Test automation is a process that automates the software testing process. It allows testers to write automated tests for their system, which will run through all the steps of a test case and give meaningful results.

Test automation frameworks are important because they help create more efficient and effective test management systems. They also help maintain the quality of the system.

While many frameworks are available, some can be considered essential to any organization’s test automation program. Here are seven critical steps to designing an effective framework you will read in this blog.

What is Framework?

A framework is a set of tools and applications that are intended to improve the test efficiency for QA professionals. The testing frameworks are a vital part of every successful automated testing process. They decrease maintenance expenses and testing trials and will implement a higher ROI for analysis teams looking to optimize their development processes.

Also, Read How to Automate QA Testing of SaaS Applications?

What is Test Automation?

Software testing is an important part of the software development lifecycle but can be time-consuming. To help speed up this process, you can use test automation tools to automate your testing.

Test automation solutions are used to automate tasks that would usually be done by human testers. You can also use them to create scripts running on multiple devices and platforms, allowing your entire testing process to be automated.

Many tests can be automated using test automation tools: web applications, mobile applications, web services, and others.

One thing to remember is that not all automation tools are created equal—some are better than others for different types of work. For example, if you’re testing a new web application or writing new code for an existing one, open-source tools like Selenium IDE would be best suited for you (although there are commercial options available). If you need something more powerful or have other needs, such as a custom script written from scratch (like if Google Spreadsheets isn’t doing it for your company), then you may want to look into one of the commercial options available, like HP UFT or IBM Rational Functional Tester.

Also, Read Benefits of Automation Testing

Design of Test Automation framework

A framework contributes to being a real structure that helps support the business organization, which might expand the future. It has become a widely accepted practice in the software domain based on frameworks or standards that are beneficial in executing different software projects.

In the simplest terms, the test automation framework refers to the set of standards, interactions, and processes between entirely different components in which the scripts are known to be designed and executed. Here could be a list of integral factors, which a tester needs to consider at the time of development of a test automation framework.

• Development of libraries
• Handling the data and scripts separately
• Lesser maintenance
• Providing higher extensibility
• Following the coding standards
• Frameworks and script version control
• Separate handling of data and scripts

It is essential to separate the automated test scripts from the input data store. Hence, no modifications are necessary for the test scripts with the change in the data from different input values.

Coding Standards

Keeping up the scripting standards across the test automation framework is a must, as it will discourage coding practices. It will help prevent the maintenance of code uniformity on an immense scale, making it easy for software developers and testers to interpret the code.

Library

A library must consist of various external connections like generic functions, databases, application functions, etc. It is essential to include reusable components in your program. Thus, the software tester should expose these components to the libraries in which they are used. Also, the software system testing processes need to be exposed to the particular libraries which have been implemented. Thus, the tests need to be performed by invoking these specific functions.

Scripts or Framework version

It is possible to keep up with the versions of the scripts or frameworks within the versioning tool or local repository, which helps track any changes within the code of the software.

Maintenance and Extensibility

A good test automation framework should be capable of supporting all varieties of new enhancements to the application software system. It’ll also enable modifying or altering the in-built or existing features. For example, a reusable library might be developed to increase the program’s features with the least amount of support.

The steps for creating an efficient test automation framework are shown below.

Developing wrapper methods is an excellent option for expanding the library’s feature set. Enabling the logging capabilities is a notable example of the wrapper process being extended. Additionally, it is crucial to address Selenium failures correctly. Implementation of Custom logger.It is crucial to record activity data in a file to correctly run various cases for software testing. It is common knowledge that the extra data will be consulted during test runs and upcoming audits. As a result, doing so is necessary before you can customize and implement the logging structure.

Opting for the Right Design Pattern

The ideal method for building a test framework is to choose the appropriate design pattern. Additionally, it encourages the creation of test scenarios. Additionally, it helps prevent minor problems that could develop into larger ones and enhances the readability of the code.

Separation of the Tests from automation framework

It is important to separate the automation framework from the test script logic.

Developing a folder structure for your code

Defining the folder structure is important to make your code easier to understand.

Separation of Web services, UI, and databases

The separation of concerns is regarded as the most important design guideline for the framework. Therefore, building an additional layer within the framework for databases, API, web services, and UI is crucial, which helps reduce clutter. Sometimes the testing design pattern must be revised to cover the additional layer in the framework’s architecture.

Consequently, it is advised to add an additional layer. The test automation framework is now understood to be an essential part of the software testing life cycle for various businesses. Such a software development service offers a more comprehensive selection of functional testing options.

Summary

What makes a framework effective? It should be easy to understand and use. It should be adaptable for a variety of software and projects. And last but not least, it should support short time-to-market. To gain these benefits, the framework must be built on top of various tools, techniques and programming languages.