Before we look at the different types of automated frameworks and how they help the testing process, it’s important to define test automation frameworks.
These frameworks are a set of rules and guidelines that facilitate the creation of test cases. A testing framework comprises various practices and tools that help testers and QA professionals to test applications with greater accuracy and efficiency.
The rules usually involve test-data handling options, coding standards, ways to store test results, access to external data sources, and more. Importantly, these guidelines are not mandatory. However, testers can benefit from organized frameworks and the numerous benefits they offer.
The automated testing process can be enhanced by using automated frameworks to improve test efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. Compared to manual testing automated testing needs minimal manual intervention and maximum test coverage.
Within this article, we’ll be looking at various types of testing frameworks and discuss how they can improve your automated testing process, depending on the application.
Read on for more information.
Different Types of Automated Testing Frameworks
There are six types of automated frameworks used in the testing process. Each framework has its own benefits and drawbacks. These frameworks include:
- Linear Automation
- Modular Based Testing
- Library Architecture Testing
- Data-Driven
- Keyword-Driven
- Hybrid Testing
Linear Automation Framework
Linear test automation frameworks are sometimes referred to as record-and-playback frameworks. Testers don’t need to write any code and steps are also written in sequence. Testers recover every step (user input, checkpoints, etc.), then play the automated script to run the test.
This is a fast way to generate test scripts without wasting time on repetitive processes. The workflow is also very easy to understand. Many testers would argue this is the easiest way to implement automated testing, particularly when using a new testing tool.
Modular Based Testing Framework
When using a modular framework, testers need to segment the application into different functions, units, and sections; the tester then tests those sections in isolation. Once the app is broken down into modules, the tester develops a test script for each unit and then combines them in larger, hierarchical tests. Testers will often build an abstraction layer so any changes made to individual units won’t affect the larger tests.
One of the main benefits of this type of testing is that testers can reuse old tests, making the testing process more efficient.
Library Architecture Testing Framework
This type of automated framework is similar to the module framework but offers additional benefits. For one, testers don’t need to divide the app into different scripts, the app is broken down by objective, so the framework identifies similar tasks and groups them according to their function. These common functions are stored in a library and selected whenever necessary.
Library architecture frameworks offer a significant level of modularization, making test maintenance and scalability much more cost-effective; they also offer a large degree of reusability.
Data-Driven Framework
Data-driven frameworks segment test data based on script login, so testers can store the data on an external data source. Testers often need to test the same functions multiple times with various data sets. This is why the testing process cannot hard-code the data in the actual script, which is the case in both linear and modular testing frameworks.
Testers can store and pass parameters into their test scripts from external sources, including Excel files, Test files, SQL tables, CSV files, and more. The test scripts connect to the data source and read the data when required.
Keyword-Driven Framework
As far as keyword-driven frameworks are concerned, each app function is put into a table with consecutive instructions for each required test. Similar to data-driven frameworks, the data and script logic are separate. However, keyword-driven frameworks take this idea to another level.
Keywords are stored in a data table separate from the test script, so they remain independent from the testing tool used by the tester. These keywords form part of a script and represent actions performed by users on the application; they can be as simple as ‘login’ or ‘click’ or as intricate as ‘verifylink’.
Once the table is ready, testers only need to provide the code that’ll execute tests based on the keywords.
Hybrid Test Automation Framework
As with lots of test processes, automated frameworks are overlapping and integrating more and more. As you would expect, hybrid frameworks are a combination of some of the above frameworks, leveraging their main benefits and mitigating any potential drawbacks.
As a tester, a hybrid framework allows you to adapt the testing process to any application. As teams try to increase efficiency, the need for a flexible framework becomes apparent. In addition, hybrid frameworks are adaptable and can get accurate test results with greater test coverage.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are several different automated frameworks. Take some time to consider each one and decide which route is best to test a specific application with the most efficiency and productivity.