Selenium testing is the first choice for executing web automation testing. This is because it allows testers and developers to automate their browser interactions. It is true that the basic features of Selenium are quite well-known. However, there is much more beyond these basic features. Selenium provides various advanced capabilities and integrations.
Using all these inclusions, testers can take their testing approach to the very next level. So, with this article, we will understand all the advanced features of Selenium. We will also find out how the testers can enhance the testing process and make automation testing more efficient and robust.
Understanding the Basics of Selenium
Selenium is an umbrella-structured open-source test suite that provides various tools for initiating and executing automation testing on modern web apps. All the tools present under the Selenium test suite assist the developers at different stages of the app testing life cycle. To further improve our knowledge about the functioning of Selenium, we have mentioned some of the most important tools in this list:
● Selenium WebDriver
The Selenium WebDriver is often referred to as the most important component of the entire test suite. This is because, using this tool, the testers can initiate and execute the test instances on the respective elements of the web app. The Selenium WebDriver can also run the test instances in the native environment of a web browser without initiating a dedicated test engine.
● Selenium Grid
The Selenium Grid allows developers to run the test instances on multiple browser versions, operating systems, and devices at the same time. Therefore, using this tool, the testers can initiate automated cross-browser testing on their web apps. To perform this process, the Selenium Grid initiates the principle of a hub that is connected to several nodes.
In this process, each node represents the respective elements present on the web app. So, whenever the hub receives the test instance, it analyzes its parameters and forwards it to the respective node for the test execution process.
● Selenium IDE
The Selenium IDE symbolizes the tool called the Selenium Integrated Development Environment. The developers can use this tool to initiate codeless automation testing for the basic test instances on web apps. To initiate this process, the IDE will analyze the user interactions and generate the test cases automatically in real-time.
● Selenium Client API
Finally, the Selenium client API allows the developers to create the automation test scripts in their preferred programming languages. Some of the popular languages that it supports include JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and many others. After the test creation process, it can automatically import the test instances into the native environment of Selenium.
WebDriver Advanced Techniques
As we already mentioned earlier, WebDriver is the soul of Selenium. Let us go through some of the most advanced techniques that the testers can utilize while using the Selenium WebDriver:
1. Explicit and Implicit Waits
Explicit Waits allow testers to wait for a certain condition to occur before proceeding to the next phase in the test execution process. This approach is useful for handling dynamic elements, which may take a longer time to finish loading.
Using Implicit Waits, the testers can set a maximum time for Selenium to wait for the elements to appear. This will allow the system to log all the web elements before throwing out an exception or error code.
2. Action Class
Using the action class in Selenium, testers can perform advanced user interactions. Some of the most commonly used interactions include keyboard actions, mouse movements, and drag-and-drop operations. These are crucial to understand how the application behaves in various forms of user interactions.
3. Headless Browser Testing
While using headless browsers, testers can initiate the browser instances without running the Graphical User Interface. This approach will significantly speed up the test execution process and also allow the testers to initiate parallel testing on their web apps.
Advanced Locators
It is very important for the testers to efficiently locate elements on a web page. This is because it will allow the execution of a robust test automation process. Although the most commonly used approach is the integration of XPath or CSS selectors, the developers can also use some of the most advanced techniques mentioned below:
1. Custom Locators
The testers have the option to create custom locators as per the specific attributes or patterns unique to the app that is currently being developed. Using this approach, testers can massively improve the stability and also reduce maintenance efforts.
2. Relative Locators
Relative locators were introduced as an update to Selenium 4. These locators allow the testers to locate elements relative to other elements based on their position. Some of the most commonly used position attributes include above, below, to the left, and to the right.
3. FluentLocators
FluentLocators provide an expressive and current-size way to build complex locators. These locators also enhance the maintainability and readability of the overall automation test scripts while using Selenium testing.
Handling Dynamic Content
Modern apps use a lot of dynamic content, which changes their behavior depending on the device type, screen size, or user interactions. Therefore, it is very important for the testers to incorporate dynamic content automation testing properly. We have mentioned some of the most commonly used Selenium strategies for handling these scenarios:
1. Dynamic Waits
Instead of implementing fixed waits, the testers can dynamically wait for elements. These waits will be based on specific conditions including element visibility or the presence of the element at the current state of the app.
