4 Automated Software Testing Tools You Must Know As A Developer

Test automation is a smooth process that helps improve the quality of your software on any platform. You and your development team can save ample time which would otherwise be wasted in running and maintaining the test from the beginning to the end. Therefore, your organization must adopt test automation as soon as possible. For developers working in any field, test automation tools are the key to handling the process effectively.

Rather than investing countless days on managing and handling the development cycle and locking the ideal test case, you need to run automated tests that start in a smaller time period and complete on their own. There is a test automation pyramid that can come in very handy when you are automating your tests at any phase.

Test Automation Pyramid :

Gain a deeper knowledge of the test automation pyramid so you can keep a check on every test level and the return on investment at each of them. When you are well-informed, you’ll craft a strategy that benefits the ROI.

Automated tests were once considered way too expensive to write and afford every month. But that’s history now.  Moreover, experts found that the reason why automation wasn’t  working because developers were automating all the wrong levels.

A smooth and successful automation strategy considers three different levels, namely unit, service and UI. The test automation pyramid comprises of the same components. The pyramid was introduced by Mike Cohn.

On the base of this pyramid is unit testing, which should be the foundation of every test strategy. These tests provide information about bugs and other flaws to the developer. Then comes the service level.

Without service-level testing to fill the gap between unit and user interface testing, all other testing ends up being performed through the user interface, resulting in tests that are expensive to run, expensive to write, and brittle.

Every organization is made up of a bunch of services. Service is the response of an app to some input. Service level tests help in determining whether the process is running smoothly or not. On the top of this pyramid is user interface testing. This is placed at the top because we need to know what effects are occurring on the user level while using the software/app. Automated UI testing can inform you about your current standing and provides room for improvement.

Based upon the automation pyramid and agile testing methodologies, we have a few suggestions of testing software that you can use at your organization:

Robotium :

Android test developers can fully utilize the powers of Robotium and incorporate it in their testing strategy. This tool is very good when you have to prepare and automate suitable tests for different versions of Android. Test developers all over the world prefer Robotium over any other tool when testing their Android software and apps. The tests are written in Java and unit tests can be archived in the tool for others to refer to. It can be called a library of test cases.

However, for developers preferring Robotium to create tests, you have to learn and familiarize yourself with the program’s source code first. Only then will you be able to automate these tests. Robotium can’t be used to lock or unlock a phone or tablet, neither can it work smoothly to interact with system software. Unlike other tools, there is no recording and playback option in Robotium so you can’t compile screenshots of test cases.

Selenium :

Selenium provides a testing framework for its users and makes web app testing easy with the tool on any popular browser of the world including Safari, Chrome and Linux. Selenium is a popular testing tool because it provides options to write tests in multiple languages like C++, Python, Groovy, Ruby and Perl.

This tool also provides a playback and record test feature for those who like to maintain archives of their test cases. World’s most popular browsers have integration with Selenium to have it as a native part of the browser. This tool has been the inspiration for many other testing tools and is one of our most favorites.

Accelq :

Accelq is a wonderful tool which is very popular for agile testing in automated circles. First of all, it focuses on your business process when delivering the best cases to automate the tests. It ensures that the testing happening on each level is suitable and relevant to the organization.

Your entire quality lifecycle can be maintained well when you automate tests with Accelq. It doesn’t worry you with programming languages to write tests, you can write those test cases in plain English! Embed server-side API validations, verify SOAP, JMS or REST based services and bring API testing into the mainstream with Accelq.

Testing Whiz :

Testing Whiz is a wonderful automated software testing tool that enables users to write codeless scripts. The enterprise version of this tool offers a complete package of services an organization may need to run automated tests. It includes web testing, software testing, database testing, API testing, mobile apps testing, regression tests, automation testing, optimization testing and cross-border testing.

You can perform keyword-based distributed tests that are also data-driven. Once you craft a test automation template, it can be recorded and you can playback whenever you want. Testing Whiz also provides an Internal Recorder and gives multiple options for risk-based testing.

There are more than 300 testing commands that are built-in on Testing Whiz. Moreover, the tool provides integration options with popular bug tracking and testing tools like Mantis and Fogbugz. HP Quality Center is also free to integrate with the tool if you want to use their suite of services. Testing in an automated cycle is completely agile with spontaneous integration at each cycle.

Last word:

There must be many other great tools out there in the market that perform the automated testing tasks just as effectively as the ones mentioned above. It depends on your business cycle and the apps you need in order to keep your business systems running smoothly. If you are still confused about which tools to choose, talk to the customer service representatives at these companies and they will guide you through the selection process.

AUTHOR BIO :

ABOUT Erica Silva

Erica Silva is a blogger by choice.  She loves to discover the world around her. She likes to share her discoveries, experiences and express herself through her blogs. Currently, she is associated with Airg Team for development work. Check out her firm’s performance reviews.

Find her on Twitter: @ericadsilva1