We started back at the drawing board by re-examining the critical challenges to fast and stable test automation. We also knew that the overwhelming shift to web UIs opened some radical possibilities, and these were the focus for our 2019 & 2020 R&D programs.
Shift to the web continues
Even in this relatively short timeframe, the shift to the web has continued. All significant application vendors including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, and Salesforce, have moved or are in the process of moving their user interfaces to the browser, to enable a SaaS delivery and a more predictable subscription revenue stream.
These applications are the backbone for the operations of thousands of companies around the globe, and the need to test legacy client/server and even mainframe applications is significantly diminished.
Shift to the web continues
Even in this relatively short timeframe, the shift to the web has continued. All significant application vendors including SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, and Salesforce, have moved or are in the process of moving their user interfaces to the browser, to enable a SaaS delivery and a more predictable subscription revenue stream.
These applications are the backbone for the operations of thousands of companies around the globe, and the need to test legacy client/server and even mainframe applications is significantly diminished.
Test seamlessly across every browser
So, the broad remit of test automation is no longer required; instead, the focus must be on the particular challenges posed by browser-based applications and the need to test across multiple browsers.
As we look forward, we know that Internet Explorer is fading from the picture and that the focus is now on the likes of Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave and Firefox which are all based on either the Chromium or Mozilla rendering engines. The target, therefore, needed to be a product that would run seamlessly across every browser.
Test seamlessly across every browser
So, the broad remit of test automation is no longer required; instead, the focus must be on the particular challenges posed by browser-based applications and the need to test across multiple browsers. As we look forward, we know that Internet Explorer is fading from the picture and that the focus is now on the likes of Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave and Firefox which are all based on either the Chromium of Mozilla rendering engines. The target, therefore, needed to be a product that would run seamlessly across every browser.
Patented technology
Solving these significant challenges has needed innovation in the best traditions of Original Software and is reflected in the associated patent applications. We are proud that we are again raising the bar for what you can expect from a test automation product.
Patented technology
Solving these significant challenges has needed innovation in the best traditions of Original Software and is reflected in the associated patent applications. We are proud that we are again raising the bar for what you can expect from a test automation product.
Automatically understand the application flow
So that checkpoints comprising of physical pictures and a full regression-ready analysis of the UI elements, can be executed automatically. Web navigations get you started, but modern applications also rely on Ajax communications and local manipulation of the DOM. Hence, the challenge is to detect all checkpoints that a user would expect.
So that checkpoints comprising of physical pictures and a full regression-ready analysis of the UI elements, can be executed automatically. Web navigations get you started, but modern applications also rely on Ajax communications and local manipulation of the DOM. Hence, the challenge is to detect all checkpoints that a user would expect.
Synchronising an automated test script
The synchronisation of an automated test script with an application that will serve pages at speeds dependent on the server load is a perennial challenge for test automation products and one that TestDrive uniquely solves with its BusySense technology. The challenge was to develop a web solution that would work across any web application and architecture.
Synchronising an automated test script
The synchronisation of an automated test script with an application that will serve pages at speeds dependent on the server load is a perennial challenge for test automation products and one that TestDrive uniquely solves with its BusySense technology. The challenge was to develop a web solution that would work across any web application and architecture.
Remove the 60-80% noise and deliver only the elements of value?
TestDrive uniquely delivers the ability to verify every element on every screen But a web application is full of HTML noise and content that is of no interest to the tester. While TestDrive has always avoided the need for object repositories and their derivatives, could we remove the 60-80% noise and deliver only the elements of value?
Remove the 60-80% noise and deliver only the elements of value?
TestDrive uniquely delivers the ability to verify every element on every screen But a web application is full of HTML noise and content that is of no interest to the tester. While TestDrive has always avoided the need for object repositories and their derivatives, could we remove the 60-80% noise and deliver only the elements of value?
Make the tester more productive
Application complexity is the enemy of any tester, and we need to figure out how we could present the 120 HTML tags, tabular data and massively nested DOM elements in a way that will make the tester more productive.
Make the tester more productive
Application complexity is the enemy of any tester, and we need to figure out how we could present the 120 HTML tags, tabular data and massively nested DOM elements in a way that will make the tester more productive.
Work for ANY browser using the new technology
Make the automation work for ANY browser using the new technology, enabling cross-browser testing at the click of a button, without the need to re-create, whilst ensuring a future proof operation no matter where your applications take you. This capability is even true of the previously difficult to automate, single page ‘Ajax’ applications.
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This means that your view of the application content is not cluttered with irrelevant components.
You see only the items you are interested in, and hence it is simple to identify what you have, what you can interact with and what properties you want to validate.
Without this it would be impossible to understand the real content of each web page.
Self -healing minimizes maintenance.
Script maintenance is probably the biggest reason for automation projects to fail, it becomes harder to fix the scripts before you can use them than to test manually.
That’s why our ability to cope with changes and be ready to run is so significant. When changes are needed, perhaps because of some new input, self-healing takes you through inserting the new input or action while the script runs and is adapted to the new version.
At the end of a test you can designate the results as a new baseline.
Maintenance virtually disappears and the biggest killer of automation along with it.
The solution works (or thinks) the same way a user does and it is not broken by technical changes.
More specifically, some applications have very dynamic naming and identification of objects so that when you next visit that page, the same object may have a different technical id.
This breaks automation which is dependent on that approach, and it is why we do not rely on it.
Instead we look at the page and analyze it like a user so when the field for Zip or Post code has a different technical name and perhaps has moved as well, play back is not affected, the script will still run and you don’t have to waste time fixing scripts before you can run them.
So your automation is always ready to run and the script maintenance lag is removed, testing can go ahead and issues are found quicker.
You do not have to worry about varying response times for the application nor do you have to code ‘timing loops’ to check if the application is in the right state.
Synchronization errors are simply something we do not get and you don’t have to worry about them. Another great and unique feature of TestDrive.
Most testing tools have validation based solely on ‘assertions’. This means you specify what you want to check; a technique which is great for some situations.
But that alone is a bit like asking one of the children to feed the cat which they do and later you find they dog was dead which they did not mention. Testing tools can be as pedantic!
But not TestDrive, it will check all the significant data at the same time. What is different, moved, gone, appeared – all things you cannot easily define a check for and hence will catch you out if you are not told about them.
This is grown up regression testing.
Record over Chrome, playback over Firefox etc.. You can quickly test in different environments and configurations with no extra work to be sure of browser compatibility.
TestDrive will run seamlessly across every browser enabling cross-browser testing at the click of a button, without the need to re-create.
This is even true of the previously difficult to automate, single page ‘Ajax’ applications.
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