Introduction:
In today’s fast-paced world of smartphone technologies delivering high-quality applications quickly is becoming ever more critical. To keep up with tight release cycles and frequent code changes, teams need to test smarter. Fortunately, technology has brought about scriptless test automation.
In this blog post, we will explore what scriptless automation is, its key benefits, and top tools in the market. We will also tell you about best practices for implementation, and how to overcome the imminent challenges.
What is Scriptless Automation?
Scriptless automation is the use of specialized tools and platforms that allow testers to create and execute automated tests without the need for extensive coding. These clever platforms allow testers to set up automated tests through easy-to-use interfaces rather than intensive coding. You can define all the parameters and logic by dragging and dropping pre-built testing workflows. This technique reduces the technical barrier to automated testing. As such, it is an attractive option for teams with varied skill levels.
This form of automation makes use of the power of abstraction to hide the complexity of underlying code. Therefore, you can construct test scenarios with minimal programming skills. As a result, businesses can rapidly deploy automated testing strategies. Scriptless automation shines for repetitive regression testing, executing tests precisely and consistently.
An Autonomous Bot to Test your Apps
Benefits of Scriptless Automation
Scriptless automation for web and mobile apps has many benefits, including:
Increased Efficiency
Scriptless automation is changing how development teams test apps. Instead of spending time writing complex scripts, we can now focus on more important matters.
This shift makes testing so much easier and faster. With just a few clicks, anyone on the team can automate tests, regardless of technical expertise. No more waiting around for engineers to code up test scripts since the process eliminates the scripting bottleneck.
Improved Coverage
Scriptless automation allows teams to dramatically improve test coverage without writing scripts. These tools provide an extensive framework that integrates with other apps and services. With scriptless testing, we can ensure that all critical features and user journeys are checked thoroughly.
Faster Feedback
Scriptless automation supercharges feedback loops. It swiftly runs tests and produces results, so developers immediately know if their latest changes work as expected. In addition, if your team follows the agile development framework, scriptless automation fits in perfectly.
Consistency
Perhaps the most outstanding benefit of scriptless automation is consistency. Through the removal of the variability associated with manual testing or individual programming styles, scriptless automation ensures that tests are executed uniformly. This consistency is crucial for reliable results. This is especially true when running tests that cut across different environments or platforms.
Accessibility
Through the elimination of the scripting bottleneck, scriptless automation makes automated testing accessible to a wider audience. Without the need for advanced programming skills, team members from diverse backgrounds can contribute to testing efforts.
Tools for Scriptless Mobile and Web Automation
While there are many tools in the market, here are the market leaders in the web and mobile application testing space:
Selenium IDE
Selenium IDE is an open-source scriptless testing tool that provides a simple yet powerful method for web automation testing. It works through the recording and playback technique. It also comes with a command-line runner for Selenium IDE, allowing for batch execution of tests, and supporting control flow structures, enabling complex test scenarios. Its scriptless nature makes it accessible for users with limited technical expertise.
Features
Browser Extension: With its Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, this tool is easy to install and use within web browsers.
Interactive Recorder and Playback Functionality: The interactive record and playback technique makes this tool one of the best for beginners. Basically, you record what you want the tool to do. It will learn and repeat the process.
Advanced Control Flow Structures: Selenium IDE supports conditional logic and loops for intricate test cases. On its own, this tool will meet most of your testing needs without a problem.
Pcloudy
Pcloudy offers a unified cloud platform for automated and manual testing of web and mobile applications. Its intuitive no-code interface allows users to get started quickly without programming expertise.
Features
Unified Platform: Pcloudy stands out as a unified testing platform. You can use it to test all your mobile, website, desktop, and API applications.
Intuitive Scriptless Interface: Pcloudy enables scriptless test creation by recording user actions and generating automated test scripts. No programming language is required.
Cross-browser Testing: Test web applications across 2000+ browser environments with a single test script. All popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari are supported.
Real Device Testing: Validate mobile apps on over 500 real Android and iOS devices hosted on Pcloudy’s cloud infrastructure. This ensures compatibility across devices.
Integrated Manual Testing: In addition to automated testing, Pcloudy facilitates manual testing by providing live access to mobile and web environments.
Detailed Reporting: Execution reports provide a visual representation of test run details including screenshots, videos, console logs, network logs etc. to ease debugging.
TestCraft
TestCraft excels in providing a seamless automation experience for web applications. Its drag-and-drop interface facilitates test creation without the need for complex code. The platform’s intuitive design allows rapid adaptation to changes in the application being tested.
Features
Drag-and-Drop Interface: The drag-and-drop editor allows testers to easily assemble test steps/actions into automated test scripts without coding.
AI-Powered Maintenance: With its AI engine, TestCraft detects changes in the application UI and automatically adjusts the impacted test scripts to match the new UI.
Continuous Integration: The platform has native integrations with CI/CD tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, and many others.
