Discovering the Route: How to Create Test Cases in Selenium

Selenium is a crucial landmark in web application testing and automation. By automating repetitive and complex tasks, it minimises errors and enhances the reliability of outcomes. Therefore, automating test cases requiring frequent runs or those with high risks is essential.

Selenium’s multi-language support for Java, Python, or Ruby makes it a versatile tool for writing test scripts. As you begin your Selenium training to develop test cases, it's essential to establish a well-structured setup. This will provide a strong foundation for efficient web application testing.

Setting Up Selenium Environment

Setting up your environment correctly is vital to creating test cases effectively in Selenium, especially when using Chrome. This involves a few key steps to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.

Chrome Setup for Selenium

Effectively setting up your Selenium environment, especially with Chrome, involves these key steps:

• Ensure Chrome and ChromeDriver versions are compatible.
• Download the corresponding ChromeDriver from the official site.
• Configure the WebDriver path in your automation script.

With these steps completed, your environment will be ready to create and execute Selenium test cases.

Download and Configure WebDriver

After downloading the correct ChromeDriver, proper configuration is necessary. This involves setting up the WebDriver path in your automation script. Ensure the path points precisely where the ChromeDriver is stored on your system. This alignment is crucial for the WebDriver to function correctly with your scripts.

Import Necessary Libraries

Importing the correct libraries is essential for Selenium testing. These include Selenium WebDriver and ChromeOptions, which are fundamental for controlling the browser and configuring its settings. These libraries allow you to automate tasks like navigating to URLs, interacting with elements, and executing actions without manual intervention.

Configuring ChromeOptions for Headless Testing

In some scenarios, you might want to run tests in headless mode, executing them without opening the browser window. This is where ChromeOptions comes into play. By configuring ChromeOptions, you can set the browser to run in headless mode, improving performance and reducing resource usage.

Also Read: 10 Most Compelling Reasons to Get Selenium Training

Writing Your First Selenium Test Script

To create test cases in Selenium, set up a simple test case that automates a task like logging into a web application.

• Begin by initialising the WebDriver, which is crucial for controlling the browser. For Chrome, download the ChromeDriver and ensure compatibility with your browser version. This setup lets you open the browser and direct it to a URL, such as a login page.
• Next, locate the elements you need to interact with on the webpage, such as the username and password fields and the login button. Selenium offers methods for finding these elements using their ID, name, or other attributes. For instance, use driver.findElement(By.id(username)) to locate the username field.
• Perform actions on these elements, like entering text or clicking buttons. For example, use the sendKeys method to input the username and password and the click method to submit the login form, simulating user interactions.
• Execute the test script to automatically open the browser, perform the defined actions, and close the browser once the test is complete. Verify the test results using assertions to ensure the actual outcome matches the expected result, such as asserting that the page title contains a Dashboard after a successful login.

Remember to close the browser and clean up resources after test execution to prevent memory leaks and ensure tests run in isolation. Mastering these foundational skills prepares you to tackle more intricate automation challenges.

How to Create Selenium Test Cases?

Adhering to best practices in Selenium testing ensures test case reliability and efficiency. Let us explore some of these practices, focusing on explicit waits, robust locators, parameterising tests, and organising them into suites.

Step 1

To begin, install Selenium by opening the Command Prompt and entering the command: `pip install selenium`.

Step 2

Next, download both the Chrome binary and the Chrome driver. Match their versions to ensure compatibility. For Windows users, download the most recent driver along with either the Win64 or Win32 binary, depending on your system's specifications.

Step 3

Import the necessary Selenium modules for web automation and the `sys` module for handling command line arguments.

Step 4

Define a search function that will be invoked with a single argument (the keyword to search on Google). This function will contain the core logic for the "Search Google" operation and will be executed once -the script runs.

Step 5

Set the 'webdriver_path` variable to the location of the folder containing the ChromeDriver executable. Ensure this variable correctly points to where the executable has been downloaded and extracted relative to the automation script. For instance, if both the "SearchGoogle.py" script and the "chromedriver-win64" folder are in the same directory, define the `webdriver_path` variable with the value `"/chromedriver-win64/chromedriver.exe"`.

Step 6

Create an instance of the `ChromeOptions` class named `chrome_options`. Then, when creating the Chrome WebDriver instance, utilise the `executable_path` argument within a formatted string literal (f"...") to specify where Chrome can locate the WebDriver executable using the `webdriver_path` variable.

Step 7

Initialise the Chrome WebDriver as the variable `driver` using the Selenium WebDriver module and the configuration options defined by the `chrome_options`.

Step 8

Use the `driver` to maximise the Chrome window with the `maximize_window()` method and then navigate to the Google homepage using the `get()` method. This will display the Google webpage in the Chrome browser.

Step 9

Use the `find_element()` method on the WebDriver instance (`driver`) to identify the HTML element with the "name" attribute set to "q", which corresponds to the search box. Assign this element to the variable `search_box`.

Step 10

Next, employ the `send_keys()` method to simulate keyboard input into the `search_box` variable. The "keyword" argument represents the command line input passed when the script is executed. This `keyword` will contain the search term and `Keys.RETURN`, a constant from the selenium.WebDriver.common.keys module, simulates pressing the "Enter" key after entering the term, triggering the search.

Step 11

Use the `save_screenshot()` method to capture a screenshot of the results displayed in the preceding actions. Then, save the screenshot in the same location as the Python script.

Finally, close the browser using the `quit()` method.

Also Read: A Beginner’s Guide to Creating Effective Test Scripts With Selenium

Elevate Your Skills with Best Practices in Selenium Testing

Mastering Selenium offers the rewarding ability to optimise web automation tasks, enhancing test reliability and efficiency. Engaging with structured test case development practices strengthens your foundation and sharpens skills crucial for intricate scenarios. Implementing best practices paves the path for more advanced challenges while ensuring your automation journey remains effective and purposeful.

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