How to Run Your First Selenium Junit Test?

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The stability of modern applications depends a lot on proper testing cycles. This is because modern applications consist of thousands of different devices that need to function properly to hold up the stable app infrastructure. With the integration of automation testing, app developers can massively boost the testing cycles on these applications. Selenium is one of the household names in the segment of automation testing. This is because, over a decade, Selenium testing has successfully executed simple and effective automation test cases on web-based applications. Selenium JUnit tests are critical to ensure the proper configuration of all the elements present in apps.

So with this article, we will guide the new automation testers and developers through the process of executing their first Selenium JUnit test cases. We will also discuss some of the best practices, tips, and tools that can benefit these processes.

Selenium and The Market of Automation Testing

To understand the functioning of Selenium, the application developers must understand the core infrastructure of automation testing. This is an effort towards the removal of human involvement in the test case execution process. Instead, the system will emulate multiple forms of human interactions with the help of predetermined parameters that will be supplied by the test scripts. It is also possible to make necessary changes in the test scripts to ensure the results are customized according to the requirements of the app development project. Considering the requirements of modern app standards, automation testing can boost the test requirements in the following ways:

With automation testing, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the test cases by integrating parallel test execution. This process will run multiple test instances on different configurations and machines at the same time. By properly utilizing this feature, the application developers can conduct thousands of test cases in only a few days.

While using automation testing, app developers can integrate advanced features like agile methodologies, live activity logs, and parallel testing to improve the efficiency and quality of the application undergoing the development process. Using Agile methodologies, it is possible to conduct the testing and development processes side by side. So, the app can be quickly forwarded to the production phase.

While initiating automation testing, the test cases will be devoid of errors that can arise due to human involvement. Moreover, the system will run automation test cases all the time which is beyond human abilities.

App development companies must consider automation testing as a long-term investment. This is because it will help boost the company’s time and resources by eliminating the requirements of a manual testing team.

Selenium is an open-source umbrella project for initiating and executing automation testing on web-based apps. This project contains multiple tools that are essential at different stages of the testing cycle. The core infrastructure of Selenium works on the popular JavaScript programming language. This means while transitioning to Selenium, the application developers do not have to go through a lengthy learning curve. While using Selenium for test automation, the app testers can use its component tools in the following ways:

The Selenium IDE will be useful for initiating and executing codeless automation testing on modern web apps. This tool analyses the user interaction and generates the test cases in real-time. So the app developers simply have to interact with the app like a normal user and the system will prepare the test cases accordingly.

Based on the app development requirements, there are certain instances when the testers must manually create the automation test scripts. In such cases, the Selenium client API allows this process in any of the popular programming languages like JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and many others. It also simplifies the process of importing the test scripts in the native environment of Selenium.

After successfully creating the automation test cases, the app testers can use the Selenium WebDriver to initiate the test cases in the intended elements of the web application. This tool can also run the test cases in the native environment of the web browser. A very interesting fact about this tool is there it can connect all the processes without the involvement of a dedicated test engine.

Finally, the Selenium Grid aims to improve the efficiency of the test cases while working with Selenium. This is because after analyzing the test data and parameters, the Selenium Grid can automatically forward the test cases to the target elements of the web app. So the app developers can use this tool to initiate multiple test instances simultaneously.

However, we would warn the developers that Selenium is only useful while working with web-based apps. For other alternatives like native apps, cross-platform apps, and hybrid apps, they will have to find another option.

LambdaTest and its Role in Selenium Testing

The integration of LambdaTest can massively boost the simplicity and coordination of Selenium automation testing. This is because LambdaTest is a modern AI-powered test Orchestration and Execution platform. The real device testing cloud of LambdaTest massively boosts the accuracy of the test cases. While performing Selenium JUnit testing, the LambdaTest infrastructure boosts the test cases in the following ways:

While using the LambdaTest API, the app Testers can conduct multiple test instances at the same time. It is also possible to make different combinations of real devices, browsers, and emulation software.

LambdaTest real device cloud also provides access to older versions of browsers and legacy devices. Using these parameters, the app Testers can also include end-users who do not update their software or hardware.

LambdaTest maintains a real-time activity log that shows all the detailed information about the ongoing, failed, and successful test cases. The app developers can also use this information as a reference whenever they are struck with any feature of the application testing cycle.

