September 2013 Summaries

Savings.com, a leading coupon and deal site, uses Sauce Labs to implement continuous deployment and automate its testing process. The company's development team was previously struggling with manual testing and debugging due to limitations in their in-house Selenium implementation, including issues with browser compatibility, test concurrency, and debugging capabilities. By switching to Sauce Labs, Savings.com achieved significant improvements in scalability, reduced test run times, and enhanced support for test debugging, allowing them to adopt a continuous integration and deployment release cycle and achieve success in their business growth.

Advanced Mobile Testing on Sauce Online Workshop Video and Slides` Many thanks were extended to those who attended an online workshop on Advanced Mobile Testing on Sauce, which took place recently. The presentation slides are available for viewing at a specified URL, while a video recording of the session is also accessible through a unique identifier. Attendees' suggestions for future workshops topics are eagerly anticipated.

The Gilt mobile team has been working to improve their testing processes to ensure a stable and enjoyable shopping experience for their customers, given the increasing importance of mobile in their business. They have migrated to a more automated testing approach, using tools like Appium, which allows them to test native apps without including SDKs or recompiling the app. This enables them to use preferred test practices, frameworks, and tools. The team is also exploring ways to take automation to the next level, such as integration testing and TDD-centric workflows, with the goal of creating a culture that promotes proactive testing. They are leveraging existing tools and technologies, like KIF and Selenium, to achieve this goal, and encourage other engineers to get involved in fixing Appium's shortcomings.

Android 2.3 is now available for testing with Appium on Sauce, allowing developers to automate their Android 2.3 app using a Selendroid session by simply setting the version to 2.3. The update provides an opportunity for users to test and validate their applications on this specific Android version.

The new --proxy option in Sauce Connect version '3.0-r28, build 43' enables the use of BrowserMob proxy with Sauce Labs. To make this work, a BrowserMob proxy connection is established, then Sauce Connect tunnels are set up using specific flags, including `--proxy`, `tunnel-identifier`, and `readyfile`. The browser is then launched using the right tunnel identifier, followed by manipulation of the BrowserMob proxy to perform tasks such as basic authentication. Once done, the tunnel is closed, and the sauce connect process is shut down. This allows for efficient automation testing with the BrowserMob proxy on Sauce Labs.

Introducing Cross-Browser JavaScript Unit Testing on Sauce LabsToday we're excited to announce a new and improved way to test your JavaScript unit tests on the Sauce Labs cloud. These changes, including a revamped REST API, provide an easy way for JavaScript developers to do massive cross-browser testing of their apps without setting up or maintaining any test infrastructure.Using Sauce for your JS unit testing gives you instant access to difficult to maintain OS/browser combinations, including Mac OS X and Internet Explorer, providing you with better test coverage and scalability. You can also integrate your tests with your CI system to automatically ensure your browser compatibility on a per-commit basis. Currently, you can easily run your Jasmine, QUnit, YUI Test, or Mocha tests on Sauce Labs using Grunt, Yeti, Karma, Mocha Sauce, or Intern.Why did we make this improvement?For a long time now, our primary goal at Sauce has been to make functional Selenium testing a killer experience. While we've added additional capabilities to our platform, like manual testing and hybrid and native mobile app testing, JavaScript unit testing, although used here and there by some customers, wasn't a core focus. That changed this past May when we attended JSConf. Not only did we meet tons of developers using Sauce, the majority of them were using us for JavaScript unit testing, particularly if they had an open source project that needed cross-browser testing coverage (did you know we offer unlimited-use plans for open source projects?). After talking with a few developers at various companies for feedback on how we could improve the experience, we learned that some relatively minor changes could have a big impact on how easy and useful it is to test JavaScript functionality using Sauce's cloud infrastructure. Then we got to work.FeaturesWhat make JS unit testing awesome on Sauce? Our new REST API makes it super simple to run your tests on our cloud - and it takes Selenium out of the equation. In the past, if you did JavaScript unit testing on Sauce, you had to use the Selenium libraries to instantiate the browser. Now, this happens seamlessly in the background.Test Details Page To help JS developers identify issues lightning fast, we did an overhaul of the test details page, creating a test report specifically designed for JavaScript unit tests. You'll be able to see and share all your test details easily and identify failures faster using the screenshots, video and logs.Getting StartedIf you've never done any sort of JavaScript unit testing on Sauce, we suggest getting started by signing up for a free account and reading  our documentation. If you've already picked your tool of choice, check out our simple REST API to get started. And if you're using Grunt, Yeti, Karma or Mocha, check out the following links: Grunt-SauceYeti & Sauce LabsKarma Sauce Launcher Mocha-SauceRead the Case StudyWant to learn more about how other companies do JS unit testing on Sauce? Read our latest case study featuring Mobify. Mobify uses Sauce to test mobify.js, their JavaScript library for powering responsive sites. Mobify was able to easily automate their unit testing and run their tests easily in the cloud using our Grunt integration. Happy JavaScript unit testing!Bill McGeePublished:Sep 12, 2013TopicsProduct UpdatesCross-Browser Testing

Sauce Labs has expanded its JavaScript unit testing capabilities to its cloud testing platform, allowing developers to easily cross-browser test JavaScript components using the company's secure and enterprise-grade testing infrastructure. With this new feature, developers can now automatically test whether their JavaScript code renders correctly across multiple browsers and operating systems, increasing the coverage of their testing and speed of release cycles. The updated platform also includes a convenient REST API for easy integration with Continuous Integration systems, as well as a new reporting page that provides detailed results of JS unit tests, enabling developers to identify failures faster. This feature is particularly useful for frontend developers and popular JavaScript application frameworks such as YUI, which rely on cross-browser testing to ensure quality and compatibility across different browsers and devices.

The Mobile JSON Wire Protocol Workshop` was a two-day workshop held in London, where representatives from various mobile automation projects, including `Selenium Project`, `ios-driver`, and `Selendroid`, came together to discuss the development of standard specifications for mobile automation. The goal of the workshop was to create a standardized protocol that would ensure maximum interoperability between frameworks and promote collaboration among project teams. The event was led by the `Selenium Project` and aimed to build on their success in developing standards for web automation with the W3C. Over two days, participants made significant progress in planning the specs of a standardized mobile automation protocol and developing roadmaps for submitting extensions to W3C and implementing changes in automation servers and client libraries. The workshop's outcome is expected to greatly benefit users of mobile automation frameworks, providing them with greater flexibility and protection from vendor lock-in, while also promoting growth in the open source community.