Posted by In this current generation of application development, automation testing has become one of the most integral parts of the development and testing life cycle. While we are in the context of automation testing, we must elaborate on the crucial contribution of Selenium in framing and executing the test cases. This is because Selenium has remained the market leader in the segment of automation testing for over 10 years now. While using Selenium for testing web applications, app developers can integrate multiple programming languages like Python, JavaScript, Java, and many others.
For the context of new automation testers and developers, we will elaborate on the process of setting up Selenium testing using Python. We will also discuss some of the most important strategies that will help the developers utilize the full potential of this Python-based Selenium automation testing environment.
Exploring Selenium Test Suite
For the basics, we can say that Selenium is a popular, powerful, and open-source tool used for automating web browsers. This tool provides a framework that helps control web browsers for mimicking human interactions with the web app. This test suite was originally developed by Jason Huggins in 2004. Since its creation, Selenium has gone through several updates that have added new features for improving the accuracy and simplicity of the testing infrastructure. Let us now understand the key components that are present in the Selenium test suite:
1. Selenium WebDriver
● The Selenium WebDriver is the core component of the entire test suite as it provides all the APIs for interacting with the web applications. It also allows the developers to write code for automating the interactions with the web elements. Some of the common interactions include filling out forms, navigating pages, and clicking buttons. Using these interactions, the developers can also retrieve information from the web app.
● During the test execution process, the Selenium WebDriver also allows the developers to allocate the test cases to the respective elements for the execution process and generation of test reports.
2. Selenium Grid
● The Selenium grid enables the execution of the test cases on multiple browsers, machines, and Operating Systems at the same time. It achieves this goal with the integration of parallel testing.
● This tool is highly useful when the developers are working on large-scale applications that consist of thousands of different elements that require dedicated test cases. This tool is also a critical component for the execution of automated cross-browser testing on modern web applications.
3. Selenium IDE
● The expansion of the term IDE is Integrated Development Environment. Using this browser extension, the developers can record and playback interactions within the browser window.
● This browser extension is particularly useful for new testers as it helps them to quickly create simple test cases without writing the code. For this process, Selenium IDE will study the user interactions and create the test cases in real-time.
The core architecture of Selenium interacts with browsers through a dedicated driver. In this case, the driver will act as an intermediary between the scripting language like Python and the browser. After this, the Selenium test suite will send commands to the browser using the WebDriver API. It will also continue to receive responses to act on the application architecture.
So, we can say that Selenium is an important component for the automation testing of web applications. It is also useful for web scraping to perform data extraction. Finally, Selenium also benefits from the integration of regression testing to ensure that software updates do not negatively impact the functioning of the basic application architecture.
Understanding the Benefits of Python
The Python programming language has gained a lot of popularity due to its simplicity, versatility, and robustness. Let us go through some of the major benefits that justify the integration of Python in modern Selenium test cases:
● Implementation of Readability and Simplicity
The core infrastructure of Python emphasizes a readable and clean code. This makes the test cases created with Python very easy to understand and maintain. So, we can also say that Python is one of the most user-friendly programming languages that currently exist.
● Access to Frameworks and Libraries
This language supports a rich collection of frameworks and libraries for multiple purposes like data analysis, machine learning, and web development. Some of the common integrations include Pandas, TensorFlow, Flask, and Django. Using these integrations, the developers can accelerate the development process using multiple modules and functionalities.
● Cross-Platform Compatibility
Python is one of the few programming languages that can run on multiple operating systems like Windows, Mac OS, and even Linux. Moreover, the execution process is very simple as the developers do not have to make any modifications for code portability.
● Availability of Support and Community
Python currently has a huge community of developers who are contributing to open-source projects by creating resources, support, and tutorials. This leads to a faster issue resolution and also allows continuous improvement of the programming language.
● Scope for Versatility
The Python programming language is suitable for multiple applications which include data analysis, web development, scientific computing automation, machine learning, and many others. Therefore, the versatility of this programming language makes it one of the top choices of automation testers and developers linked with multiple industries. This tool is also useful when the application developers are working on hybrid applications that need to function smoothly on multiple devices at the same time.
