison").Range(strRange).MergeCells = True
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, 1).Font.ColorIndex = 5
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, 1).Font.Bold = True
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(intRow, 1) = "Total Number of
Difference : " & intTotalTarget

End Sub

Public Sub LayOut(ByVal row As Integer, ByVal col As Integer)

Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(row, col).Font.Bold = True
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(row, col).Interior.ColorIndex = 3
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(row, col).Font.ColorIndex = 0
Worksheets("Comparison").Cells(row, col).Font.Bold = True
End Sub

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Step5 – Right click on the Compare button in Source Tab and

assign following macro:

Step 6 – Test Execution – Click on Compare button and see the

result in comparison tab:

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How to Test Excel Sheet?

Programming language used in this section: VB Script

In small and medium-level companies, the majority of manual tests

are completed with the help of excel sheets for test cases and test
execution. But testing the Excel itself as an application under test
(AUT) is a different task, and it can be achieved with automation
tools like HP UFT (formerly QTP).
Solution for the Excel Testing using HP UFT
In order to compare the excel files and its objects as part of HP
UFT automation framework, the sample script is as follows:
We need two excel files to perform the test on this script at the
folder C:\excelfolder\
File names: excelfile1.xls and excelfile2.xls
Paste this script in HP UFT or Excel VBA macro to get worked:
Mismatch=0
Set myxl = createobject("excel.application")

'To make Excel visible

myxl.Visible = True

'Open a workbook "excelfile1.xls"

Set Workbook1= myxl.Workbooks.Open("C:\excelfolder\excelfile
1.xls")

'Open a workbook " excelfile2.xls"

Set Workbook2= myxl.Workbooks.Open("C:\excelfolder\excelfile
2.xls")

Set mysheet1=Workbook1.Worksheets("Sheet1")
Set mysheet2=Workbook2.Worksheets("Sheet1")

'Compare two sheets cell by cell

For Each cell In mysheet1.UsedRange
'Highlights the cell if cell values not match
If cell.Value <>mysheet2.Range(cell.Address).Value Then
'Highlights the cell if cell values not match

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cell.Interior.ColorIndex = 3
mismatch=1
End If
Next
If Mismatch=0 Then
Msgbox "No Mismach exists"
End If
'close the workbooks
Workbook1.close
Workbook2.close

myxl.Quit
set myxl=nothing

For further reading and practice, download the projects at

https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation

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IBM Rational Functional Test

Programming language used in this section: Java Programming

RFT uses Java (primary) and VB scripting as programming

language, and it consists of the following features:
- Projects
- Test Object Inspector
- Test Object Map
- Recording test scripts
- Replay test scripts
- Debug scripts
- Java scripting
- Create verification points – GUI, Bitmap, Menu
- Databases sample scripts
- Data pool the test cases
- Suite (Batch Run)

Following menus are available on top level:

- File
- Edit
- Navigate
- Search
- Project
- Script
- Configure
- Run
- Window
- Help

How to create a project in IBM RFT?

Test project has to be created to automate the application and
maintain the test scripts. Moreover, it is advised to have unique
project name as per the project title to remember them during the
test execution.

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Click on File Menu, select New and click on Project ….

How to delete a project?

Click on Edit and select Delete:

How to navigate to different projects in IBM RFT?

Testing teams can align different projects in IBM RFT. If a user

needs to navigate to different test project, click on Navigate menu
and select Go to:

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How to search for the particular script?

Click on Search in menu and select Search:

How to run the scripts in IBM RFT?

Click on Script in menu items and select Run button:

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How to create a test automation project using IBM RFT?

Step1: Test application needs to be configured in order to automate
using IBM RFT and navigate to configure tab.

How to configure the menu and applications in IBM RFT?

Click on Configure and select 'Configure Applications for Testing':

Set up the path of the test application:

If the test application is a web browser, this has to be configured in

Configure>Enable Environment:

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Step2: Test Object Inspector – Click on Run in menu and select

Test Object Inspector:

Test objects are viewed using this feature and information such as
parent hierarchy, inheritance hierarchy, test object properties, non-
value properties and method that can be used for those objects.
Windows objects are also captured from Test Object Inspector!
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Best practice:
Evaluate the tool by testing the sample application and analyzing
the test object-capturing method in order to perform Proof of
Concept for test automation readiness.

Parent hierarchy details are explored through Test Object

Inspector:

Step 3: Preferences: Set the Recognition Level and Warning Level

of objects on the basis of the observation from PoC (Proof of
Concept):

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Step 4; Record the script:

During the recording of test script, the script commands appeared
in object.action() format for example object.select("item") or
object.click(). All commands are based on GUI (graphical user
interface) objects, and Test Object Map plays key role as a
repository to all the test objects.

The commands used mostly are listed below for reference:

edit box, list box, check button, radio button, push button, tab, grid,
scroll bar,window, menu, toolbar, edit box

Click on Add Script using Recorder and record the script:

Types of common RFT commands

Action commands: These are commands that trigger the events
such as click, edit, open for example object.click().
Get commands: These are commands returning the information or
the property of the particular element such as
object.getProperty("PropertyName").
Verification point-based commands: These are commands that
verify object attributes such as objectVP.performtest().

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Wait for existence-based commands: These are commands that

wait for certain seconds until the appearance of the object and then
move on to the next command line such as
object.waitforexistance(“Test Object ”).

Step 5 – Identify how the objects are mapped for each test script:
Once the test script is recorded, recognized mappings of logical to
physical names of classes and objects in the application are stored
in following format:

Sample test script

/*
* Description : Test Automation Sample Script
*/
import resources.order1Helper;
import com.rational.test.ft.*;
import com.rational.test.ft.object.interfaces.*;
import com.rational.test.ft.object.interfaces.SAP.*;
import com.rational.test.ft.object.interfaces.siebel.*;
import com.rational.test.ft.script.*;
import com.rational.test.ft.value.*;
import com.rational.test.ft.vp.*;
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public void sampletestMain(Object[] args)

{
// Frame: Order Request System
jmb().click(atPath("Order"));
jmb().click(atPath("Order->Place New Order..."));
// Frame: Member Logon
newCustomer().click();
ok().click();
// Frame: Place an Order
cardNumberIncludeTheSpacesText().click(atPoint(24,11));
placeAnOrder().inputChars("Music iPod Buy");
nameText().click(atPoint(27,13));
placeAnOrder().inputChars("Sell");
phoneText().click(atPoint(17,12));
placeAnOrder().inputChars("Purchase");
placeOrder().click();
}
For further reading and practice, download the projects at
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation

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SOA Test Automation

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) testing is an evolving testing
domain expected to grow rapidly in the next twenty years with
multiple new implementations. SOA is an architecture overall for
building the business applications based on the requirements. It
consists of loosely coupled black box components orchestrated to
provide a well-defined/established service by connecting the
business processes into one umbrella.
SOA is a collection of services that communicates within,
performs data transfer and at the same time coordinates the
activities together for the business requirements!

Typical request and response of an eCommerce server–client

model is described above. If a customer is buying a product from
eCommerce website, the client computer/device or mobile talks to
the server of eCommerce system as a request and receives the
response in order to process the purchase further.

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Purchasing of a product from eCommerce SOA– an example

When customers purchase products over the eCommerce portals,

they interact with eCommerce servers to get the response, and all
the requests and responses are getting stored in database server in
order to track the orders. Verifying requests and responses of these
eCommerce transactions need a strong expertise over test
automation on the requests push over the server and verification
over the responses what customers get is typical testing example in
SOA model.

What is called 'service' in SOA?

Any repeatable task in business transaction is considered service.
Request for an exchange rate over the foreign-exchange-transfer
website which is a request and the ideal response is the exchange
rate and fee for the particular amount of transfer.

What is 'service orientation' in SOA?

Whilevarious services are providing similar process results, the
better approach in the business is to integrate the related services
together. For example, if eCommerce platform is integrated to
bank payments and shipment systems, the entire workflow gets
integrated in one login and the user can book the service, pay for

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the service and use the shipment system till the end of the service
which can be called the integration of the complete services.

What are the types in SOA testing?

SOAP UI testing, XML testing and REST Protocol testing are
some of the types of SOA testing at the moment.

SOAP Messages Automation

Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a standard protocol
specification for message exchange based on XML. XML
messages are used for the communication between the web service
and client.
SOAP defines the rules for communication, for example what are
the tags that should be used in XML and their meaning. An
advantage of SOAP – since HTTP requests are usually allowed
through firewalls(will not be filtered by firewall), programs using
SOAP to communicate can be sure that they can communicate with
programs anywhere. WSDL refactoring allows you to
automatically update your tests and simulations to be compliant
with new versions of your WSDLs
Automation of SOAP messages is one of the key areas where the
next-generation-test automation focusing on!
SOAP message has four parts – Envelope, Header, Body and Fault.
Only Envelope and Body are mandatory in order to send the SOAP
messages through the URL.
SOAP sender usually sends the message with format and data in
respective tags. SOAP receiver receives the SOAP messages and
processes it further. Hence, SOAP receiver processes and sends the
response back, which will be received and validated.

