June 2015 Summaries

The webinar "Test Automation Newbie? Robot Framework Will Save the Day" covered how to use Robot Framework, an open source framework for creating continuous automated regression tests for various testing environments. The presentation demonstrated how to install and integrate Robot Framework into a Jenkins build, as well as run test cases locally or on the Sauce Labs platform.

The concept of "server huggers" refers to individuals who resist adopting immutable infrastructure in favor of traditional server management. To transition towards immutable servers, one must first build a cloud architecture strategy and gain buy-in from development and operations teams. This involves presenting the importance of virtual machines and containers, simplifying infrastructure, and making it part of the application. Immutable infrastructure is characterized by predictable, scalable, and recoverable components that are replaced at every build and deployment, with changes made only through versioned definitions. The benefits of moving to immutable servers include cost savings, reduced maintenance time, and improved scalability and reliability. By treating virtual machines as commodities and adopting automation, organizations can reap the rewards of immutable infrastructure and improve their software development quality.

This webinar will introduce Robot Framework, a powerful and free open-source test automation framework that can be used to create continuous automated regression tests for various testing scenarios. The presentation will cover the basics of Robot Framework, including installation, creating automated test cases using plain English keywords, integrating with Jenkins, and running tests locally or on the Sauce Labs platform. By attending this webinar, participants will gain a clear understanding of how to use Robot Framework to improve their test coverage and time to delivery of applications, ultimately enhancing their CI/CD workflow. The event is scheduled for June 23 at 11am PDT/2pm EDT, followed by a Q&A session with the presenters.

The Touch Actions API in Appium allows developers to automate complex gestures on mobile devices, enabling full testing of applications. The API provides the building blocks for any particular gesture and enables chaining together individual actions to simulate complex interactions such as dragging elements onto each other. The API also supports Multi Touch Actions, which allow automation of simple actions like pinching and zooming with multiple fingers. The client records the actions locally before sending them to the server where they are actually performed, allowing for more control over the gestures. The wait function is useful for synchronization and can be used to pause actions to ensure the position is registered by the application itself.

Automating responsive layout testing can help developers catch visual defects early on in their development workflow. By using Selenium with Applitools Eyes and Sauce Labs, developers can create automated tests that run multiple screen resolutions in parallel, allowing for faster feedback and reduced delays. The test suite is designed to be flexible, with environment variables used to specify different browser versions and platforms. Once created, the Rake task can be executed from the command line, making it easy to run the tests against each screen resolution specified. This approach enables developers to quickly identify visual anomalies and ensure that their application renders correctly across various devices, improving overall user experience.

To measure success in automation, teams need to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that track metrics such as build speed, test coverage, and code quality. By setting these KPIs, teams can identify areas for improvement, increase developer confidence, and optimize their automation processes. Effective KPIs should be clear, discrete, and meaningful to the project, and should be used to monitor progress against a baseline. Teams that automate the creation of KPI information will achieve better results than those who manually create metrics from a CI environment. By establishing the right KPIs and implementing automated testing strategies, teams can deliver faster deployments, improve code quality, and increase productivity.

Appium + Sauce Labs Bootcamp: Chapter 1, Language Bindings` This chapter introduces the basics of Appium and its language bindings for Java, Python, and eventually Ruby. It explains how Appium uses the Sauce Labs Webdriver API to interact with mobile devices, and how it provides a set of commands that can be used in any programming language. The chapter covers the basic concepts of finding elements on the UI, inspecting their properties, and interacting with them using various commands such as `click`, `send_keys`, and `location`. It also discusses the importance of desired capabilities in specifying the environment for running tests and how to instantiate a driver object using these capabilities. Additionally, it touches upon the locator strategies used by Appium, including finding elements by accessibility ID or class name. The chapter concludes with examples in Java and Python demonstrating how to use Appium with Sauce Labs for automating UI tests on iOS devices.