Sustainable IT outsourcing: What do companies actually gain from it?

In our main article “Software testing: methods, pitfalls and tips”, we have already provided an overview of software testing in general.
Now we want to take a closer look at automated testing with Selenium.

Selenium: What can it do?

Selenium is a widely used open source tool for the automated testing of web applications.
It enables testers and developers to write automation scripts to simulate interactions with websites in different browsers and operating systems and detect errors.

Selenium is particularly useful for regression testing, where the same test cases are repeatedly applied to new versions of a web application to ensure that previous functionalities still work correctly after changes or updates.
It also supports the development of test cases in an agile development process by providing fast and automated feedback on new features or bug fixes.

Carrying out selenium tests

The use of Selenium in software testing typically involves the following steps:

• Test case definition: First, the test cases that are to be automated are defined.
  For example, a test case could be logging into a user account or filling in and sending a form on a website.
• Test script creation: Using a programming language such as Java, C#, Python, Ruby or JavaScript, scripts are manually written that contain Selenium instructions to control browser actions.
  These scripts use the Selenium WebDriver API to send direct commands to the browser during test execution, such as opening a web page, clicking on links or entering text in form fields.
• Test execution: The created test scripts are executed, whereby Selenium automatically starts the specified browser, performs the defined actions and checks the results of these actions.
  The tests can be executed on a single system or in a distributed environment across multiple browsers and operating systems to ensure the compatibility of the web application.
• Result evaluation: After the test execution, the results are analyzed.
  Selenium can automatically determine whether a test case was successful or not based on whether the expected behavior of the web application occurred.
  Errors or deviations from the expected results are documented for further analysis and correction.

Why do Selenium test scripts need to be maintained?

As web applications are constantly evolving or being developed further, e.g. new functions are added, the test scripts must also be updated regularly to reflect changes in the application and ensure relevant tests.
This again requires manual input.

This means that testing with Selenium requires manual input by employees, but testing can already be automated to a large extent, thus saving testers’ working time.
At Bitkollegen, we also have experienced Selenium testers in our team who support our customers with optimal software testing.