Sample SOAP input message

<soapenv:Envelope
xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
xmlns:b="http://htng.org/2013A"
xmlns:ns="http://www.opentravel.org/OTA/2003/05"
xmlns:wsu="http://docs.oasis-

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open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-
1.0.xsd"
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<soapenv:Header>
<To
xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing">http
://localhost:63682/Service1.asmx</To>
<Action
xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing">http
://localhost:63682/Service1.asmx?op=UpdateRoomStatus</Actio
n>
<ReplyTo
xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing">
<Address>http://localhost:63682/Service1.asmx</Address>
</ReplyTo>
<MessageID
xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/08/addressing">uui
d:ceb2798e-76d9-433b-87de-2da0e96557d3</MessageID>
<Security xmlns="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-
200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd">
<UsernameTokenxmlns="http://docs.oasis-
open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-
1.0.xsd"
xmlns:ns15="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2006/02/addressingi
dentity" xmlns:ns14="http://docs.oasis-open.org/ws-sx/ws-
secureconversation/200512"
xmlns:ns13="http://www.w3.org/2003/05/soap-envelope"
wsu:Id="uuid_f794ba10-e1a0-40ae-b184-909efbd1e2e9">
<Username xmlns="http://docs.oasis-
open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-
1.0.xsd">IGRUser</Username>
<Password xmlns="http://docs.oasis-
open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-
1.0.xsd" Type="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-
200401-wss-username-token-profile-
1.0#PasswordText">*****</Password>
</UsernameToken>
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</Security>
</soapenv:Header>
<soapenv:Body>
<b:HTNG_HotelRoomStatusUpdateNotifRQ
EchoToken="Echo22222" TimeStamp="2014-08-17T09:30:47Z"
Version="1.0">
<b:POS>
<b:Source>
<b:RequestorID Type="10" ID_Context="SUPERHOTEL_PMS"
ID="PMS1">
<b:CompanyName>Superhotel</b:CompanyName>
</b:RequestorID>
</b:Source>
</b:POS>
<b:PropertyInfo ChainCode="HotelChain"
BrandCode="HotelBrand" HotelCode="HotelHotel"/>
<b:Room RoomID="EE12345">
<b:Devices>
<b:Device ID="2341ae3c" FriendlyName="MB-12345"
Description="Mini Bar" Class="InRoomRefreshmentCenter">
<b:PriorHealthStatus Value="ERROR" Reason="UNKNOWN"/>
<b:CurrentHealthStatus Value="OPERATIONAL"
Reason="POWER_CYCLED">Manual device reset
performed</b:CurrentHealthStatus>
</b:Device>
<b:Device ID="ef3278ea" FriendlyName="OS-12345"
Description="Ceiling Sensor"
Class="OccupancyDetection">
<b:PriorHealthStatus Value="ERROR"
Reason="LOW_BATTERY"/>
<b:CurrentHealthStatus Value="OPERATIONAL"
Reason="BATTERY_REPLACEMENT">Device
online.</b:CurrentHealthStatus>
</b:Device>
</b:Devices>
</b:Room>
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</b:HTNG_HotelRoomStatusUpdateNotifRQ>
</soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

The above message is a sample SOAP input request message for

room-booking service thatis sent to respective SOAP receiver for
the processing of the message. The next message is the output
received after the process. The below response message has to be
validated in order to ensure that the request and response are
matching as expected.

SOAP automation using Excel VBA

Programming language used in this section: VB Script

SOAP messages can be sent using Excel VBA (refer the section of
Excel VBA automation to understand the Visual Basic Editor).
Update SERVER address with valid address for the URL it is
getting used below.

Option Explicit

'Set Reference to Microsoft XML, v6.0

Sub login()
Dim responseText As String
Dim sURL As String
Dim sEnv As String
Dim xmlhtp As New MSXML2.XMLHTTP
Dim xmlDoc As New DOMDocument
Dim startPos, endPos, openTag, closeTag, startTagPos, sid As
String
sURL = "[URL="http://<SERVER
ADDRESS>:8080/axis/services/USD_R11_WebService?wsdl"]ht
tp://< SERVER ADDRESS
>:8080/axis/services/USD_R11_WebService?wsdl[/URL]"
sEnv = "<?xml version=""1.0"" encoding=""utf-8""?>"
sEnv = sEnv & "<soap:Envelope
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xmlns:xsi=""[URL="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-
instance"]http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-
instance[/URL]""
xmlns:xsd=""[URL="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"]htt
p://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema[/URL]""
xmlns:soap=""[URL="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/
"]http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/[/URL]"">"
sEnv = sEnv & " <soap:Body>"
sEnv = sEnv & " <login
xmlns=""[URL="http://www.ca.com/UnicenterServicePlus/Servi
ceDesk"]http://www.ca.com/UnicenterServicePlus/ServiceDesk[/
URL]"">"
sEnv = sEnv & " <username></username>"
sEnv = sEnv & " <password></password>"
sEnv = sEnv & " </login>"
sEnv = sEnv & " </soap:Body>"
sEnv = sEnv & "</soap:Envelope>"
With xmlhtp
.Open "post", sURL, False
.setRequestHeader "Host", "webservices.gama-system.com"
.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "text/xml; charset=utf-
8"
.setRequestHeader "soapAction",
"[URL="http://www.ca.com/UnicenterServicePlus/ServiceDesk"]
http://www.ca.com/UnicenterServicePlus/ServiceDesk[/URL]"
.setRequestHeader "Accept-encoding", "zip"
.send sEnv
xmlDoc.LoadXML .responseText
responseText = .responseText
End With
openTag = "<loginReturn"
closeTag = "</loginReturn>"
startPos = InStr(1, responseText, openTag) + 10
endPos = InStr(1, responseText, closeTag)
startTagPos = InStr(startPos, responseText, ">") + 1
' Parse xml for returned value

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sid = Mid(responseText, startTagPos, endPos - startTagPos)

'Call Next Web Service
getUser
End Sub

Sample test project on SOAP Excel VBA automation

Step1:
Capture the sample SOAP request:
Request:
POST
http://www.w3schools.com/webservices/tempconvert.asmx
HTTP/1.1
Host: www.w3schools.com
Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8
Content-Length: 388
SOAPAction:
"http://www.w3schools.com/webservices/CelsiusToFahrenheit"

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<soap:Envelope
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<soap:Body>
<CelsiusToFahrenheit
xmlns="http://www.w3schools.com/webservices/">
<Celsius>25</Celsius>
</CelsiusToFahrenheit>
</soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

Response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Cache-Control: private, max-age=0,public

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Content-Type: text/xml; charset=utf-8

Date: Thu, 04 Jun 2015 20:59:50 GMT
Server: Microsoft-IIS/7.5
X-AspNet-Version: 4.0.30319
X-Powered-By: ASP.NET
Content-Length: 408

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><soap:Envelope

xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"><soap:Body
><CelsiusToFahrenheitResponse
xmlns="http://www.w3schools.com/webservices/"><CelsiusToFa
hrenheitResult>77</CelsiusToFahrenheitResult></CelsiusToFahr
enheitResponse></soap:Body></soap:Envelope>

Step2:
Analyze what needs to be parameterized?
Answer: Inputs can be parameterized. In the request above:
<Celsius>25</Celsius>
Step3:
Create a new excel file, insert a button and update with Input
column and input value:

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For further reading and practice, download the projects at

https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation

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Data Warehouse Testing (DWH)

DWH is one of the highly important and growing sectors of
software testing industry. The expertise required in DWH/ETL
(extract-transform-load) has been very critical for world leading
testing projects.

Key advantages of any ETL tools

As per Ralph Kimball (author of The Data
WarehouseETLToolkit), the three important areas to determine
best ETL tools are as follows:
Timeliness of the tool: How quick the tool performs the ETL
process!
Data volume: How much data it is capable of extract, transform
and load to process the steps!
Response time: How quick it is to respond back with the results
what is required when requested!

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Datawarehousing process flow

Extract

Transform:
Analyse,
Clean and
Transform

Periodic Refresh and Load

Load:
Data Movement
and Load

Why data transformation is required?

Every business is growing with multiple business transactions
which enable to have multiple databases to store the records. Each
database has different codification and format requirements based
on the business need.
When two businesses merge, it creates a disparity over the data
representations automatically. So merger and acquisitions provide
a gateway to handle ETL process in a structured and more
advanced method

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Why the data has to be transformed?

Operational data of business is supposed to be converted into a
consistent and business-oriented format that leads to the need of
transformation. It means that the transformation computes the
derived information, and summarization is carried out to aggregate
and precompute the summaries provided.
When the importance of load is to be known?
If multiple data formats are used in different database tables, it is
discernible that the load process is tedious for maintaining the
large database systems.

The ETL process of DWH testing

Define/Code
Data Modelling Extraction
Tool Rules

Data Definition
MDDB

Metadata
Repository

RDBMS

Extract Program
Generation

Run Extract Load Data

Programs Warehouse

Source Database

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High-level ETL processing logic in OLTP systems to DWH

flow

OLTP Systems

Transform

Extract Load
OLTP Systems Data Warehouse
STAGING AREA

OLTP Systems

STAGE1 STAGE2 STAGE3

How organizations choose among ETL products?

When big organizations change over a period of time, they adapt
either generic solutions that are already built in to serve the market
needs or they adapt a custom solution in which specifications are
made on the basis of the business needs. In custom solutions,
RDBMS staging tables and stored procedures are used and
programming languages such as C,C++,Perl and Visual Basic are
the most required skills to perform customization. Building code
generators are the key tasks of those ETL activities. Either of the
ways the testing of data transformation is compulsory in order to
confirm that the ETL process is working as expected.

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Why generic solutions are required by organizations?

