You must improve when you begin your journey as an automated tester. These mistakes can also occur if you rush to automate website testing and don’t take the time to review the effects of your Selenium automation scripts. While it is essential to learn from your mistakes, it is also vital to prevent them from happening again.
You have a lot of responsibility when you manage a selenium automation testing project. A failure to sign off could result in a production interruption that could lead to reputational and customer damage. Being at the receiving end of automation testing several times has been unpleasant for many developers and testers. These mistakes are what I have learned as an automation tester, and I will share them with you. Make sure you keep track of them so that you don’t get embarrassed.
Contents
Selenium For Automated Testing
Selenium is a popular open-source tool used for the automated testing of web applications. It allows developers and testers to automate the testing process by interacting with web pages, simulating user actions, and verifying the results. Selenium can be used with various programming languages like Java, Python, C#, Ruby, etc., and supports multiple browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.
Selenium is widely used for web application testing because it provides a comprehensive suite of tools that can easily handle complex web applications. It provides a flexible and extensible testing framework that enables developers to write and execute tests differently. Selenium’s WebDriver API provides a simple and easy-to-use interface to interact with web pages, allowing developers to write tests in various programming languages.
Moreover, Selenium is highly customizable, allowing developers to extend its functionality with plugins and custom libraries. It also supports parallel testing, which can significantly reduce the time required for test execution and can be integrated with various continuous integration tools like Jenkins, Travis CI, and others.
Thus, Selenium is an essential tool for the automated testing of web applications, enabling developers and testers to automate testing processes, save time and reduce errors in testing.
Mistakes To Avoid When Using Selenium For Automation Testing In 2023
1) Not Setting Implicit Waits
Implicit waits allow Selenium to wait for a certain amount of time before throwing an error if the element being searched for is not immediately available. Not setting implicit waits can cause your tests to fail if elements take longer to load, causing your test script to move on to the next step before the element is ready.
It’s important to set an appropriate implicit wait time based on the expected load time of the elements on your website. If the wait time is too short, it can cause your tests to fail. On the other hand, if the wait time is too long, it can increase the overall time it takes to run your tests.
To set an implicit wait in Selenium, you can use the driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait() method takes the wait time as a parameter in seconds.
Setting appropriate implicit waits ensures that your tests are more reliable and less prone to failure due to timing issues.
2) Using The Wrong Locators
Using the wrong locators is a common mistake when using Selenium for automated testing. Locators are used to identify elements on a web page, such as buttons, links, and input fields, so that Selenium can interact with them during testing.
There are several types of locators in Selenium, including ID, name, class name, tag name, link text, and partial link text. Choosing the wrong locator type or using an incorrect value for the locator can lead to failed tests or unreliable results.
For example, using an ID locator that is not unique on the page can cause Selenium to interact with the wrong element, leading to unexpected behavior. Using a partial link text locator that matches multiple links can also lead to unpredictable results.
To avoid using incorrect locators, it’s essential to carefully select the most appropriate locator for each element based on its attributes and characteristics. Using browser developer tools to inspect the page’s HTML code and identify the most reliable and unique locator for each element can be helpful.
Using the correct locators ensures that your tests are more reliable and accurate, leading to better test results and improved overall quality of your web application.
3) Avoiding Proper Use Of Synchronization
Proper synchronization is crucial when testing dynamic web pages that may change after the initial load. Failing to use synchronization can cause timing issues, leading to failed tests or unpredictable results.
Synchronization is the process of waiting for an element to become available or for a certain condition to be met before proceeding with the next step in the test script. It ensures that the test script waits until the page has fully loaded or until an element has become available before attempting to interact with it.
Standard synchronization methods include implicit waits, explicit waits, and polling. Implicit waits have been discussed earlier, while explicit waits are used to wait for a specific condition to be met, such as an element becoming clickable or visible. Polling involves checking for a specific condition regularly until it is met.
Using proper synchronization can lead to timing issues, where Selenium tries to interact with an element before it has fully loaded or become available. This can cause the test script to fail or produce unreliable results.
To avoid synchronization issues, it’s important to use the appropriate synchronization method for each scenario and to set an appropriate wait time. It’s also important to use consistent and reliable locators to avoid searching for elements that may not be present.
Using proper synchronization techniques ensures that your tests are more reliable and less prone to timing issues, leading to better test results and improved overall quality of your web application.
4) Not Handling Pop-Ups And Alerts Correctly
Pop-ups and alerts can disrupt your tests and cause unexpected results if handled incorrectly. Pop-ups and alerts can appear in various scenarios, such as when a user tries to close a web page, when an error occurs, or when a confirmation message is displayed.
Handling pop-ups and alerts correctly can prevent your test script from failing or producing unexpected results. For example, ignoring a pop-up or alert can prevent the test script from proceeding with the next step, leading to failed tests. Dismissing an alert without verifying its contents can also cause your test results to be unreliable.
To handle pop-ups and alerts correctly in Selenium, you can use the Alert class, which provides methods for interacting with alerts and pop-ups.
To dismiss an alert, you can use the dismiss() method instead of accept(). You can also use the getText() method to get the text of the alert message.
