3 Major Roles of Selenium WebDriver

The early applications were fairly easy to develop test and use. This is because most of the applications were targeted for a single platform and were meant to perform one task at a time. In some cases, the users had to switch between different applications according to their requirements. However, with the modernization of technology and the upliftment of use cases, applications began to evolve. Currently, one application is capable of performing multiple tasks at a given point. Moreover, the end users can access the applications on multiple platforms like desktops, mobiles, smartphones, and tablets. This complex nature of the application has made it prone to frequent errors and even crashes. So, the developers also had to improve the testing standards to ensure that they provide a smooth end-user experience. Selenium WebDriver is an important component of the Selenium test suite for improving testing standards.

Selenium is a popular name in the world of automation testing. Automation testing is one of the modern trends in the application testing industry. Using this technology, the developers can test the functioning of the application with the help of automated test scripts. Some of the popular automation frameworks are Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright. In this article, we're going to discuss various ways in which Selenium WebDriver helps developers to improve the efficiency of the application testing process. We will begin our discussion with the basics of Selenium.

The Basics of Selenium

Selenium is an open-source umbrella project that was initially released in 2004. An interesting fact about Selenium is that during its initial release it was known as a JavaScriptTestRunner. The reason for this name was that this test automation framework was developed with the JavaScript programming language. Currently, Selenium is running on the 4th version. It is a test suite that consists of different tools for performing specific functions in an automation testing scenario. Due to its immense features and a massive community of developers, Selenium has managed to dominate the test automation industry for almost a decade now. The test cases developed with the Selenium automation framework are known as a Selenium automated test script. Using Selenium, the developers can create test cases in all the popular programming languages like JavaScript, Java, Ruby, and many others.

The only major downside of Selenium is that the developers can use it to only test the functioning of web applications. Considering the diversity of the current application development industry, this restriction can seriously limit the innovative and development capabilities of a company.

The Components in the Selenium Test Suite

As we already discussed in the earlier part of this article, Selenium is a test suite consisting of different tools. So let us now take a quick look at all the tools present in the Selenium test suite and their major functions:

1. The Selenium Remote Controller

The Selenium remote controller is a very important tool to improve the scalability of the Selenium test suite. This is because before Selenium remote controller became a part of the test suite, the developers had to create the Selenium test cases using the native Selenese language. It was a problematic portion as the developers had to learn a completely different programming language for the sake of one test suite. However, the situation quickly changed with the introduction of the Selenium remote controller. Now, the developers can create test cases with all the major programming languages like Ruby, Python, and JavaScript. Removing the language restriction also helped to improve the innovative capabilities of the Selenium developers and testers.

2. The Selenium Integrated Development Environment

The Selenium integrated development environment is responsible for creating and executing all the test cases. Using this tool, the developers can analyze the user interactions on a web application and accordingly frame the test cases. It is a very seamless way of creating a testing process as the developers will only have to use the application like a normal user. Since the test cases are developed in real-time, the developers can watch the progress as they continue to interact with the web application. This process is also critical to ensure that the web application stands up to the expectations of a real user.

3. Selenium WebDriver

The Selenium WebDriver is a core component of the Selenium test suite. This is because the developers will have to use this tool to not only initiate the test cases but also execute them on the target elements of a web application. The Selenium WebDriver also helps the developers to maintain an activity log for all the test cases that are currently operational in a web application. The Selenium 4 update added various new features that further improved the effectiveness of Selenium WebDriver. Another major advantage of Selenium WebDriver is that it does not require a core engine for performing its functions. This is because this tool can directly communicate with all the elements present in a web application.

4. Selenium Grid

The Selenium grid helps developers to execute parallel test cases on their web applications. Parallel testing is a modern feature that allows the execution of different test cases in a side-by-side format. Many developers believe that parallel testing can improve the efficiency of the test cases by almost 10 times. Industry study reveals that with the proper integration of parallel testing and automation testing, the developers can complete all the test cases in under three days. The Selenium grid uses the principle of hub interaction for performing parallel test cases. In this process, the test case will be allocated to the principal hub which will in turn forward it to the respective node that will be connected to the hub. Then, the test case will be executed in the node and will display the test result.