Auto-generated scripts are major advantage of generic solutions,
and the limitation due to manual coding across project has been
reduced when the solutions are implemented. Especially, if the
business value has to be quantified in terms of how beneficial it is
to implement any tool or solution is something depends on how
beneficiary the tool is. With the help of Generic Solutions,
functionality, reliability and viability are no longer considered the
major or critical issues by organizations!

ETL tools
Huge number of transformation rules with a GUI (graphical user
interface) can be specified by ETL tools. These ETL tools can
generate programs to transform data across the database. Multiple
data sources can be controlled, and data redundancy can be
addressed to the greater extent!
Metadata can be generated as output from ETL tools, and most of
the tools run multi-threaded-environment-based low-cost servers to
benefit the ease of tool usage!

ETL tool classification

Generation 1: Code-generation-oriented products
These are some of the famous first-generation tools: Prism,
Passport, ETI-Extract, Copy Manager, SAS/Warehouse
Administrator.
Source code is generated through ETL tools in first generation, and
most of the projects customized the source code to executable code
to utilize in projects. GUI interfaces are used to define the process
and server or host runs the extract, transform and load process.
Most of the tools generate the source code automatically for extract
program, and it can be compiled, scheduled and run in batch mode.
Intermediate files are also used, and most of the programs were
single threaded in first generation with the capability of metadata
generation to limited amount of the complete project.
Although the tools were mature and programmers were capable of
using their Cobol, C and C++ knowledge to generate code, the
training to those ETL tools were complex and expensive.
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Especially,extract-related programs have to be compiled from

source, and transformation-based code has to be customized
manually for single execution as parallel execution was not
supported in those days! So most of the metadata were manually
generated with limited amount of autogeneration in place!

Generation 2: Engine-directed projects

These are some of the famous first-generation tools: Data Mart
Solution, DataStage, PowerCenter/Mart
Executable code can be generated when configuration and
customization are set as per the project description, and this
executable code can directly generate metadata as outputs with the
aid of Generation 2 tools! All extraction, transformation and load
runs can be performed in server machines, and data can be directly
processed on server from source.

Structured Query Language (SQL) for Software Testing

Functional testers are expected to possess good knowledge on SQL
to get into testing projects as a basic requirement. This aims to
ensure that the project database has been verified on the basis of
the tests performed. In terms of DB verification, basic queries of
SQL are highly recommended as a knowledge base for any entry-
level testers.
For automation testers, advanced SQL-level understanding is
highly recommended since the code has to interact with DB to
extract the relevant test results and match them with front end
results.

What is SQL?
SQL is a structured query language for storing, manipulating and
retrieving data that stored in relational database. The names of
some relational databases are MySQL, MS Access, Oracle, Sybase
and Informix.

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Enhance automation framework with DB verification

capability
Let us take an example of implementing SQL-based tests in
Selenium. Download the required jar file (mysql-connector-java-
3.1.13-bin.jar)from the link below:
http://www.java2s.com/Code/Jar/m/Downloadmysqlconnectorjava
3114bingjar.htm
Once downloaded, update to the Reference Libraries as mentioned
in the earlier chapters on the automation framework development.
//As part of the class file, update the required imports as follows:
import org.TestNG.After;
import org.TestNG.Before;
import org.TestNG.Test;
import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.ResultSet;
import java.sql.Statement;

//This class file is explained in terms of adapting the DB

verification within the selenium script
public class DBTesing {
// Database URL has been assigned with DB_URL as a constant
public static String DB_URL="jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/user";
// Connection object which is assigned to null initially.
static Connection con = null;
// Statement object is assigned as stmt
private static Statement stmt;
// Constant for DB Username
public static String DATABASE_USER = "xxxxxxx";
// Constant for Database Password
public static String DATABASE _PASSWORD = "xxxxxxx";
@Before
public void setUp() throws Exception {
try{
// Database connection is getting established in this line
String dbClass = "com.mysql.jdbc.Driver";
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Class.forName(dbClass).newInstance();
// DB Connection is getting established here:
Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection(DB_URL,
DATABASE_USER, DATABSE_PASSWORD);
// Statement object to send the SQL statement to the Database
stmt = con.createStatement();
}
catch (Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
@Test
public void test() {
try{
//Insert the SQL query within the Selenium Script here:
String query = "select * from table t where empid=101";
// Get the contents of t table from DB
ResultSet res = stmt.executeQuery(query);
// Print the result untill all the records are printed
// res.next() returns true if there is any next record else returns false
while (res.next())
{
System.out.print(res.getString(1));
System.out.print("\t" + res.getString(2));
System.out.print("\t" + res.getString(3));
System.out.println("\t" + res.getString(4));
}
}
catch(Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
@After

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public void tearDown() throws Exception {

// Close Database connection
if (con != null) {
con.close();
}
}
}

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Object Recognition
In earlier chapters, the topics are covered on how the tools are
used along with sample document format for test plan, test cases
and other test team document methods.In this chapter, an
important topic has been discussed on how automation tools
capturing the human usability using object properties recognition!
When user manually operates the functions on the web pages or
the applications, the same steps are automated using the object-
capturing method of automation tools. This is a process of pattern
recognition algorithm using feature-based or the property-based
techniques by every automation tool.

HP UFT (formerly HP QTP) – test object model

Objects of the applications are captured and used from object
repository (.tsr files) in the „test object model‟.
Two types of supported repository in QTP are: local and shared
object repository. During the recognition of the objects (using
Object Spy tool within QTP or descriptive programmingmanually
updates the script with properties), QTP tries to use a „human‟-like
technology for identification. During test execution, the tool
compares the stored object repository with actual properties
available on the application. If the Run Time-Objects matches to
the stored objects, it performs the actions and events instructed by
the script, and it consequently completes the test execution.

Ranorex – ready to use GUI objects

Objects of the applications are captured and utilized from Ranorex
object repository to manage GUI/application-based objects and
represent the file-based mapping information. Ranorex Spy is used
for the identification of the object properties (likeXpath of the
properties). The advantage of the tool is on „ready to use GUI
objects‟ as each Ranorex repository automatically generates a
source code file in DotNet file in which all the elements of
Ranorex adapters are located. Thus, the automation scripts are
simplified by reusing these auto-generated scripts based on the
objects.

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Selenium IDE – locators

Selenium IDE is an add-on to Firefox at the moment, and the
following are the most common object locaters within Selenium
IDE: ID, ClassName, Name, TagName, LinkText, PartialLinkText,
Xpath, CSS Selector, DOM. After capturing the scripts through
record mode, clicking on Target listbox drop down, it provides the
option of picking selective/right object properties for the test.
Please refer the Selenium IDE section to fully comprehendwith the
help of the programsillustrated in examples.

Selenium Webdriver – object properties

The advantage of Selenium Webdriver is to customize the script by
creating the object repository in a separate properties file and list
all the xpath properties of the GUI over the properties file location.
Thelocators who frequently used the Industry best practice on
Selenium Webdriver are namely ID, ClassName, Name, TagName,
LinkText, PartialLinkText, Xpath, CSS Selector and DOM. Kindly
refer Selenium Webdriver section to understand how to call the
properties file within the automation script (class file).

Object Recognition Technology – Automation Testing

In earlier chapters, the topics are covered on how the tools are
used along with sample document format for test plan, test cases
and other test team document methods. The previous chapter talks
about object recognition; in this chapter, the key challenges of
automation testing in objection recognition are discussed.
XPath of the objects is completely trusted to build the automation
frameworks across the organizations. Especially if the automation
framework is made up of Selenium or UFT (formerly QTP) or
Ranorex or any other automation tool, the core logic of capturing
the object is through XPath is considered to be the most common
way of automation frameworks.
If the frameworks depend on XPath or the object properties, the
need for changes over a period of time results in automation
framework failures. This is one of the main reasons why most of
the automation frameworks show Return on Investment only in
long term! When the project exists for more than five years, it is

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obvious that the objects travel across many changes. So the

automation framework has to be maintained as per the changes
made to the objects across the test projects.

Object property reference tables in an exclusive database

To avoid rewriting the automation framework scripts and editing
the xpath property details frequently, it is useful to list the entire
properties and the object details in database that can be controlled
by developers and testers for their testing purposes! For example,
developers use xpath properties for their unit testing as part of
BDD (behavior-driven development) and on the other hand testers
use the properties for regression testing. Hence, the need of the
common xpath referencing table is of right approach-so that the
changes to the objects are getting notified by both the stakeholders
by implementing this approach!
If the existing code in Selenium written in this model:
driver.findElement(By.name("j_namefield")).click();
It has to be upgraded to the below format to adapt this solution:
driver.findElement(By.name (select object_property from table
Ref where test_name= „Regression‟)).click();
When the database is connected to the framework in initial steps,
the ongoing scripts can receive the respective line of data and
extract the required object details from DB to perform the test
automation. Whenever the object properties are getting changed,
this can be updated to the database to keep the references up-to-
date.

File upload method:

Automation framework can display message to upload the object
properties csv file or excel file in order to perform the automation
execution for the latest object properties uploaded. In this way, any
latest changes can be updated to the csv file by developers or
testers and at the same time it can be used during the test
execution.

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Why to Learn Appium?