To handle pop-ups, you can use the WebDriverWait class and the ExpectedConditions class to wait for a specific pop-up to appear and interact with it.
By handling pop-ups and alerts correctly, you can ensure that your tests are more reliable and less prone to unexpected behavior, leading to better test results and improved overall quality of your web application.
5) Avoid Using Of Exception Handling
Exception handling is crucial to writing reliable and robust code, including automated tests using Selenium. Failing to use proper exception handling can cause your tests to fail or produce unpredictable results.
Exceptions are errors that occur during the execution of a program, such as when an element is not found or when a timeout occurs. By handling exceptions properly, you can prevent your test script from crashing and provide meaningful error messages to help identify and fix issues.
To use proper exception handling in Selenium, it’s important to wrap your code in try-catch blocks to catch any exceptions that may occur. You can then handle each exception appropriately based on its type and cause.
For example, if an element is not found, you can catch the NoSuchElementException exception and provide a meaningful error message, such as “Element not found: <locator>”. You can then take appropriate action, such as retrying the search or failing the test.
It’s also important to use custom exceptions to provide more specific and meaningful error messages. Custom exceptions can be created by extending the built-in exception classes and adding custom messages and error codes.
Using proper exception-handling techniques ensures that your tests are more reliable and less prone to errors, leading to better test results and improved overall quality of your web application.
6) Not Cleaning Up After Tests
Cleaning up after tests is an important aspect of automated testing, as it ensures that the test environment is left in a consistent state after the tests have been completed. Failing to clean up after tests can cause issues such as leftover data or resources that can interfere with subsequent tests or cause problems in production environments.
To clean up after tests in Selenium, it’s important to undo any changes or actions made during the test. This can include closing open windows or pop-ups, logging out of accounts, resetting data or configurations, and deleting temporary files or directories.
It’s also important to reset the test environment between test runs to ensure each test is executed in a consistent and isolated environment. This can include resetting databases, clearing caches, and restoring default settings.
By cleaning up after tests, you can ensure that your tests are more reliable and less prone to interference from leftover data or resources. This can lead to better test results and improved overall quality of your web application. Additionally, resetting the environment between test runs ensures that each test is executed in a consistent and isolated environment, reducing the chances of unexpected behavior or interference from previous tests.
7) Not Using A Consistent Naming Convention
Using a consistent naming convention is an important aspect of writing reliable and maintainable test scripts using Selenium. Failing to use a consistent naming convention can confuse and make it difficult for other team members to understand the purpose and functionality of each test case.
A consistent naming convention can make your test scripts more readable and understandable. It can also make it easier to search for specific tests or test cases and can help ensure that each test case is unique and easily identifiable.
To use a consistent naming convention in Selenium, it’s important to establish guidelines for naming tests and test cases. This can include using descriptive names that indicate the purpose and functionality of each test case, as well as including relevant information such as the test category, feature or scenario being tested, and all pertinent data or parameters.
For example, if you’re testing a login page, you might use a naming convention such as “Login_ValidCredentials_Successful” to indicate that the test checks for successful login with valid credentials.
It’s also important to use a consistent naming convention for all elements and locators used in the test script. This can help make the script more readable and understandable and can make it easier to update or modify the script as needed.
Using a consistent naming convention in Selenium ensures that your test scripts are more reliable and maintainable, leading to better test results and improved overall quality of your web application.
8) Not Using Version Control
Using version control is an essential aspect of automated testing, including testing with Selenium. Failing to use version control can cause issues such as loss of code, lack of collaboration, or inability to revert to a previous state.
Version control is a system that tracks changes to files and directories over time, allowing developers to collaborate on projects and keep track of changes to the codebase. With version control, you can keep track of changes made to your test scripts, revert to previous versions if necessary, and collaborate with other team members more effectively.
To use version control in Selenium, you can use a version control system such as Git, SVN, or Mercurial to track changes to your test scripts. This can include creating a repository for your test scripts, committing changes to the repository, and pushing changes to a central repository for collaboration with other team members.
Using version control can also help with branching and merging, allowing you to work on new features or modifications to the test script without affecting the main branch of the code. This can help prevent conflicts and ensure that changes are adequately reviewed and tested before merging into the main codebase.
By using version control in Selenium, you can ensure that your test scripts are more reliable and maintainable, leading to better test results and improved overall quality of your web application.
Wrapping Up
Using Selenium for automated testing in LambdaTest can help you ensure that your web application is functional and compatible across 3000+ browsers and operating systems. By leveraging the power of Selenium and LambdaTest’s cloud-based testing platform, you can save time and effort by automating testing and streamlining your testing workflows.
With LambdaTest, you can efficiently perform automated and manual testing on a wide range of browsers and operating systems, allowing you to test your web application in a real-world environment. Additionally, LambdaTest offers a range of features and services, including testing on real devices, visual regression testing, and integrations with popular testing frameworks and tools.
Using Selenium with LambdaTest can help ensure your web application is tested thoroughly and efficiently, leading to better quality and higher user satisfaction. By automating your testing process and leveraging the power of the cloud, you can scale your testing efforts and ensure that your web application is always performing at its best.
