Cross-browser testing is one of the most essential components in the modern Software Development Industry. Using this process, the developers can verify the functioning of the web application on multiple browsers and browser versions. This form of testing also verifies that the physical specifications of a device do not have any negative impact on the proper functioning of the web application. This means the performance of the application will be independent of the screen size, display resolution and the operating system. A website that isn’t cross-browser compatible can have massive negative impacts on a business organization. For instance, you can lose the lead in the market and also damage the user retention rate for your company. Various issues can obstruct the cross-browser compatibility of your application. Some of the common issues are differences in cross-browser layout, cross-browser compatibility typography issues and many more.
The variation in the browser rendering engine gives rise to cross-browser compatibility issues. This engine is responsible for rendering the elements on the web application. All these factors justify the importance of cross-browser testing. However, the developers must remember that this type of testing can be time-consuming if conducted manually. This is because there are thousands of different Browsers and Browser versions that are available in the market. It is almost illogical to verify the functioning of the application on these browsers manually. The developers also have to consider certain specific browsers that are available to only selected mobile devices. All these factors will ensure that you do not alienate any segment of your user base due to browser incompatibility. There are various ways in which developers can increase the speed of the manual testing processes. Using an automated test case is the most preferable solution.
With this article, we will try to understand how you can automate the Selenium test scripts using Junit. We will use the example of a simple test script to simplify the understanding process. Before that, let us learn more about JUnit.
JUnit is a popular unit testing tool that is open source. Using this tool, the developers can test the units of a web application. For ease of testing, the components of the web application are divided into tiny fragments. These fragments are popularly known as the units of a web application. The developers commonly use it with the JAVA project. However, you also have the option to integrate it with a Selenium WebDriver. Using this integration, the developers can perform automated test cases on their web applications. In simple terms, we can define JUnit as a unit testing framework that helps developers to write test cases in a better and more structured manner for Java.
Selenium and JUnit aren’t dependent on each other and can be used in separate testing scenarios. Now, let us understand how the developers can perform Selenium automation testing with the JUnit framework.
Ways to Automate Selenium Tests by Using JUnit
1. Downloading the JUnit Bars
The first step of automating selenium test scripts with JUnit is downloading the JUnit bars. The developers can download these bars from the GitHub link. They must remember to download all the major JUnit bars. They are as follows:
- The junit.jar bar
- The hamcrest-core.jar bar
The final step in this process is to save all these bars in the system of the developer.
2. Adding Jars to the Selenium Project
For this process, the developers have to use an advanced code editor tool of their preference. This will help them to add external jar files into the primary project. Eclipse is the common preference in the market for this process. So, we will elaborate on this concept by using Eclipse as the benchmark. The next step is to ensure that you have all the Selenium jar files downloaded into the system. The developers can download and install Eclipse from the official website. During the installation process, the developers must consider the operating system of their computer. The testers can use the official Selenium website to download all the necessary Selenium jar files after the eclipse installation process. The user Language-Specific drivers will help the developers to create selenium WebDriver scripts.
A significant benefit of the Selenium grid is that it supports all the popular programming languages like Java, JavaScript, C# and python. The final step in this process is to include the downloaded Selenium jar files with the external JUnit Jar files. The developers should also include this file in the code compiler workspace for the Selenium grid.
3. Integrating JUnit to the Main Selenium Script
The next step is to create the JUnit Selenium simple script. It will act as the first step for creating the collaboration between JUnit and Selenium. The first step that the script must perform is to create a registration process for initiating the test cases. After the registration process, the script will check the URL that the developers will enter. During the inspection process, it is a wise decision to redirect the script to the targeted URL. This process will verify that the registration process was successful. The common practice is to use two different classes of JUnit. For instance, the developers can use the annotations class and the other assertions class.
The test script will consist of three different segments. These segments are the BeforeClass, test and the AfterClass sections. The primary goal of this segmentation process is to ensure the smooth execution of the test cases. 1.
Using Parallel Testing
A market study shows that it takes almost five days to complete all the testing processes with manual testing alone. On the other hand, automated testing can reduce this time to almost two days. The developers can further reduce this time with the help of parallel testing. Using parallel testing, web developing companies can initiate multiple test instances at the same time. This means the developer can run browser compatibility test cases on multiple browsers, browser versions, operating systems and devices at the same time. Various test automation platforms like Lambdatest helps web developing companies to initiate parallel test cases. We will learn more about the role of various tools and platforms in the latter part of this article.
To initiate a test case on different browsers at the same time, the developers have to create a helper class. This helper class will extend the parameterized class and also implement the RunnerScheduler class. All these methods will support the Junit test cases in parallel.
Cloud Testing Using JUnit and Selenium
To test the proper functioning of an application, the developers have to run the test cases on different combinations of browsers, operating systems and devices. The traditional approach to this process was to maintain a physical copy of all these devices in the company. However, the companies realized that the physical device testing lab is a highly expensive process. It is even more illogical for individual developers and startup companies. The best solution to this problem is the use of cloud-based services. By using cloud services with the test bench, the developers can conduct the test instances on multiple online servers. Using these services, the developers can initiate test instances on any device from anywhere in the world. Cloud-based testing also eliminates the hassle of maintaining an expensive physical device testing lab.
It is highly beneficial to use Selenium with JUnit for running cloud services. This is because it can run the script on multiple platforms and browsers with any programming language support. The developers will not feel restricted by anything. JUnit also helps to ensure better maintenance, quality and effectiveness of the test scripts. The developers can also increase the smoothness and provide an end-to-end automation experience by integrating Selenium and JUnit with Maven.
Use of Cloud Testing Tools
Various tools and platforms play an important role in improving the effectiveness of automated cloud-based testing processes. Currently, there are thousands of tools and platforms that are available in the market. However, the developers must remember that they cannot simply choose any random tool and integrate it with their primary testing bench. There are various factors that the developers must consider to choose the perfect tool according to their requirements. These factors will include the company budget, the preferred programming language and the specifications of the application. Having a proper idea about the modern test automation trends will also help in this process. The companies should also verify the trustworthiness of a tool. The best way to perform this process is to check for user reviews on multiple forums. Here, the developers will find stories from the life experiences of developers who are currently using this tool.
Now, we can use the example of Lambdatest to better elaborate this concept:
LambdaTest is a cloud-based platform to verify the cross browser compatibility of web applications. It conducts all the test cases using an online Selenium grid. Currently, LambdaTest allows the developers to verify the functioning of the web application on more than 3000 different Browsers and browser versions. LambdaTest generates highly accurate test results by compiling reports from multiple virtual machines, emulators and even real devices. Companies can also use this report to perform further bug detection processes.
LambdaTest also helps the developers to initiate parallel testing on web applications. Using this feature, the developer can verify the compatibility of the web application on different browser and operating system combinations at the same time. LambdaTest also helps to verify the proper functioning of all locally hosted web applications. So, it is one of the most popular platforms to initiate Automation Testing with Selenium and JUnit.
The Conclusion
Automation Testing is one of the backbones of the modern web application Development Industry. All companies should integrate this feature in the test bench as soon as possible. Current market statistics show that almost 30% of companies are still using complete manual test cases. One thing that developers are afraid of about Automation Testing is its initial investment charges. However, market experts suggest that companies should overlook the initial charges and focus on the long run. This mindset will help them to understand how Automation Testing will benefit the companies in the future. Automating Selenium Tests by using JUnit helps companies to develop high-quality web applications in a short period. The developers should also have a clear understanding of the importance of various tools in this process. All these factors will help them to ensure a successful future for the company.