Programming language used in this section: Java Programming
More code examples of this section are available from github at:
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation/tree/master/01
9AppiumTest

Software testing has been emerging as an exclusive software

specialization, and it has been growing like never before! Test
automation branched toward open-source tools and Selenium
grown as one of the leading tools in test automation world. But
how to compare the tools and observe which tool has a great
future? Learning particular tool will give a niche job opportunity,
but how to know which tool is the right tool to learn? Let us
understand how people are searching particular automation tool
across the globe!

Test automation tool analysis:

Selenium has been growing since 2011 and overtaken QTP in 2015
due to the hunt for Selenium in the market by a number of people ;
hence, Selenium Webdriver is popular and competent enough to
get implemented like QTP in test automation projects, whereas
Appium has started its growth only since 2013. But it has been
growing in a consistent speed.
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Let us concentrate on the three tools popular to mobile testing

world-Ranorex,Watir and Appium. Needless to say as Selenium's
new tool Appium is growing in a rapid speed from the year 2014!
If we compare Appium, Robotium and Ranorex, there is a clear
decline of Robotium over a period from 2014 onwards, and
Ranorex is growing at a slower pace but in a steady phase. But
Appium grew with a mind-blowing speed from2014 onwards!

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Functional, Penetration, Performance, Automation and Android

(Mobile) testings are the separate practices within software testing
domain; there is no doubt that performance testing was studied
across the years and stabilized to be the most niche domain with
popularity. But automation testing has been growing since 2006 in
a steady phase! Among the divisions, mobile testing is the recently
started area where lot of scope for growth and opportunities are
expected in near future as the mobile testing and test automation
practices of android devices are growing in a good speed since
2009!

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If we carefully look at the Appium comparing to all other tools

from each domain (Selenium from test automation, JMeter from
Performance testing and Manual testing), it is a new tool and we
can easily compare the popularity with the curve of Selenium that
has been growing since 2011. Although Appium started to become
popular since 2013, the growth level is similar and has a good span
of expected growth for the next fifteen years. It may have been
improved to different names or different API compatibility over a
period but it has a strong growth without any doubt!
Henceforth learning Appium will lead to get niche job
opportunities and lot of exposures to well-established technical
projects in mobile domain!

Test setup installation and configuration

Android SDK download and installation
When mobile devices are being tested from desktop or laptop
devices, it is mandatory to download and install Android SDK to
access the mobile-related files during the tests. Especially
installing Android SDK takes minimum of three hours to
maximum of two days when internet connection is slow. It is
suggested to pick only relevant files to install during the
installation (rather than selecting all android version files), so it is
highly recommended to check the box-related current android
version of mobile devices being tested. Navigate to 'Settings' and
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'About Phone' section to find 'Android version'. Below screenshot

is the sample from Android mobile version 4.4.2 (known as
Android Kitkat version).

Once the mobile android version has been identified, go to PC or

desktop or laptop where the automated scripts are targeted to be
designed and searched for Android SDK in Google as below:

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Alternatively navigate to below web address and click on

'Download options':
https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html

Click on the android sdk zip file available in the section 'Windows'
if tests are being written in a window-based desktop:

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Note: Please don't click on Android Studio which is also available

as a zip file under another windows section since Android SDK is
more than enough, and it is not required to download entire
android studio to automate the mobile applications. Only android-
sdk_r zip file is good enough to practice Appium-based tests.

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Once Android SDK zip file has been clicked, read the entire terms
and conditions and click on OK to proceed further:

Once zip file has been downloaded to your target computer, have it
saved in SDK folder within E drive:

Extract the zip file and save under SDK folder within E: drive (for
example). Alternatively, you can save in any drive available within
your hard disk:

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Once the file has been extracted, navigate to SDK Manager exe file
and click on it to proceed the installation:

If SDK Manager is not getting opened, there may be user rights

issue and please try top launch it using 'Run as Administrator'
mode:

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Note: If 'Run as Administrator' option is not available in your

target machine, you may need to contact the administrator to give
user permissions to your account. Alternatively, type 'cmd' in
Programs Explorer to view command prompt icon and then right
click on cmd.exe which provides an option to open command
prompt in Administrator mode. Finally navigate to the Android
SDK folder to launch SDK Manager exe from command prompt:

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Once Android SDK Manager has been launched, please see the list
of available android files for installation and the entire list will get
upgraded whenever new version of androidis being released:

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Navigate to Settings in your phone, select About Phone or About

Tab which is the last option and view Android version. For
example: 4.2.2.
On the basis of the version, select the respective folder in the
installation packages. If there is a doubt in Android version and
API version, please read Android Version History Wikipedia.
(Ref: Wikipedia(26Nov2016),URL:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history)
Note: It is not necessary that you need to have a mobile with
android version of 4.4.2 or 4.2.2 only. It is just that the sample
mobile is used to perform scripts and execution for the book. Any
latest mobile with android or iOS can be used. As long as Android
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SDK API>=17 installed, it is possible to use Appium to test. When

a mobile needs to be tested and it has android version below 4.2.X,
make a note that Maven is required to support Selendroid which
would be required to run Appium for android version below 4.2.X.
So it is always advisable to visit 'System Setup' 1section in
appium.io website.

1
Appium.io(11Dec2016),URL: http://appium.io/slate/en/v1.0.0/?ruby#system-
setup-android
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Click on Install _ package button after selecting all the files from
relevant Android folder. For example, if 4.4.2-based android
device is used for testing, select all the files within the folder of
android 4.4.2 before clicking on Install button. It is to be confirmed
that the desktop or laptop is not switched off until installing the
complete package and showing tick mark in the status of each file.
Once android-version-based files are installed, expand the folder
'Tools' and select relevant build tools. In case of using 4.4.2
mobile, select all those build tools files available with version of
your mobile API. If your mobile API is 24 for an android version
of 7.0, you need the below (as an example):

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Navigate to Tools (Preview Channel) folder and select the files in

that folder to install it:

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Once installed, following message pop-up appears to close and

reopen the manager window:

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Error handling during installation:

If there are issues in installation process, go to Tools and Options
to enable proxy for corporate networks to retry downloads.
Disk space is another concern when huge files are getting
downloaded. Kindlyensure that you have enough space to
download.
As an example of downloading android files to install the relevant
packages may take at least thirty six GB space in hard disk!

Android environment variables configuration

Once android package has been installed,it is mandatory to set the
HOME and PATH of android as environment variables to get the
scripts recognizing the path of android files. This can be performed
by navigating to the environment variables through PC>Properties:

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Click on Advanced System Settings:

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Click on Environment Variables:

Click on Advanced Tab and click New within the frame of User
Variables:

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Enter ANDROID_HOME as Variable Name and Variable Value as

the path where android files are located within the system:

Once ANDROID_HOME has been set, select 'Path' system

variable, click on 'Edit' for Path within the frame of System
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Variables. Note: It is not required to click on 'New' within System

Variables:

Once 'Edit' has been clicked for 'Path' system variable,navigate to

the end of the paths listed and type:

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Now take the path of the android build-tools folder which is

available within the installation package,paste it within the path
and end with semicolon:

Similarly, copy the path of tools folder that is available within the
android installation package and paste it in path of environment
variable and end with semicolon:

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Once both the paths are updated in PATH system variable, it

should look like the below picture:
Note: Make sure semicolon separated each path and the remaining
paths added earlier within this system variable are not deleted.

How to check if android has been installed properly and the path
has been set correct?
Connect the mobile to your computer using relevant cable to
recognize the mobile from computer and navigate to command
prompt:
Note: Not all the cables help in recognizing the mobile within
computer; hence, the best way is to use the branded cable of
particular mobile's type. For example, if the mobile is HTC, use
cable of HTC to connect from mobile to computer.

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Once command prompt has been launched, type 'adb devices' and
press enter:

If device has been listed within the command prompt, it tells that
the android installation is perfect and mobile device has been
recognized. If the mobile has not been listed, ANDROID_HOME
and PATH in environment variable has to be rechecked.

Install Node JS
Navigate to Google and type Install Node.js or alternatively
navigate to the website nodejs.org/en/download:

Make sure that 'Windows Installer' section has been clicked. If the
web page has been redesigned over a period of time, navigate to
the section where window-based installers are available if your
computer is based on Windows operating system:

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Once downloaded, node js file appears in local machine as the

below msi file.

Not every computer user is configured with user permissions to

launch msi files. If msi file is not opened after clicking on Open
option in right click, select 'Run as administrator' to launch the
installer. If such option is unavailable, navigate to command
prompt as an administrator:

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Navigate to the folder where nodeJS file has been downloaded:

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Enter the file name in command prompt and press enter to launch
the installer. Once Installer opened, click on Next button on
Node.js setup:

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Once node setup completed, install Appium:

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Launch Appium:

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The next step is to download Appium client libraries:

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Ensure the availability of Java client inside SDK:

Install PdaNet tool for internet access:

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Download and install TeamViewer to access the mobile setup

within windows:

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Launch Appium(note that click on No when there is an upgrade

available):

Click on General Settings:

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Update as shown below:

Click on Android Settings:

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Update as shown below:

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Launch Eclipse to load the IDE to script:

Choose or create a folder:

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Create a project called Appium Test:

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Download Selenium Server and place it inside the folder as per the
details below:

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Click on the src to create a package:

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Write your first class within the project:

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Write your first Appium script in the project

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Describe the imports for the project dependencies:

Mention @Test to call using test runners:

Click on the bat file below:

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Check adb devices in command prompt to double check the device

is listed:

Run the bat file with admin privileges:

Now the mobile screen can be accessed from UI Automation

Viewer:

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This chapter is elaborately explained on how to setup a basic

scripting base to start scripting on the Appium right from the
scratch on any mobile applications.