Visual Test Flows: The graphical representation of test steps provides a clear overview of the test logic.
Customizable Steps: Users can create custom test steps specific to their unique testing needs. Pre-built steps can also be customized easily without coding.
ZapTest
ZapTest is an enterprise solution for scriptless test automation. It is a versatile tool that supports both UI and API interfaces, enabling comprehensive testing coverage. Scripts automatically generated by ZapTest can be effortlessly integrated into various SDLC stages.
Features
Modular Object Repository: Object properties are stored in a centralized modular repository simplifying object management and enabling easy object reuse across tests.
Scriptless Documentation: Detailed automated test documentation is produced without any manual scripting effort. This includes test steps, objects, images, and videos.
Smart Test Recommendations: AI capabilities provide context-aware recommendations to improve test coverage and effectiveness.
Custom Reporting: As a user, you can create customized reports and dashboards for actionable metrics and detailed analyses.
Challenges of Scriptless Automation
While scriptless automation can simplify the testing process, it presents challenges like limited functionality, reliability concerns, customization issues, and vendor lock-in, which can hinder its effectiveness.
Functionality Limitations
It is common for scriptless automation tools not to be comprehensive in their coverage. Complex or unique cases often require alternative approaches. This can result in gaps in test coverage and may necessitate supplemental manual or scripted testing to ensure comprehensive quality assurance. However, this is a temporary challenge as different platforms are rapidly introducing features to bypass such limitations. Platforms like Pcloudy do offer an option to add to their libraries in order to add functionality to the testing use case.
Reliability Issues
Scriptless automation may suffer from reliability issues. The automated tests generated may not always adapt well to changes in the application’s interface or functionality. Most tools often struggle with dynamic content, as such, development teams should always be available to identify such issues.
Lack of Customization
When working with scriptless automation tools, you are basically exploring uncharted territory. The predefined frameworks of scriptless automation tools can limit customization. Therefore, tailoring tests to meet specific requirements is often a major challenge. This constraint can impact the depth and flexibility of testing, potentially leaving key aspects of the application untested. However, No-Code Automation Platform like Pcloudy do offer some amount of customization to accommodate specific use cases that might be helpful in the future.
Vendor Dependence on Proprietary Platforms and Limited Extensibility
Scriptless automation often ties organizations to proprietary platforms. This creates an unwanted dependence on vendors for updates and support. As such, teams often have to deal with limited extensibility, as integrating with other tools or adapting to new technologies may not be even possible.
Picking the Right Tool
With many tools available in the market, perhaps the most underestimated challenge is picking the right tool.
Best Practices for Implementation
If you are looking to implement scriptless automation, here are some best practices that you should adhere to:
Combine scriptless and scripted testing for optimal coverage
There is no doubt that scriptless automation has revolutionized web and mobile app testing. However, there is still a major benefit to applying both scriptless and scripted testing. Scriptless tools can quickly cover basic scenarios, while scripted tests handle more complex cases, providing a balanced testing strategy.
Leverage scriptless testing during initial sprints and for rapid feedback
Scriptless testing is ideal during the initial sprints of the development process. The rapid feedback it offers is crucial for developers working on a tight schedule.
Use coded tests for complex flows, edge cases, and regression testing
For complex user flows, edge cases, and regression testing, coded tests are more suitable. They provide the precision and control required for thorough testing with minimal maintenance. Coded tests can also benefit from the advancements in artificial intelligence.
Implement robust locators, identifiers, and selectors for reliable object identification
Ensuring accurate object identification is critical. This is where robust locators, identifiers, and selectors play a vital role. By employing reusable components for these elements, tests become more stable and less sensitive to changes in the application’s UI. Such an approach not only enhances the reliability of the tests but also simplifies the process of updating them.
Monitor and maintain scriptless tests to keep them up-to-date with app changes
App development is dynamic. As such, an effective testing process must include consistent monitoring and maintenance of scriptless tests to align with the latest changes. Equipped with user-friendly tools, scriptless automation platforms, allow development teams to execute automated tests with minimal manual coding. These platforms can generate a test script based on recorded steps, ensuring business logic validation and that the expected results align with intended goals.
Provide training and support for non-technical users creating automated tests
Among its many benefits, one benefit of scriptless automation is that it allows non-technical users to contribute to the testing process. As these tools have significantly lowered the barrier to entry, providing adequate training and support is essential. Such initiatives help users understand best practices and make the most of the scriptless framework.
Conclusion:
Scriptless test automation has undoubtedly disrupted traditional testing methods by enabling rapid test creation without coding scripts. Its visual and codeless approach makes it easy for anyone to automate testing. Basically, these tools have lowered the barrier to entry such that anyone can now automate mobile and web application testing.
With the right strategy, training, and maintenance, scriptless tools can significantly boost release speed and confidence in application quality. As the technology continues maturing, it will become an indispensable part of delivering flawless digital experiences.
March 13, 2024
July 10, 2023