2. Page Object Models
Page Object Model is an advanced design pattern which encourages creating reusable and maintainable page objects. This approach makes it easier to manage dynamic elements across multiple testing scenarios. Page Object Model also helps improve the usability of the existing automation test code.
3. FluentWait
By incorporating FluentWaits in the testing process, the testers can specify custom conditions for waiting. This implementation will give the testers more control over how the dynamic content is handled during the test execution process.
Advanced Reporting and Logging
Test reporting and logging is an important process to keep track of all the bugs and errors that have been detected in the app interface. It also ensures that developers can resolve all these issues before they can turn into serious concerns. Selenium offers multiple options for enhancing the reporting and logging capabilities.
We have mentioned some of the most important features in this list that the modern testers must be aware of:
1. Extent Reports
Extend Reports is a powerful reporting library that provides interactive and rich reports with multiple features. These features are unique and include screenshots, test categorization, and historical trends. It also provides references to all the previously detected errors and bugs within the application infrastructure.
2. Logging with Log4j or Logback
By integrating Selenium with logging frameworks like Log4j or Logback, the testers can capture detailed information about the entire test execution process. This information will also include all the errors and warnings that have been raised during the process.
3. Custom Logging
The testers also have the option to implement custom logging mechanisms within the automation test scripts. These mechanisms will capture specific events or actions during the process of test implementation. The final goal of this process is to provide additional insights into the test execution.
Integration with Other Tools
While using Selenium for executing automation testing, testers can easily integrate various tools and frameworks to extend the capabilities and also streamline the overall testing process. We have mentioned some of the most important integrations that the developers must include to improve the productivity and quality of the test instances:
1. TestNG or JUnit
By integrating the Selenium test cases with JUnit or TestNG, testers can organize and perform TestNG or JUnit testing and also manage the relevant dependencies. After executing the test cases, the system can also generate detailed test reports that will help resolve any errors that might be present within the app infrastructure.
TestNG or JUnit can also help developers to keep track of every status occurring within the app testing process. It is a very important process to keep track of all the minute details in a complex app development scenario.
2. CI/CD Pipelines
Continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines are important components of ensuring smooth automation testing deployment. The testers can integrate this process using tools like CircleCI, Travis CI, and Jenkins.
The common goal of this process is to execute the development and testing phases simultaneously so that the testers can not only reduce the overall app development time but also find errors in the earlier phases before they can turn into serious issues.
3. Docker
By executing the Selenium test cases in multiple docker containers, the testers can access a consistent testing environment. This environment will also facilitate easy parallel test execution across multiple platforms and browser combinations.
Parallel testing is the process of initiating and executing thousands of different test instances on different combinations and machines at the same time. The most important advantage of this process is that it allows the testers to wrap up thousands of different test instances within just a few days.
Containerization using the Selenium test cases allows the developers to specify the testing conditions, the test setup process, tear down, and also improve the overall resource utilization process. The ultimate goal of using docker containers is to simplify the implementation of parallel test execution.
4. LambdaTest
By integrating Selenium with LambdaTest, an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform, testers can execute the automated cross-browser test cases on more than 3000 different combinations of real devices, browsers, and operating systems through remote servers..
Some of the additional features of this platform include real-time test logging, parallel test execution, and comprehensive test report generation. The most important advantage of using cloud platforms is that it eliminates the expense and hassle of setting up and maintaining physical device testing labs.
The Bottom Line
Considering all the points that we discussed in this article, we can conclude that Selenium has multiple advanced features and integrations to elevate the automation testing efforts. By mastering all these techniques that we have discussed, testers can create efficient, robust, and maintainable test suites.
So, whether you are a quality assurance engineer, DevOps practitioner, or developer, utilizing the power of Selenium beyond the basics is very important for delivering high-quality software at scale. This process becomes even more useful for the app companies to create a positive reputation while scaling their audience.