First Appium script

package ChromeTests;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.Platform;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.BrowserType;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.CapabilityType;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.DesiredCapabilities;
import org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver;
import io.appium.java_client.android.AndroidDriver;
import io.appium.java_client.remote.MobileCapabilityType;
import io.appium.java_client.remote.MobilePlatform;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;

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public class LaunchChromeBrowser {

@Test
public static void main(String[] args) throws
MalformedURLException, InterruptedException{
DesiredCapabilities
capabilities=DesiredCapabilities.android();
capabilities.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.BROWSER_
NAME,BrowserType.CHROME);
capabilities.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.PLATFORM
,Platform.ANDROID);
capabilities.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.PLATFORM
_NAME,"Android");
capabilities.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.DEVICE_N
AME,"Narayanan Palani");
//capabilities.setCapability("device","Android");
//capabilities.setCapability("app", "Chrome");
capabilities.setCapability(MobileCapabilityType.VERSION,
"4.4.2");
//WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new
URL("http://127.0.0.1:4723/wd/hub"), capabilities);
//driver.wait(2000);
//driver.get("http://www.yahoo.com");
URL url=new URL("http://127.0.0.1:4723/wd/hub");
WebDriver driver=new AndroidDriver(url,capabilities);
driver.get("https://www.google.co.in/?gws_rd=ssl");
driver.findElement(By.id("lst-ib")).sendKeys("Selenium
Webdriver");
driver.findElement(By.name("btnG")).click();
driver.findElement(By.name("hdtb-msb/[3]/a")).click();
}
}

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Technical Round-based Interview Questions

Some of the latest interview questions faced by automation test
engineers across Asia Pacific are listed below:
- Which automation framework model have you worked on?
- Have you worked on CMS (Content Management System)?
- What is RTM (Requirement Traceability Management)?
- How good are you in java programming which would help
in test scripting?
- How good are you in Selenium?
- When do we go for automation?
- Where were you storing your automation scripts?
- Why do I need to modify the test script?
- How many automation scripts can you write per day?
- If there is scope of system testing phase (in parallel to test
automation POC),-are you comfortable working in manual
testing team currently?
- Is there any tracker-requirement assigned to handle?
- What are the different locators that you have used in
Webdriver?
- Can you give example of absolute and relative xpaths?
- What is difference between close and quit in Webdriver?
- Webdriver is a class or interface?
- Can you give the class name which implemented
Webdriver interface?
- Scenario: If there is an element which contains ID attribute,
that ID is split by two parts by '_' (underscore), first part is
constant and second part is changing.
- Suppose if element is hidden, how do we get text of that
element?
- Difference b/w implicit and explicit waits?
- How you deal dropdowns?
- Scenario: There is a link on webpage, click on that link a
window will open and now that opened window contains 3
different frames and you have to do operation on different
elements in 3 frames and then come back to window.
- What is timeout in grid?
- What is browsertimeout in grid?
- What do you mean by max instance and max session?
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- Explain different annotations provided by TestNG.

- If I want to check particular exception in TestNG, how will
you do it?
- Write a program to make a string to reverse and print.
- Extract only numbers in the given string.
- How good are you in Selenium?
- Have u built framework?
- Explain the framework used in your project?
- How you were passing multiple data to your test script?
- WAP to select multiple elements in the list andto extract
the elements selected.
- Have you used synchronization?
- What is the difference between implicit and explicit wait?
- Draw the architecture of pom framework and its uses.
- Tell about OOPs concepts.
- Scenario: Suppose you have amount field which accepts 0
to 1000, then write manual and automation testcases for
that field.
- What is the differencebetween while and do while when we
use while and do while?
- Tell about the Automation process in your company.
- What is difference betweenMaven and testNG?
- What is testNG?
- What types have you done?
- Draw your project architecture.
- Tell about your project.
- What are the important classes in Webdriver?
- What is Sikuli and Robot class?
- What is AutoIT?
- What is difference betweenAutoIT and Sikuli?
- Which is best in Sikuli and Robot class, justify with reason.
- Scenario: Suppose there is a window popup which accepts
username and password, I used AutoIT, when test is
running I open notepad parallel; Question: Code of the
username and password is entered in notepad or in window
popup?
- Can we use AutoIT on other operating systems?

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- Do you know about any third party reporting other than

testNG?
- Who will do the system integration testing?
- Tell difference between sanity and smoke testing.
- What is garbage collector?
- Tell the bug life cycle process.
- Tell SDLC and STLC process.
- What is overloading and overriding with examples which
you used in your project?
- What is Selenium grid?
- Can't we execute tests parallelly without Selenium grid?
- What is difference in testNG and Selenium grid?
- How do you execute tests in Selenium grid?
- How do you attach screenshot to test, which tool is used for
screenshot attachment?
- Scenario: Suppose ten testcases in one scenario, that
scenario executed in 5 times, so
- How will you generate reports for 5 times, will reports
override? If override is there, then how?
- Will you take backup of previous test reports?
- How will you read csv file, write sample code?
- Will java able to read excel files and what is the java code
for reading excel file?
- Which Excel files are you using in your company, xls or
xlsx?
- Write code for reading xlsx.
- How will you read pdf files?
- What classes you use for reading pdf file?
- What is use of pdfStripper class?
- What is deferred state?
- What is duplicate state of bug?

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Selenium Interview Questions and Author's Views

Based on the years of experience, interview questions differ and
the trend of asking in depth tool specific questions are to be
watched on the basis of recent interview questions.
Some of the most repeated interview questions to Automation
Testers are answered as follows:
 What is the tool and purpose of Selenium set of tools?
Selenium(IDE,Webdriver,Grid) is a famous set of open source
browser automation tool to automate web-based projects with
actions such as type, click and selection from a drop down of a
web page etc. and events such as check the input box visible or
invisible etc.

 How is Selenium different from commercial browser

automation tools?
The major benefit of Selenium is to script on testers choice by
programming languages such as Java, javascript, Ruby, Python or
C#.
This facility is not available with licensed tools such as HP UFT
(using VB Script),Ranorex (using C#) etc.

 What are the set of automation tools available with Selenium?

Selenium IDE
Selenium Webdriver
Selenium Grid
Selenium RC (Deprecated from 3.0 onwards)

 Which type of Selenium Tool should I use for my project?

Selenium Webdriver is widely used for automation testing on web
pages.
Selenium IDE is not suggested for large projects, whereas if there
are plans to run concurrent tests, Selenium Grid can be used.

 What is Selenium IDE?

It is a plugin in Firefox to record the steps of actions and replay
them as an automation test. It works only on Firefox browser!

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 Which language is used in Selenium IDE?

Selenese is the html-based programming language used in
Selenium IDE.

 What is Selenium 1.0?

Selenium 1.0 /Selenium RC (Remote Control) are developed to
extend the framework in multiple programming languages since
Selenium IDE have been used only on firefox and there is a need
for a stable open source tool which has been fulfilled by Selenium
1.0 release!

Selenium 1
Release Date 2004
Tools Selenium IDE,Selenium Core,Selenium
RC,Selenium Server
Advantages Jason Huggins-Project Manager for Selenium
Core
Table-based Runner

HTML Table-Selenium IDE

Three columns
Selenium Core' Designed by Jason for Time
and Expenses System
Since there were defects from Internet
Explorer,Firefox,Opera for the Javascript
Application (Time and Expenses System), he
decided to run the tests in javascript and drive
the application
Disadvantages Incredibly difficult to manage table-based
scripting hence Selenium RC introduced

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Selenium RC scripts written in multiple

languages and communicate to Selenium
Server and this Server has internal
communication(core protocol) to Selenium
Core Javascripts.
Scripts running in Javascript Sandbox is a
real challenge hence integrated with
Webdriver in next version(in Selenium2.0)
Life Span Selenium Core: Limited [Not used in
Selenium 3.0 onwards]

 What is Selenium 2.0?

Selenium 2
Release Date 2011
Tools Selenium Webdriver,Selenium
IDE,Selenium RC,Selenium Core,Selenium
Server,Appium[for mobile]
Advantages Webdriver introduced and bind tight with
underlying web browser;Object Oriented
Firefox is connected with the help of Firefox
extensions
Internet Explorer's COM object collection used
to communicate for tests
Chrome,Opera extended to be used as part of
Webdriver tests.
Introduced Jason Wire Protocol representing
commands for Firefox Driver
Selenium Core Project integrated with
Webdriver project hence it is become
Selenium Webdriver
Disadvantages Challengenot possible to analyze source code
of IE and other browsers

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Every browser follow different wire protocol –

challenge for Webdriver

Browsers are become more complicated in

every version hence Selenium decided to use
W3C for next version(in selenium 3.0)
Life Span Selenium Webdriver:Guaranteed [But no
plans to use from Selenium 4.0 onwards]*as
per the update from Simon on Sept'16
Selenium IDE: Guaranteed
Selenium RC: Limited [Since Selenium Core
is removed in selenium 3 onwards, scripts are
to be migrated to Selenium Webdriver]
Appium: Guaranteed[Not yet migrated to
Selenium 3.0 as on Sept2016]

 What is Selenium3?
Selenium 3
Release Approximately around 13-Oct-16
Date
Tools Selenium Webdriver,Selenium
IDE,Appium[for mobile]
Advantages Beginning of W3C compliance Protocol

W3C compliant Webdriver server:Gecko Driver

is used for Firefox
Selenium Core removed

Life Span Selenium Webdriver:Limited [There are plans

to remove from selenium 4 onwards as per the
web discussions, yet to be confirmed]

What are the element locators used in Selenium to capture objects?