The application developers can also use LambdaTest to run the Selenium JUnit test cases on the locally hosted pages. These pages are critical for the internal operations of a company.

Finally, after executing the test cases, LambdaTest displays a detailed test report that is also visually attractive. These test reports consist of several screenshots, videos, and test activity logs. It will automatically highlight all the faulty elements that have been detected on the web application.

How to Run Your First Selenium Junit Test?

By configuring a few prerequisites and following a series of steps, the application developers can easily run their first Selenium JUnit test with the integration of LambdaTest. So for the simplicity of the new testers, we have listed all the required steps in the intended order:

Prerequisites:

Firstly, the application developers must download the latest Java development environment. In this regard, we would advise the app developers to download all the required files from the official website to avoid any malicious attacks.

The next prerequisite is to download and install the Selenium client along with the WebDriver bindings from the official website. These will help the app developers run the Selenium JUnit test cases on the LambdaTest Selenium cloud Grid.

Now it is time to install Maven which supports the JUnit framework natively. The official website of Maven provides the required files for not only Windows but also Mac and Linux.

While working with Maven, the app developers have to add the following dependencies when they are working with local web apps:

<groupId>junit</groupId>

<artifactId>junit</artifactId>

</dependency>

Cloning Repo and Installing the Required Dependencies

The application developers must clone the LambdaTest JUnit Selenium sample repository. After this, they have to navigate to the code directory as we have mentioned below:

git clone https://github.com/LambdaTest/junit-selenium-sample

cd junit-selenium-sample

It is a good measure to enter the below command in a test directory before forwarding it to the authentication process. This command will check for any outdated dependencies that might be present in the test framework:

mvn versions:display-dependency-updates

Setting up the Authentication Process

Now it is time for the application developers to obtain their license credentials from the LambdaTest automation dashboard or to the LambdaTest profile settings. These credentials will provide access to the LambdaTest real device testing cloud for running the test cases.

The following code will set the username and access key in the environment variables:

set LT_USERNAME=”YOUR_LAMBDATEST_USERNAME” `

set LT_ACCESS_KEY=”YOUR_LAMBDATEST_ACCESS_KEY”

Running the First Selenium Junit Test

Now it is time for the application developers to write their first Selenium JUnit test using the LambdaTest capabilities. In case the app developers are working with existing test data, they must modify the test parameters so that they are compatible with LambdaTest.

Configuring the test Capabilities

While writing the test case, the developers must update the test capabilities which include browser version, browser, and operating system information. It is also important to mention the LambdaTest Selenium Grid capabilities using the capabilities project. The following code will assist the developers in this process:

DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();

capabilities.setCapability(“browserName”, “chrome”);

capabilities.setCapability(“version”, “70.0”);

capabilities.setCapability(“platform”, “win10”); // If this cap isn’t specified, it will just get the any available one

capabilities.setCapability(“build”, “LambdaTestSampleApp”);

capabilities.setCapability(“name”, “LambdaTestJavaSample”);

capabilities.setCapability(“network”, true); // To enable network logs

capabilities.setCapability(“visual”, true); // To enable step by step screenshot

capabilities.setCapability(“video”, true); // To enable video recording

capabilities.setCapability(“console”, true); // To capture console logs

Executing the Test cases

Now that the app developers have finally set up the testing environment, written their Selenium test cases, and configured the test capabilities, it is time to execute the test cases using the native environment of LambdaTest. The following code will allow the app testers to start the test execution process:

mvn test -P single

The testers can also go through the official documentation of Selenium and LambdaTest to gain more information about the various tools, methods, and features. They will also find valuable information about some of the common errors that can arise during the test execution process.

The Final Verdict

The primary motive of this article was to simplify the process of running Selenium JUnit test cases with the integration of LambdaTest. We also discussed the importance of automation testing in a modern app development standard. So, it is important for the developers to constantly update that information regarding all the new trends and innovations in this segment. They will also benefit by collecting adequate information about the requirements of the target audience. This is because, with this information, it is possible to customize the app parameters so that it can serve a wider section of the end users. Lastly, it is very critical to choose the correct automation testing framework that not only complements the app requirements but also the developer preferences.