Model-Based Test Engine Benefit #1: Simplified automation creation and maintenance

Posted by Ben Simo

Model-Oriented Design

Procedural automated test scripts may be easy to record or script. However, they are difficult to maintain when applications change. They are also difficult to adapt to new test ideas. Maintenance is simplified by automating the procedure generation in addition to the execution. New actions, validations, and data can be added to existing tests. This allows testers to spend more time thinking up new test ideas instead of maintaining procedural scripts.

Simplified GUI Interaction Coding

Most GUI automation tools contain complex vocabularies for controlling objects and retrieving information from those objects. There are usually different methods for interacting with different classes of objects. This requires that toolsmiths learn a class-sensitive vocabulary and be aware of the class as they code tests. There is an easier way: create functions that automatically detect an object's class and apply the appropriate method. This allows for the same command to be used whether you are selecting from a list box or entering text into an edit box. The parameters for the functions can then be specified in tables that are processed by the test generation and execution engine.

Common framework functions for interacting with the applications under test also allows for common solutions to tool bugs and limitations. Workarounds and enhancements can be put in the common framework code instead of being reimplemented for each test script.

Separate result validation from actions

Separating expected results definition from the test action execution simplifies maintenance and supports easy reuse of test oracle code. Validations can be specified at whatever level in the model hierarchy they apply and the test engine automatically applies them to all sub-states.