Keywords- self-healing automation, mobile and web app test automation
Benefits of Self-Healing Automation in Testing
Application testing has evolved from a standalone activity (often completed at the end of the application development cycle) to a more integrated and ongoing process. We’re approaching the age of quality engineering, which combines test automation, DevOps, and Agile methods. Despite its advantages, test automation is accompanied by the issue of “fragile” test scripts, which are known to fail frequently.
So, without further ado, let’s look at how self-healing test automation overcomes the limits of traditional mobile and web app test automation and what advantages it provides.
What Is Self-Healing Test Automation?
Self-healing test automation uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automatically adapt tests in response to application interface or environment changes. This app testing technique assures that test automation stays practical and up-to-date even without manual involvement.
Traditional test automation is based on static application component descriptions, necessitating regular human updates as the program evolves. This technique is time-consuming and serves as a bottleneck in quick development cycles.
Self-healing test automation tackles this difficulty head-on. The requirement for manual test maintenance is considerably reduced because it automatically adapts to changes in the application. Whether a new feature or an update to current functionality, self-healing technologies keeps the test scripts in sync with the application.
What are the Benefits of Self-Healing Automation?
Self-healing automation guarantees constant and dependable test execution. There are various reasons why you should implement self-healing testing, including:
Low Maintenance
Traditional testing generally needs frequent manual script modifications, which is time-consuming. Self-healing test automation significantly reduces the required updates and fixes, lowering maintenance costs and resource use.
Improved Efficiency
Manual error detection and correction can slow down conventional testing. Self-healing testing speeds this process by automatically recognizing and repairing mistakes, allowing testers to focus on more challenging tasks and increasing workflow efficiency.
Better Test Coverage
Traditional testing may overlook new cases due to delayed adaptability to changes. Self-healing test automation adjusts quickly enabling a thorough application testing and a broader range of situations and functionality.
Reduced Cost
Manual testing and script maintenance can be tedious and resource-intensive. Self-healing testing’s automated error repair provides a more cost-effective solution over time.
Faster Feedback
Detecting and addressing faults with traditional test automation can be time-consuming. Self-healing testing identifies and resolves issues more quickly, providing the development team with faster input for rapid progress.
Reduced Downtime
Traditional testing might cause substantial downtime due to test failures. Self-healing automation quickly responds to these errors, reducing downtime and providing a more continuous testing process.
Saves Time and Effort in Test Maintenance
QA teams spend significant time and money executing application testing, whether manually or through automation. The program must adapt to new test scenarios, use cases, and features each time it changes. However, self-healing test automation reduces the overhead costs associated with traditional test automation.
Reduces the Number of Failed Tests
Failed tests occur during the application testing process. A majority of failed tests are due to inadequate test maintenance. This implies that QA teams do more to correct testing problems than application defects. Manual test maintenance can potentially cause delays in product development and deployment to market. Self-healing mobile and web app test automation decreases (or even eliminates) the need for manual test maintenance, resulting in fewer failed tests.
Prevents Object Flakiness
Object flakiness makes it difficult for QA teams to determine how stable (or unstable) their test cases are. Among the numerous reported problems, the “NoSuchElementException” issue leads to flakiness in the test design. QA specialists have minimal influence over the test design. Self-healing test automation allows businesses to change the test design for the application being tested automatically. This means smoother test runs and a lesser chance of failure if it does not detect a specific object.
The Self-Healing Mechanism
Every test case you run is specific to the site element you’re checking. To properly perform test steps, each web element is assigned a locator, which is typically name, ID, Xpath, and type. It is assumed that the application under test will be continuously modified, resulting in a change in the elements. So, the next time you run the same test, it will fail due to a discrepancy in the UI. Unless you use a self-healing technique, your pre-designed test cases will fail.
Automation frameworks use self-healing as an innovative and automated tool to help testing teams do their responsibilities more efficiently. The test automation tool will use the new object location to prevent failed test cases. This strategy ensures that the entire script is updated with each modification to the product’s design.
Self-healing test automation is for Agile development teams
Quality engineers and developers are shifting away from homegrown or legacy test automation frameworks such as Selenium and toward proprietary, low-code test automation solutions with self-healing capabilities to accelerate test automation adoption and expand overall test coverage. Teams who see that test maintenance is slowing production cycles and hampering quality have chosen to improve their quality testing practices through automation.
Self-healing automation is not restricted to a single vertical or organizational scale. Teams, large and small, that use or are in the process of implementing Agile development and DevOps benefit from contemporary test automation that self-heals tests. And the benefits much surpass the short-term inconvenience of deploying a new solution.
Where can you implement self-healing automated tests?
Self-healing automated tests can be used whenever a user wishes to check the operation of a web application’s user interface. When a test is generated, it may be set to update based on predicted changes in the application automatically. For teams spread around the world, SaaS solutions enable quality leaders to empower anybody on the team – regardless of physical location – to build and execute self-healing automated tests, reducing the load of test management.
Conclusion
The agile technique involves continual development and testing of applications. It is evident that the present test cases will fail if the object IDs change throughout the procedure. This is when self-healing test automation comes to the rescue. It responds to the changing parts of the web page to avoid test failure.
Its advanced element detection methodologies and dedication to ongoing improvement make it an invaluable resource for teams trying to better their testing procedures, particularly in dynamic and rapidly evolving application environments. Self-healing mobile and web app test automation from Pcloudy will surely help you transform your testing approach. Streamline your testing process, minimize manual labor, and confidently embrace change.