● Improved Performance and Scalability
Indeed, the core infrastructure of Python is not as fast as other programming languages like C++. However, the developers must remember that the scalability of Python is much higher compared to other market competitors. Therefore it is possible to implement multiple optimizations through libraries. Python also supports the integration of C++ extensions to improve the functionality and performance of the basic testing architecture.
So, Python provides broad applicability, ease of learning, and robust libraries to make it an excellent choice for beginner and professional automation testers. The community support also makes it very welcoming for new testers and developers. This programming language is also able to handle diverse tasks efficiently and also work across various domains. So, it is best suited for multiple tasks ranging from web development to scientific computing using artificial intelligence.
Guide to Setting Up Selenium with Python
Since Selenium is a powerful tool for automating web browsers and Python is a popular programming language, integrating both of these can massively boost the productivity of the development and testing environment. Let us go through the prerequisites and the prominent steps for setting up Selenium with Python:
4. Prerequisites
● The first prerequisite is to ensure that Python programming language is installed on the testing system. In this regard, we would advise the developers to install all the required files from the official websites to avoid any malicious attacks.
● The final prerequisite is to ensure that the developers have the Python Package Manager installed. This tool allows the developers to quickly install all the Python packages for executing the test cases.
5. Selenium Installation
● The first step in the setting up process is to open the terminal window or the command prompt on the system. After this, the developers have to install Selenium on the system using the Python Package Installer. The Command “ pip install Selenium” will complete the installation process.
6. Installation of Selenium WebDriver
● For the execution process, Selenium requires browser-specific drivers for interacting with the browser. For instance, the developers will require ChromeDriver for the Chrome OS and similarly for others. Therefore, it is important to download all the appropriate drivers based on the target operating system and browser combinations.
7. Setting Up the Selenium Script
● Since the developers have completed all the basic steps for the setup process, it is time to write the first Selenium test script using the Python programming language. For the simplicity of the new developers, we have mentioned a sample test case.
● In this program, the developers have to replace the path location with the respective folder location where they have installed all the target browser drivers.
8. Executing the Test Script
● The first step in the execution process is to save the script with a “.py” extension. This extension will allow the system to recognize the test script as a Python-exclusive testing instance.
● Now the developers have to right-click on the test file and run it using the Python terminal window. This script will automatically launch a Chrome browser or any other browser depending on the target drivers. Then, the developers have to navigate to the specified website for the testing process, print its title, and then terminate the browser window.
9. Additional Tips
● The developers need to go through the official documentation of Selenium and tutorials to explore several advanced features like locating elements, performing actions, and handling waits. Moreover, the official documentation will also explain multiple features of Selenium using sample test cases.
● The developers can also integrate virtual environments like “virtualenv’. These environments will allow the better management of dependencies and also help in isolating the project environments. It is a very important feature in case the developers have to test the specific performance of the application based on a single real-world scenario.
● It is also a good option to integrate modern cloud platforms with Selenium testing. This is because these platforms will enable real device testing using thousands of different devices through remote servers. Moreover, modern cloud platforms like LambdaTest use artificial intelligence to organize the Selenium test cases and run them on more than 3000 browser instances at the same time. Some of the additional features include live test activity logs, native bug tracking, and comprehensive test reports.
This guide will provide a good start to the new automation testers and developers with Selenium testing and Python. Moreover, the continuous use of Selenium testing and Python will allow developers to explore their capabilities with modern web automation testing.
The Bottom Line
Conclusively, we can say that it is a simple process for integrating Python with Selenium automation testing. Considering the standards of modern app development, we can see that automation testing will continue to become one of the most important segments in this industry. It is also important for the developers and testers to stay updated with all the latest trends and innovations in this segment. In this regard, we would advise the developing companies to organize seminars and workshops to spread adequate awareness about proper Selenium testing. Finally, it is very important to have a proper idea about the application that is being developed, its target audience, and all the resources being used.