Major Roles of the Selenium WebDriver

The Selenium WebDriver is an important component of the test suite that helps developers to create and execute automated test cases effectively. Let us discuss some of the major roles of the Selenium WebDriver in successfully executing the testing process:

1. Initiation of Cross-browser Testing

With the Selenium WebDrivethe developers can initiate cross-browser testing on their web applications. Considering modern standards, it is impossible to release an application without ensuring that it is cross-browser compatible. In simple terms, it is the process of ensuring that the application does not lose its performance when the user switches the operating system, browser version, or device. There are various tools and platforms like LambdaTest that further help developers to improve the efficiency of cross-browser test cases. We will learn more about these tools in the latter part of this article.

2. Introduction of User Interaction Testing

Companies need to ensure that the application can handle user interaction. Using the Selenium WebDriver, the developers can simulate mouse and keyboard inputs on a web application. This process helps the developers to understand how the web application reacts to user interactions and sorts them accordingly. Using the Selenium WebDriver, the developers can also classify the inputs into various formats like a double click, scroll, left click, right-click, and many others.

3. Introduction of Advanced Browser Interactions

The Selenium WebDriver provides advanced browser interactions to further improve the effectiveness and simplicity of the testing process. For instance, while using the Selenium WebDriver, the developers do not have to initiate the servers for executing the testing processes. The Selenium WebDriver also allows the developers to execute some basic test cases in an offline environment. This means that Selenium WebDriver isn't limited to network connectivity for testing processes. Increasing the effectiveness of a testing environment is a very critical process for the modern app market. 

Role of Tools and Platforms in Automation Testing with Selenium

Verifying the performance of an application in a specific environment is critical to ensure that it meets the expectations of a business company. Similarly, it is also important to ensure that an application stands up to various unexpected circumstances that might appear while using it on different devices. For instance, certain factors like low battery, lesser Internet speeds, and a broken display can have a significant impact on user interaction. Therefore, companies need to test the functioning of the application on real devices. However, real device testing is easier said than done considering the diversity of the modern market. For reference, only in the Android platform, do more than 1000 devices appear in the market every year. So, we can just guess the final number considering there are other popular platforms like iOS, Windows, and BlackBerry.

Using cloud applications in an app development process can help to solve the issue of real devices. This is because cloud platforms have hundreds of real devices present on their servers. The developers can access all these devices by paying a minimum license fee. Cloud platforms also allow developers to initiate their testing processes from anywhere in the world. Let us improve our understanding of cloud platforms with LambdaTest as an example:

For basic knowledge, LambdaTest is a cloud-integrated platform to execute cross-browser test cases in a secure grid. Cross-browser test cases are critical for ensuring that the application stands up to the expectations of an end user irrespective of changes in the operating system, browser version, or device's internal specifications. LambdaTest can execute test scripts from multiple automation frameworks like Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium. While using Selenium, the developers can initiate the testing processes on more than three thousand different browsers. LambdaTest improves the efficiency of the test cases by almost 15 times with the help of parallel test execution. It is a process of executing multiple different test configurations side-by-side. LambdaTest generates highly accurate test results by combining multiple reports from emulators, simulators, and hundreds of real devices.

The Conclusion

Automation testing is an important component of the modern app development industry. Similarly, Selenium WebDriver is also an important component of the Selenium test suite. It is worth noting that a recent survey shows that only 60% of app development companies have transitioned to automation testing. Considering the benefits of test automation and its future perspective it is very important for all the remaining companies to begin this transition. However, it is worth noting that the initial expenses of introducing test automation are high. Moreover, the developers should also remember that automation testing can never eliminate the need for manual test cases. This is because certain testing processes are almost impossible to conduct without the knowledge and expertise of a human tester.

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