Automated testing is no longer an option, it’s a must-have in every tester’s bag of tricks. Testing early and fast helps identify bugs faster, saves time, effort and costs. This article outlines some best practices for test automation.
Focus on documentation
It helps organize every developers’ code and helps their peers keep track of the entire code base. If one coder leaves the team or wants to add new functionality by using existing code, they can debug, update, test and analyze results with greater results.
No Code Duplication
Avoiding code duplication must be the primary concern on anyone’s list of automation coding standards. To quote Agile Manifesto co-author Robert C. Martin said, “Duplication is the primary enemy of a well-designed system.”
Keep It Simple
Keep the Single Responsibility Principle in mind when writing code. This means that if a certain functionality has to be tested, the tester knows what will be impacted.
Code only for immediate requirements
Over-engineering makes it difficult to understand the code. It adds something to the code that isn’t necessary, and anyone studying the code won’t know why it is there and what role it plays.
To prevent this, write code that serves the immediate requirements. Don’t build in code meant to test for future conditions that have not yet been defined. Do not add extra code with no tangible cause.
Find the right automation platform
After creating clean code, one must run it on a robust platform that enables testing on real devices. Unless testers have access to an in-house device lab, they should use cloud-based automated testing solutions.
By adhering to the strategies outlined above, testers and devs can create code that makes their lives easier.
