There is a popular open-source framework called Selenium, but precisely, what is Selenium? It is a widely used framework for automating web applications. One of the most popular ones is changing the way organizations perceive and approach software testing.
Developers can easily automate a web browser or run tests on different platforms and browsers. The inclusion of the Page Object Model (POM) in a successful Selenium framework increases the scalability as well as maintainability of test automation.
This article will walk through the process of setting up a Selenium framework and including a Page Object Model to develop a scalable and efficient testing solution.
An Overview of Selenium
Selenium is a free, open-source web automation framework for automating web browsers. Its support for multi-programming languages includes Java, Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript. Selenium provides APIs where end users could interact with the web elements; it could simulate the actions a user would make when interacting with the application and validate how that application behaves.
Selenium consists of the following:
- Selenium WebDriver
A programming interface that would allow control of remote web browsers, as well as any specific interactions with web pages through their programming interfaces.
- Selenium IDE
A browser extension that can record and replay your actions against a web application, making it simple to record simple tests.
- Selenium Grid
A tool to run test sessions in parallel across multiple machines and browsers, improving the execution speed of tests.
- Selenium Server
A standalone server is used to coordinate the execution of tests on multiple machines and browsers.
Setting Up a Selenium Framework
Setting up an effective Selenium framework requires you to follow several structured steps. This ensures that you have a strong environment in which to automate your web applications.
- Choose a Programming Language
Select a programming language that best serves your needs and the programming skills of your developers. You can begin with Java or other alternatives such as Python, C#, Ruby, and JavaScript. Each is part of a plan that has community support.
Also, check how well your existing code fits with the given language. Does it align with the skills of the organizational team? How well will you fit with other tools?
- Install Selenium WebDriver
Once you have chosen a programming language, you need to acquire Selenium WebDriver. Now, you have to download the appropriate WebDriver for the specific browser you want to automate.
So, for instance, if you are working with Chrome, download ChromeDriver; use GeckoDriver if you are working with Firefox. Then, download and add the WebDriver executable to either PATH or specify its path in the configuration of your project. This will come in handy as it enables Selenium to communicate with the browser.
- Set Up Your Development Environment
Then prepare our development environment once we have WebDriver installed. We need to have an integrated development environment (IDE); anything from IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or Visual Studio Code would work. Tools like these create smooth writing, debugging, and test script management.
In the process of configuration, your programming language needs to be set up in your IDE so that Selenium WebDriver can recognize this.
- Create a Test Project
Once you have an IDE installed, you’ll create a Selenium test project; this is where all of the test scripts and more will be kept.
You should also initialize any dependencies in Selenium and any testing frameworks you may use. Proper dependency management prevents disorganization in your project structure.
- Write Your First Test
Now that you have created and set up your project with its dependencies, it’s time to write your first test case. For something simplistic enough as a test itself, navigate onto a web page and interact with elements on that page.
That’s everything from clicking buttons to filling out forms; this would be just going through some action based on the project’s demands. The main intent is to validate that your setup works correctly and that Selenium can interact with the web application as expected.
- Running the Test
Run your test case in your integrated development environment. It will validate everything is fine. In the case the test passes, it is a sign your Selenium framework is good and well configured to handle some tricky testing tasks.
In the case of errors or failures during the running time, you focus on error messages in such circumstances to identify and fix the problems.
Integrating the Page Object Model
The Page Object Model is a design pattern used in test automation to organize and maintain test automation code. This way, you create one class for each web page and cover all elements together with methods linked to that page.
In particular, using POM will boost the readability, maintainability, and scalableness of your test automation framework.
To incorporate POM in Selenium, you need to:
- Create a Package for Page Objects.
Begin with creating a new package in your project that you will use specifically for the containment of all the classes of your page objects. This way, your project will be easy to maintain, and you can distribute and order all the different pages within it.
The separation of page objects into their very own separate package is, therefore, bound to maintain a clear-cut separation between test logic and page-specific implementation details.