Types:
ID (Unique Locator):

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Example:
driver.findelement(By.id“textbox”));
Class
Name
Value
Text (Link text , Partial Link Text)
XPATH (Relative X path )
CSS (Fastest Locator)
DOM
Recommended object: Request developer of the project to
introduce an attribute for object called data-automation and use it
in the automation framework such as:
Example:
driver. findElement(By.xpath("//*[@data-automation='test-
username']");

 What is Selenium Grid?

Suppose the tests need to run in IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari
browsers across Windows 8,Windows 2000,Windows NT
desktops, it can be configured using Selenium Grid with the same
set of scripts developed for automation tests.

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Selenium IDE-based interview questions and author's views

What are two modes of views in Selenium IDE (not Webdriver)?
Way1:Side bar (View > Side bar > Selenium IDE)
Way2:Popup window (Tools > Selenium IDE).
Note: In browser side bar it cannot record user operations in a
popup window opened by application.
Can I control the speed and pause of test execution within
Selenium IDE?
Functionality of a slider with Slow and Fast pointers is made to
control the speed of test execution and it can be controlled before
running the tests (not during the tests).

 Where do I see the results of Test Execution in Selenium IDE?

Log Window

 Where do I see the Commands Description in Selenium IDE?

Reference section

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 Can I build entire test suite using Selenium IDE?

Record individual TCs, save them as html files and then group all
of them in a Test (Test Suite) and save them as html as well.

 What verification points are available with Selenium?

Alert, Page Title, Links, Fields and most of the web elements can
be verified and these commands are available within Command
section:

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Basically two types of checks in selenium – verification and

assertion, what‟s the difference between them?
During the assertion, if the step failed, tests are getting stopped
there, whereas if the verification steps failed, steps are not stopped
and are run till the end (still the test is failed,but all the steps are
completed)

 How do I amend tests in Selenium IDE?

Save the tests in html format after recording them. So it can be
edited either in selenium IDE interface or in html (using
notepad++ or other tools)

 What is the syntax of commands used in Selenium?

Command,Target and Value

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 There are lots of Selenium Command, do I need to to use all of

them?
Though it is an opportunity to have loads of commands available
within selenium IDE, it is advised to use only the needed
commands.

 How to use html ID and name while using Selenium IDE?

Inspect Element:

Right click on any object – lets say Google search button and
choose Inspect Element to see the name(btnK) and use it in
Selenium IDE:

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 What is XPath? When tester should choose to use XPath in

Selenium IDE?
XPath is an option to easily navigateto the xml content of the page.
In Google search button example, tester can use three types of
xpaths as below:

 How to use CSS locator in Selenium IDE?

Google Search Button Example:

 There are ID, name, XPath, CSS locator and DOM.Hence,

which one should I use?
If the name of object has been chosen and there are three objects
with the same name in the page, test is going to fail in such cases!
So finding and using a unique attribute of object matters! So it is
suggested to use ID when no other object is unique or request
developer to add new attribute such as test-object

 How to use javascript in Selenium IDE to add two numbers

and count?
Use the below commands:

Command Target Value

store 60 Theory
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store 40 Practical
parseInt(storedVars['Theory'])+parseInt
storeEval addTotal
(storedVars['Practical'])
echo ${addTotal}

 Can I store result of an evaluation and use it later in my test?

In the above example, watch addTotal which is used in different
row for display (echo).

 If I stored result of an evaluation; can I print it in IDE to check

its value?
In the above example, echo prints addTotal.

 Can I handle java script alert using Selenium?

assertAlert command has been used for this type of assertion.

 Selenium has recorded my test using XPath, how do I change

them to different locator?
Click on the dropdown in commands section:

 If my developer written custom attribute for the element

locator, how do I use it?
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Have the selenium IDE on Record mode and right click on the
object, choose “Show All Available Commands.”

Alternatively, use it in Target field in the right format.

 I have written one javascript extension; can I plug it in

Selenium and use it?
Options window of Selenium IDE is used for this:

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 How to convert Selenese-based Selenium IDE scripts to

another language?
Format option within Selenium IDE is a method. Alternatively
Selenium IDE recorded scripts can be used in JMeter (refer Part 2
of the book to know more).

 Execution options and tables-related tabs are disabled with

Selenium IDE tests formatted to Java, why?
Change the Selenium IDE scripts to language of your choice but
run them using Selenium 1.0 (note that many functionalities of
Selenium IDE are not supported when the scripts are converted and
used in different programming language).

 How to execute Selenium IDE-based Selenese tests in browsers

other than Firefox?
Use htmlSuite when starting Selenium Server and specifying
different browser.

 If user add a command in the middle of other lines, how to test

only that command in IDE of Selenium?
Double click on the specific command which will in turn run only
particular step or rerun the test to validate.

 Can I set any command to start with?

Set start point mentioned below on the specific command:

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Once it has been set, it shows a green symbol:

Are there any other add-ons or tools available outside Selenium

IDE to help tests to identify element locators?
Some add-ons available from Firefox (but they work only in
personal WiFi networks and blocked in organizations due to
security reasons):
Xpath Checker for Firefox:

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Xpath finder for Firefox:

Xpath Helper for Chrome (but this would not help in running
Selenium IDE tests since IDE meant for firefox only):

What is upcoming advancement in Selenium IDE?

Please refer http://www.seleniumhq.org/docs/02_selenium_ide.jsp

What is the best option to insert loop-based commands in Selenium

IDE?
Use the extension from the reference website below to construct
loops within Selenium IDE:

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http://51elliot.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/selenium-ide-goto.html

I want to click at specific part of my element by screen coordinate

while using click command. Can I?
Following clickAt command helps in adding the coordinate x,y
path to the script
clickAt(locator, coordString)

Example:

How does the user verify dropdown values in Selenium IDE?

assertSelectOptions (command)

How to get a data from html table cell using Selenium IDE?
storeTable (command)

How to change Selenium IDE record and display to display css

locator followed by other locators after recording the scripts? Is it
worth or possible to give high priority to css in Selenium IDE?
Navigate to Options >Options >Locator Builders and change the
order to keep CSS on top:

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How to handle dynamic alerts in Selenium IDE?

Use the command given below for OK Alerts:

Use the command given below for click and wait:

Use the command given below for CANCEL Alert:

How to perform a right click on an element using Selenium IDE?

contextMenu and contextMenuAt are the commands used
frequently but they can't be added in recording time and it has to be
added as a step manually in IDE interface.

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How to take screenshots using Selenium IDE?

Following are the available commands:

How to make Selenium IDE to wait or pause for sometime during

the test?
Use the command and value given below:

If my web page takes more than 30 seconds to load, the URL

launching fails in Selenium IDE,why?
If Open command used to launch the URL and it takes more than
30 seconds to load the page, test will fail hence use setTimeout
command to set customized timeout for the page load

Why there are two types of commands such as type and typekeys?

First command types the entire word in one go, whereas the second
(typeKeys) just types one letter at a time!

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Cucumber BDD-based interview questions and author's views

Feature: Display Customer Details clearly
As a user
I want to see the customer profile details
So that I can read and understand about personal details of
customer
Read the above piece of Cucumber BDD (behavior-driven
development) code and say what‟s wrong?
Answer: Aimless Feature File!
The above gherkin code is not aiming to one set of requirement. It
has to be rewritten as:
Feature: Identify a customer
In order to provide solution to customer queries
As a customer service agent
I want to access relevant customer profile page
Justification:
In order to provide solution to customer queries (business goal)
As a customer service agent(context)
I want to access relevant customer profile page(capability)
Reference slides to learn more:
https://www.slideshare.net/wakaleo/bdd-antipatterns-59940406

Read the piece of feature file below:

Given Landrover page is open in InternetExplorer
Respective step Definition in Java Programming:
@Given("Landrover page is open in InternetExplorer")
public void Landrover_page_is_open_in_InternetExplorer()
{
browser=new ChromeDriver();
browser.get("http://www.landrover.co.uk/");
}

What is wrong in the step definition above?

Answer: The syntax of @Given is incorrect:

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Expected Step Definition is:

@Given("^Landrover page is open in InternetExplorer$")
public void Landrover_page_is_open_in_InternetExplorer()
{
browser=new ChromeDriver();
browser.get("http://www.landrover.co.uk/");
}

Read the below feature file to understand next question:

Feature: Identify a customer
In order to provide solution to customer queries
As a customer service agent
I want to access relevant customer profile page
Scenario Outline: Agent Login
Given I am a Registered Agent
When I login as <username> with password <pwd>
Then I should not allowed to login
And I should see an error message <error>
Examples:
|username | pwd | error
|
|abcdefge | | error
|
|abcdefge | pwd | failure login
|
| abcdefge | pwd | failure login
|

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Read the above piece of Cucumber BDD (behavior-driven

development) code and say what‟s wrong?
Answer:
Its having UX concerns on the Examples (data table) and vague
error messages and incorrect format of the data table (third data
row missing '|') as below:

It can be rewritten as the below:

Feature: Invalid Login of a registered customer service agent
In order to provide solution to customer queries
As a customer service agent
I want to access relevant customer profile page
Scenario Outline: Customer Service Agent Invalid Login
Given I am a Registered Customer Service Agent
When I login as <username> with password <pwd>
Then I should see an error message <error>

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Selenium Webdriver 3.0-based interview questions and

author's views
In this section, author answers to latest version of Selenium (3.0
onwards) only and Selenium RC/other versions less than 3 are not
included

 What are the main components of Selenium Webdriver 3.0?

