Delivering the best customer experience is one of the primary goals of modern business companies. To stand up to this goal, these companies need a stable application that can help the customers experience all of their services. So, the primary objective of the modern application development process is to deliver a stable and high-quality application quickly. Currently, it is almost impossible to achieve all of these goals without the integration of automation testing. While executing test automation, the developers need to write all the essential test cases with the help of programming language. Some popular programming languages include JavaScript, Python, and Ruby. It is easy to develop and execute the test cases on the preferred test automation framework. Automation testing can also help companies execute different test cases simultaneously.
This article will discuss how developers can create a stable test automation environment with the Python programming language. This article will also analyze some of the best tools and platforms that can help in the Python-based test automation process.
The base of Automated Testing Practices
For a proper understanding of this article, it is essential to have a basic idea of automation testing practices. This is an advanced process of executing all the important testing processes without the involvement of human developers. Automation testing is suitable for performing regression and repetitive test cases in the application development lifecycle system. It helps the app developers to focus on other critical areas of the development project. The system will use a test file containing all the important data and parameters for this process. This will help the system act like a normal user and interact with the web application systems. Based on these interactions, it will generate a test report highlighting whether the application is ready to be released to the end users. It is also possible to store and reuse automation test cases in future projects.
For a proper understanding of test automation, knowing its advantages and drawbacks is essential. The massive shortcoming of test automation is that it involves a lot of investment during the initial stages. These expenses will cover the charges for integrating multiple libraries, plugins, and dependencies critical for the proper execution of test automation. It also comes with an unavoidable time frame where the developers will get accustomed to all the new tools and features. So, app companies must adequately understand their business model and investment returns to help them know whether they are ready for the transition.
Understanding the Python Programming Language
Python is one of the most popular programming languages that are currently available. This is an entirely open-source programming language that mainly specializes in both web and desktop applications. It can also help developers to create test cases and applications for machine learning, network servers, test automation, and media tools. Due to its open-source nature, the developers can access this programming language’s features without worrying about any license expense. It is also straightforward to use and comes with massive library support. This means that while using this programming language, the developers can massively customize their test cases according to their requirements. Python also has native support on all test automation frameworks. Python also comes with significant indentation and code reliability. This means the test cases developed with this programming language are highly accurate.
Integration of Python with Automated Testing Environment
It is easy for developers to integrate Python into their automated testing environment. For this process, the developers have to follow a few simple steps. However, it is essential to follow these steps carefully to avoid any unexpected surprises or errors in the test case execution process. So for the simplicity of the new developers, we have listed all the steps below:
- It is crucial for the developers to first download and install Python from the official website. It is essential to choose the correct install file according to the operating system of the developers. Python supports all the popular operating systems, including windows and Linux.
- The next step in this process is to install the Selenium libraries inside the Python folder. It will allow the developers to initiate the native integration. For the basic introduction, Selenium is a test suite that consists of multiple tools for executing automation testing on web applications. Selenium is one of the most popular names in this market that has remained in the top position for over ten years. So we’ll be using the example of this tool for our understanding. However, the developers need to remember that Selenium can be only used for creating the automation test cases on the web application. While working on other apps like native apps, hybrid apps, and cross-platform apps, the developers have to look for an alternative like Playwright.
- The previous two steps discussed the dependencies and prerequisites essential for integrating Python with the automation testing environment. After completing these steps, the developers must create a new project for storing all the Selenium test scripts. It is essential to name the project according to the application development process. This will help the developers to keep track of all the required test cases. The next step is to transfer all the Selenium test scripts into this new folder.
- The developers also have to write new test cases in their preferred programming language, Python, to validate the proper functioning of all the user interface elements in the web application. After the developers have completed creating the test cases, they can start executing them in the native environment of the Selenium test suite. One of the most effective practices in this segment is to name the test cases according to the target elements. It will help eliminate any confusion when the developers are working with complex web applications that consist of thousands of different web-based elements.
- As the developers start executing the test case, they must wait for the execution process to complete. After this process, the system will automatically begin displaying the test results. It is essential to note all the final reports as they will consist of all the bugs and errors detected in the web application.
- After the execution of the Python-based automation testing process with Selenium, the developers have to proceed to the application debugging process. This debugging process will help the developers remove all the bugs and errors found in the application and move it to the production phase. It is crucial to maintain an activity log as it plays a massive role in shortening the debugging process. Integration of agile methodologies like continuous integration and continuous delivery can help the developers with this process.
- It is essential to properly store the Python-based automation test cases as they will be beneficial in the future. For instance, the developers can reuse these test cases when rolling out an update to the web application. It will save the hassle of rewriting the test cases and waste much development time. Moreover, it is essential to keep track of failed and successful test cases for company referencing purposes. These are some of the critical factors that help prevent any failures in the application development and testing life cycle.
Integrating Automated testing Tools and Platforms
Automation testing can be complex for new developers due to its comprehensive infrastructure system. However, various tools and platforms can simplify this process. Moreover, these platforms integrate various plugins and libraries further to improve the quality of the application development process. For example, we can consider cloud platforms that completely eradicate physical device labs and their expenses. This is because while using these platforms, the developers can achieve similar test results while executing all the test cases over the Internet. These platforms also add various features to improve the efficiency of the overall testing process. Moreover, these platforms allow access to specific devices and browsers that are no longer available in the market. We can improve our understanding of cloud platforms by shifting our attention towards LambdaTest as a center point.
As a general introduction, we can define LambdaTest as a modern cloud-based cross-browser testing platform that executes all the test cases over the cloud. Cross-browser testing has become essential to the application development industry due to its reliability and test accuracy. With this testing process, the developers can ensure that they provide the best experience to the customers irrespective of changes in the device version, operating system, or browser version. This platform also has various advanced features like parallel test initiation to execute different test configurations simultaneously. LambdaTest also removes geolocation barriers with the help of its cloud platform. This platform allows the execution of test cases from multiple popular frameworks, including Selenium, Cypress, and even Playwright. It is worth mentioning that LambdaTest supports more than 3000+ different browsers while working with Selenium test cases.
Moreover, the addition of real devices with thousands of different simulation software helps to boost the accuracy of the test results massively. This allows the developers to integrate the results into the test bench directly. LambdaTest can also verify the proper functioning of locally hosted web apps for internal operations.
Conclusion
The article’s primary focus was to spread proper awareness regarding the integration of Python in modern automation test environments. With proper implementation and execution, the developers can efficiently perform this process. Considering the importance of test automation, it is essential to have a basic idea about this modern testing process. Moreover, the developers and testers should try their best to update their knowledge regarding this segment’s new additions, innovations, and integrations. The app companies also have a crucial role in this regard, as they can conduct frequent seminars to spread knowledge.
Lastly, it is essential to choose the right tool and platforms that can complement the application development practices of the new developers. This is because it is one of the critical factors that can help a company survive in the competitive nature of the app market.