- Create Classes for Each Page
For each unique web page in your application (like LoginPage, HomePage, and ProductListingPage), you create a corresponding class in the page object package.
These classes shall comprise locators with the help of IDs or XPaths and methods for interaction with elements on a given page. Each page object class represents a particular page or part of your application.
- Implement Page Methods
Define, for each page object class, methods that result in actions on the elements of the page under test. These should include the logic necessary to interact with the page, be it clicking a button, entering text into a field, or checking whether the title of the page is set correctly.
By defining these methods within page object classes, you abstract away the details of the implementation as well as provide a level of abstraction for interactions with the page.
- Use Page Objects in Test Cases
You create instances of the relevant page object classes within your test case classes and use their methods to interact with the web application, thus separating the test logic from the page implementation details.
This makes your tests much more readable and maintainable. So far, you have been able to write tests that are focused purely on logic and user scenarios without getting bogged down in the specifics of how to interact with each page.
- Keep Page Objects
As the application changes, update page object classes so locators and methods still reflect the proper changes in the user interface. This can include an updating element, locators, new methods, or even modifying some existing methods to keep the application in sync.
Ensuring page objects are updated is what helps keep your tests running, as you might expect, while you minimize the impact of UI change on your test automation framework.
By applying the benefits of the Page Object Model, you will end up having a much more organized, maintainable, and scalable Selenium framework for your web automation needs.
POM helps you abstract out complexity from the interaction with web pages to make your tests much more readable, reusable, and resilient to changes in the application under test.
Benefits of Integrating the Page Object Model (POM)
The code quality advantages of having POM into your Selenium framework include:
- Improved Code Readability
Page object classes provide a very simple and structured design to write test automation code. That makes it easy for the members of the organization to understand and maintain the codebase.
- Reduced Code Duplication
With the inculcation of page-specific logic in their separate classes, you are less likely to have duplicated code across different test cases.
- Enhanced Maintainability
This higher maintainability makes you want to change the UI of the application; you only have to update that particular page object class corresponding to that page, and it will affect your overall test automation framework to a lesser extent.
- Increased Scalability
It also promotes scalability when the application grows; it’s relatively straightforward to include new test cases because you can reuse the methods and classes of existing page objects.
Leveraging Cloud-Based Testing Platforms for Selenium Framework Setup
Cloud-based testing platforms like LambdaTest are essential for scalable Selenium tests. LambdaTest provides a vast selection of browsers and devices, allowing you to test web applications across various environments without maintaining local infrastructure. It supports WebDriverIO, enabling you to run WebDriverIO tests effortlessly in the cloud.
LambdaTest is an AI-powered test execution platform that allows you to run manual and automated tests at scale with over 3000+ browsers and OS combinations; it offers features such as cross-browser testing, real device testing for accurate performance representation, and parallel testing to execute multiple tests simultaneously.
With LambdaTest, you can efficiently scale your Selenium framework, offload infrastructure management, and ensure your web applications perform well across a wide range of browsers and devices.
Conclusion
To conclude, the setup of the Selenium framework, along with integration with the Page Object Model, is another significant step towards making test automation more scalable and maintainable.
Following the steps of this article will help you to achieve a good base for your Selenium framework, as you are bound to take complete advantage of the benefits offered by POM regarding readability, reduced duplication, and better maintainability.
Using a cloud-based testing platform like LambdaTest, you can take your Selenium framework to the next level. It supports a huge number of browsers and different kinds of devices that will be possible to test, making it easier to run your test web applications on various environments.
Combining the power of Selenium with the convenience of cloud-based testing accelerates the process of testing and decreases overhead through local infrastructure management to deliver great-quality web applications.
In conclusion, setting up a Selenium framework with the Page Object Model will benefit your test automation efforts by increasing scalability and efficiency. With a little investment in such practices, organizations can ensure their web applications are thoroughly tested, thus lowering the risk of bugs and delivering a better user experience.
Want to dive deeper? Check out our other posts on automating your software testing journey at Buzz Revolve.