It consists of libraries to automate web-based applications to write
code in Java, javascript, C#, Python, Ruby, Perl and PHP
programming languages.
Understand the entire code base at GitHubpage:
https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium

 Do I need Selenium server to run Selenium Webdriver 3.0

tests?
No. Selenium server was needed earlier to stand in between the
application and the Selenium engine to inject the test instructions
which is not needed in latest version.

I have downloaded Selenium Webdriver 3.0 and Client libraries,

how do I start Selenium configuration to the java-based framework
using Eclipse tool to script?
Navigate to http://www.seleniumhq.org/download/ and go to the
section 'Selenium Client & WebDriver Language Bindings' and
click on download on the row where Java referenced.
Extract the zip file when downloading,use all the jar files
referenced below to add as external jars:

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Note: All these jar files are to be included, not just one jar file
displayed in Section1.

Navigate to Configure Build Path:

Click on Add External Jars:

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Add relevant JAR files (refer all the jar files from Section 1 and 2
and include all of the here) which will be listed in the Project in
Package Explorer under the section 'Referenced Libraries' once
added:

 Is it possible to write Selenium Webdriver code using

javascript and BDD in Linux Platform?
Most of the Selenium Webdriver books explain about theory or
framework with java/dot net possibilities; but only few blogs are
actually available about Linux-based Selenium Implementation; it
is very important to know how an automation framework can be
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design in operating systems other then Windows versions. This

section describes more on javascript-based Selenium Framework
to work on Chrome Browser and Linux platforms.

Reference: https://github.com/Matt-B/cucumber-js-selenium-
webdriver-example
Where you will find this file in framework: cucumber-js-selenium-
webdriver-example-master\cucumber-js-selenium-webdriver-
example-master\features
File Name: google.feature

The below scripts are written by understanding the core concepts

given in the Git project in reference section above. So download
the project from Git and replace feature file and step definitions
with the scripts given in this section:

Feature File:
Feature: Candidate Verification Form
As an internet user
In order to find out job in SAP
I want to be able to submit the candidate verification form

Scenario: Successful submission of Candidate Information

When I Launch HR Candidate Verification Form
Then I should enter details to submit the Form

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Step Definition File:

Step Definitions in Javascript Programming Language:

'use strict';
var expect = require('chai').expect;
module.exports = function() {
this.World = require('../support/world.js').World;

this.When(/^I Launch HR Candidate Verification Form$/, function

(searchQuery) {
this.driver.get(' https://goo.gl/J4Wgrq');
});

this.Then(/^I should enter details to submit the Form$/, function ()

{
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' entry_1000000' })
.sendKeys("Albert Einstein");
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' entry_1000013' })
.sendKeys("[email protected]");
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' entry_1000014' })
.sendKeys("07867563478");
this.driver.findElement({ name: ''group_1000001_1' })
.click();
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' entry_1000002'})
.sendKeys("2");
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' entry_1000003'})
.sendKeys("1.5");
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' entry_1000004'})
.sendKeys("1");
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' entry_1000005'})
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.sendKeys("1");
this.driver.findElement({ name: ' ss-submit'})
.click();
});

};

Explanation on the feature file:

Due the “When” condition following page getting launched in
Chrome browser:

“Then” condition sends the user inputs to the page and click on
submit button hence form is getting submitted.
Prerequisite for this project – Chrome Driver:
Chrome Driver can be installed from
http://chromedriver.storage.googleapis.com/index.html
Once installed, add the reference to the 'Path' in Linux box as
follows (if the driver is placed in drivers folder within D drive),

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export PATH=$PATH:~/D:/Drivers/chromedriver
Validate if it is working as expected (by entering chromedriver in
your terminal and validate the response like the below):
[naru@computer ~]$ chromedriver
Starting ChromeDriver (v2.11) on port 9515
Only local connections are allowed.

Press Ctrl+C to come out of the above message and navigate to the
folder where the script is placed by entering cd <path> command;
If the project folder is selenium-automation-framework-using-
javascript,enter as:
cd selenium-automation-framework-using-javascript
Once navigated to the project folder,enter:
npm install

Install grunt (or gulp) which will be used for test running purpose
(just like TestNG in Selenium Java projects)

Verify once grunt installed at node modules:

node_modules/grunt-cli/bin/grunt

Use gruntfile.js to run the tests and produce results like the
below:
[naru@computer selenium-automation-framework-using-
javascript]$ grunt
Running "jshint:files" (jshint) task
>> 4 files lint free.

Running "exec:run_cucumber_tests" (exec) task

Feature: Candidate Verification Form

As an internet user
In order to find out job in SAP
I want to be able to submit the candidate verification form

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Scenario: Successful submission of Candidate Information #

features/google.feature:6
When I Launch HR Candidate Verification Form #
features/google.feature:7
Then I should enter details to submit the Form #
features/google.feature:8

1 scenario (1 passed)
2 steps (2 passed)

Done, without errors.

 How do I launch the web page using Selenium Webdriver 3.0

in every possible programming language?

Use the Java code sample below to launch a web page:

driver.get('http://www.webdriverinselenium.com/');

Use the Javascript code sample below to launch a web page:

return driver.get('http://www.webdriverinselenium.com/');

Use the Ruby code sample below to launch a web page:

driver.navigate.to " http://www.webdriverinselenium.com/"

Use the Python code sample below to launch a web page:

driver.get('"http://www.webdriverinselenium.com/")

Use the C# code sample below to launch a web page:

driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("http://www.webdriverinselenium.com
/");
 Writing javascript-based framework of Selenium means
writing some lines of javascript code within Java-based
Selenium framework? I mean are they one and the same or
different?
Both are totally different!

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Writing a “Selenium framework using javascript” means,the

project code base made out of javascript programming only and the
tool used is called “webdriverio” [Selenium has been called
webdriverio when used for javascript projects] and Node.js has
been used in these kinds of javascript frameworks.
Writing a javascript piece of code within “Java-based Selenium
Framework” means, some of the javascript capable functions of
application such as image click actions (which are difficult when
java programming used and easy when javascript programming
being used) has been taken care like the below:
WebElement element =
driver.findElement(By.id("PhotoImageClickable"));
JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor)driver;
js.executeScript("arguments[0].click();", element);

 My framework is not made of Java and I am coding in different

programming language for Selenium. Do I still need to install
Java in my computer?
Yes. Whenever the java programs compiled and executed in
computer(such as Selenium), required JAVA files has to be
referred during compilation and execution. So the computer need
to know where the JAVA files located and what is the respective
PATH of bin folder. So the file location is provided through
JAVA_HOME and bin folder location is provided through PATH
set up. Once it is completed, it is a good practice to restart
computer and check the version of JAVA through Command
Prompt. Simply running the command JAVA-VERSION will
provide the java version in command prompt which proves that the
JAVA installation has been completed successfully.
Alternative way to set up JAVA_HOME and PATH is through
Command Prompt. This can be done by launching Command
Prompt as follows.
Step1: Press Windows+R (to open RUN)
Step2: Type CMD,Press Enter
Step3: In Command Prompt, Type“SET JAVA_HOME =
c:/Program Files/Java”
Step4: Type “SET PATH = %PATH%;%JAVA_HOME%\bin”

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 What are the most frequently used browsers for Selenium Tests
in the IT industry?
Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer(IE)

Note:
IE 11 need custom configurations to get it worked. Please refer:
https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium/wiki/InternetExplorerDri
ver

 Which are the browsers I can run the Selenium Webdriver 3.0
tests?
Firefox [Need a Gecko Driver to run tests. Refer:
https://github.com/mozilla/geckodriver/]
Chrome [Refer:
https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/chromedriver/]
Internet Explorer
[Refer:https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium/wiki/InternetExpl
orerDriver]
Opera
Microsoft Edge
Ghost
Safari

 How to use Recovery Scenarios in Selenium scripts similar to

HP UFT (formerly QTP)?
It can be easily managed using exception handlers and looping
mechanism of respective programming language used for
Selenium Webdriver!
If Java used to construct the framework for login page, following
sample try catch mechanism can be used to include recovery
scenario within Selenium:
try
{

browser.findElement(By.name(“loginID”)).sendKeys(“narayanan.
p”);

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browser.findElement(By.name(“pwd”)).sendKeys(”abcde”);
browser.findElement(By.name(“signinButton”)).click();
}
catch (Exception errText)
{
errText.printStackTrace();
}

Selenium Grid 2 interview questions and author's views

 What can be done to reduce the selenium test execution

time when the tests are to run against three browsers and
five different operating systems?
Selenium Grid is the best option to reduce execution time and
increase concurrency of test execution across compatibility tests.

 How does Selenium Grid perform concurrent tests?

Selenium Grid runs in hub and node model using Selenium
Remote Control Server. When server started for hub, nodes have to
be registered with different browser combinations for the tests.
When test getting executed, hub (Selenium RC Server) look for
open node to run the test in respective configuration and get such
Selenium RC slave server to run the tests. Once test gets
completed,automatically the node gets that allocated to next
available test.

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 Write a diagram to describe Selenium grid functionality?

Selenium RC
Server
(Hub)

Node
Registration
IE/Chrome/
Firefox/Safari

Node 2 Node 3 Node 5

Node 1 Node 4
IE in Chrome in Firefox in
Safari in Mac Android
Windows7 Windows XP Ubuntu

 What jar file required to Selenium Grid?

Latest Selenium Standalone Server(selenium-server-standalone-
3.x.x.jar) from:http://www.seleniumhq.org/download/

 How do I start Selenium Grid hub from ant tool?

Setup “ant” build configuration in the framework and when the
configuration works in ant, it has to launch the hub of Selenium
Grid as,
ant launch-hub
Once launched verify the webpage to check hub status
http://localhost:4444/console

 How do I start Selenium Grid node from ant tool?

Setup “ant” build configuration in the framework and when the
configuration works in ant, it has to launch the node of Selenium
Grid as,
ant launch-remote-control
Once launched verify the webpage to check number of nodes
registered,
http://localhost:4444/console

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 How to get Selenium Grid slave customized to run in

specific port?
Use the command -Dport:
ant -Dport=8989 launch-remote-control

 How to get the nodes running in virtual machines or

different computers to talk to Hub in Selenium Grid?
Follow the configuration startup while registering the node to hub
in the beginning:
ant -Dport= -Dhost= -DhubURL= launch-remote-control

Details:
ant :Configured build tool
Dport: Port where the nodes setup to run
Dhost Hub which is started with Selenium RC
DhubURL= Respective hub URL such
ashttp://localhost:4444/console

 How to tell to Selenium Grid on the test environment in

commands?
Use -Denvironment command:
ant -Denvironment=“Chrome on Windows” launch-remote-control

 How do I use particular desktop specific configuration in

Selenium Grid test execution?
Selenium grid uses a file “grid_configuration.yml“ in which the
specification of compatibility tests such as “IE on WinXP“ to be
provided by tester. Once provided, specify the custom
configuration on the target test execution machine within the test
script:
Selenium = new DefaultSelenium("localhost", 4444, **'IE on
WinXP'**, 'http://webdriverinselenium.com');
After this line of code, every Selenium instance runs on the node, it
runs using the above configuration.

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 How Selenium Grid-based hub talks to slaves?

“remoteControlPollingIntervalInSeconds” has been set before
launching the hub in “grid_configuration.yml” and based on such
poll interval, hub try to ping slaves and see their status. Once the
slaves are not connecting to the network requests, the hub
disconnects the node and gets the allocation to next tests.

 What happens if there are increased number of tests and

how complex it is to handle in Selenium Grid to wait for
every node of tests?
“sessionMaxIdleTimeInSeconds” in “grid_configuration.yml” file
has to be revised to make it possible amount of Wait time in order
to run tests in test environment.

 If the hub of Selenium Grid goes down during the test

execution at nodes, how to handle it to free the nodes from
Selenium Grid hub?
While setting up the test, specify the polling time of RC (node) to
check the status of hub at – “DhubPollerIntervalInSeconds.”
ant -DhubPollerIntervalInSeconds= launch-hub
If polling time crosses and hub is unresponsive, then the node
deregisters from the hub.

 Can Selenium Grid used for NFT performance tests?

It is possible to run Selenium Grid as a performance test when
there are required hardware and software setup available within
test environment. But there is no possibility of getting detailed
reporting charts in this tool to display NFT reports such as
throughput time analyzer, aggregator reports etc. So it is highly
recommended to run the Selenium tests when JMeter is in
recording mode to convert Selenium tests to JMeter-based
performance tests and use them to setup NFT tests in JMeter
(These steps are explained in Part2 of this book).

 How to validate logs during the Selenium Grid tests?

Hub logs: “log/hub.log”
Remote Control logs: “log/rc-*.log” folder.
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 When Selenium Grid tests run in organizations, proxy

setup blocks the tests and how to specify that in the code?
Use the commands such as “http.proxyHost” abd “http.proxyPort”
during the start of Selenium RC server:
Starting Hub:
ant -Dhttp.proxyHost= -Dhttp.proxyPort= launch-hub
Starting Slave:
ant -Dhttp.proxyHost= -Dhttp.proxyPort= launch-remote-control

 How Selenium Grid can be used in java based frameworks?

TestNG helps in running the tests of Selenium(Java framework
tests) using Selenium Grid-based Hub and Nodes

 What is the perfect test report used for Selenium Grid

tests?
Cucumber Report or HTML Reports are used in Javascript
frameworks of Selenium where as TestNG,XSLT Reports are wide
used for Java-based Selenium frameworks; similarly ReportUnit-
based reporting is compatible for C#-based Selenium framework
when they run using NUnit.

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Selenium Cheat Sheet

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Book Chapter-
Based References
 Narayanan Palani. (2017, August 02). Test Automation [Web
log post]. Retrieved from
https://github.com/narayananpalani/testautomation.
 Selenium. (2017, August 02). Selenium Official Website [Web
log post]. Retrieved from http://www.seleniumhq.org/.
 Aravind. (2016, September 07). Software Testing Tutorials and
Automation [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://www.software-testing-tutorials-
automation.com/p/selenium-webdriver.html.
 Selenium. (2016, September 07). Selenium [Web log post].
Retrieved from
https://code.google.com/p/selenium/wiki/GettingStarted.
 Specflow. (2016, September 07). Specflow [Web log post].
Retrieved from
https://github.com/techtalk/SpecFlow/wiki/Unit-test-providers.
 Specflow.org. (2016, September 07). Specflow.org [Web log
post]. Retrieved from http://www.specflow.org/getting-
started/#InstallSetup.
 PhantomJS. (2016, September 07). PhantomJS [Web log post].
Retrieved from http://phantomjs.org/download.html.
 Stackoverflow. (2016, September 07). How Schedule Build in
Jenkins [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7000251/how-schedule-
build-in-jenkins.
 RelevantCodes. (2016, September 07). RelevantCodes [Web
log post]. Retrieved from http://reportunit.relevantcodes.com/.
 IBM. (2016, September 07). IBM Functional [Web log post].
Retrieved from http://www-
03.ibm.com/software/products/en/functional.
 HP. (2016, September 07). HP UFT [Web log post]. Retrieved
from http://www8.hp.com/uk/en/software-solutions/unified-
functional-automated-testing/.
 Borland. (2016, September 07). Silk Test [Web log post].
Retrieved from http://www.borland.com/en-
GB/Products/Software-Testing/Automated-Testing/Silk-Test.
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 Groovy. (2016, September 07). Groovy [Web log post].

Retrieved from http://www.groovy-lang.org/.
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____________________________
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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

INDEX
activity list – 37, 200
Agile Project - 1
Analogues Test Estimation - 189
assertElementPresent - 144
assertions - 150
asserts - 92, 108, 136
assertText – 141, 144, 146
assertTextNotPresent - 141, 382
assessors – 5, 136, 138
Automation Framework function point count - 193
Automation Return on Investment 36, 198
Automation Test Engine Installation - 196
automation test project - 203
Automation Test Scheduling – 37, 200
Availability - 7
BDD – 5, 33, 40
Bottom-Up Test Estimation - 188
C++ Programming - 28
COCOMO – 36, 382
COCOMO Calculation - 195
Collective Test Estimation Technique 36, 196
Cost Estimation - 187
Cost of licenses - 198
Crashing Compression Technique - 190
Critical Chain Method - 190
Critical Path Method (CPM) - 190
Delphi Test Estimation Technique - 36, 197
ETL tools 39, 270
Excel sheet – 37, 221

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Extensibility – 7, 145
Fast Tracking Compression Technique - 191
Five Phase of Test Automation – 37, 207
functional regression - 206
JAVA_HOME – 49, 52, 357
Key word driven testing - 206
Macro Security - 222
manual test analysts - 198
Monte Carlo Simulation – 189, 192
Network Diagram – 37, 203, 205
NUnit - 21
Parametric Test Estimation – 187, 189
PERT - 36
Portability - 8
Priority - 201
Program Evaluation and Review Techniques – 36, 181, 189
Quick Test Professional - 180, 206
Recording and Run - 138
Regression Tests - 201
Reliability 7, 270
Resource Leveling on CPM - 190
Saxon - 67
Selenium IDE – 45, 39, 112, 141
SOA - 38
Stop and Start - 139
Subroutines - 221
System Utility command - 212
Test Data Sheets – 192, 236
Test effort - 187
Test Environments - 187
test execution scheduling - 202
Test Schedule Compression Techniques – 36, 190
Testing Process - 206
Time Estimation - 189
Toggle Breakpoint - 139

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 Software Automation Testing Secrets Revealed

Top-Down Test Estimation - 188

Total benefit derived from test automation - 199
Total Cost of Test Automation - 199
unadjusted function point count - 193
UNIFIED FUNCTIONAL TESTING - 178
Usability – 4, 196
VB Script Function – 214, 228
verifyElementPresent - 143
verifyTable - 143
Visual Basic Editor 37, 215, 222, 260
XSLT reporting - 125, 69

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 Narayanan Palani

Readers can download sample eBook of Part2 at:

https://www.educreation.in/store/sample/book309E.pdf
Readers can buy Part 2 at:
https://www.educreation.in/store/selenium-webdriver-software-
automation-testing-secrets-revealed-part2-narayanan-palani.html

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