Welcome to the world of web automation: what do you think, are you ready for it? The following is the Selenium WebDriverIO tutorial through which you will learn about basic automation of browsers. This guide is for you if you already in the programming filed or just starting using WebDriverIO.
Selenium WebDriverIO is a great way of handling the web application automation. Let me step you through the first automated test with WebDriverIO and how to prepare it. So let the fun begin and let us begin this process right away.
What is Selenium WebDriverIO?
Selenium WebDriverIO is an interface employed to exercise interaction with a web browser. It enables you to perform on Websites that mimics actions such as pressing buttons and even using forms. This also helps in locating bugs and possible glitches, thus preventing the release of a game with unresolved issues.
Selenium WebDriverIO links the commonly used web testing tool, Selenium, with WebDriverIO, which takes JavaScript tests easier to write. Combined, they present a complex solution for automating Web, or if you like, a ‘super’ solution.
To the new web test automation engineers selenium webdriverio tutorial means the opportunity to reach the level of effective and efficient tests. It becomes useful for any professional who would like to venture into website development and testing.
Why Use Selenium WebDriverIO for Testing?
When testing, if Selenium WebDriverIO is used, testing will be less time-consuming and less of a hassle. Instead of going through all elements of a web page to check the validity, you can develop test scripts to do that for you. This abosolves the concern you have with your site may be off line at some point of the time.
Selenium WebDriverIO allows for automated tests to be run cross browser and cross device. This ensures you identify problems that may be unique to particular surroundings and enhances your site for every user.
Also, targets such as the Mocha and Jasmine testing frameworks are supported by Selenium WebDriverIO. Thus, you get to work with equipment and devices that suit your testing requirements, which can help simplify and optimise your testing strategy.
Setting Up Your Environment for Selenium WebDriverIO
Selenium WebDriverIO setup for your environment is time efficient and quick. First, you need Node. js coming with installed software in your PC. Node. js is a Node.js library equipped to run the JavaScript beyond the context of a web browser which is the case for WebDriverIO.
Secondly, install WebDriverIO through npm, Node package manager is commonly used package installer of Node.js. js’s package manager. This process entails its execution of a couple of commands through the terminal. For one, it is an easy one that takes a rather short time to learn even for those who have little to no experience in the field.
After being installed, you will generate a configuration file. This file informs WebDriverIO about how to execute your test, with which browser and much more. Organized everything then, means that you can write your code as well as run tests to initialize any function or procedure.
Installing WebDriverIO: A Step-by-Step Guide
To install WebDriverIO, one has to begin by opening up a terminal. The first command that you will be executing will be the installation of the WebDriverIO command-line interface or CLI. This tool is used mainly for laying out and organizing your WebDriverIO projects and spaces.
The second process that comes into operation once the CLI is installed is generation of a configuration file. Here is where CLI will assist you by formulating questions about your project as the process unfolds. These questions assist in developing a tailored environment for tests since the environment surrounding the tests will be developed based on the answers.
Last but not the least, let’s install exact WebDriverIO to be used as dependencies to our project. These are the primary WebDriverIO library and any test framework of your choice which can be either of the two, namely Mocha or Jasmine. After which, your installation of WebDriverIO is done and you can proceed to create more tests.
Creating Your First Selenium WebDriverIO Test
Writing the first selenium webdriverio tutorial is always fun. In the beginning, one needs to generate a new test file within the working project folder. This will be the file containing JavaScript code for your test.
In the test file you have created, write a basic test case. For instance, you can post a simple task, to see whether the given webpage loads properly or not. Engage WebDriverIO commands to get to the webpage and then get its title. This aids in confirming that the current page is being rendered just as it should be.
Conducting your test is the last step. Run the WebDriverIO CLI for your test file. If all the configurations are properly done you should obtain the test results in your terminal whether the test has passed or not.
Understanding the WebDriverIO Configuration File
It is a key file in your testing setup because it controls how WebDriverIO works by containing the options for most of the tools provided. This is a configuration file that informs WebDriverIO on the way it should execute your tests, and on the kind of browsers you want it to deal with, among other things. In the end, such a file is most typically called wdio. conf. js.
On the configuration file, you will make settings like the test frame work, test files and the capabilities of the browser. These settings are a guarantee that your tests will be carried out in the most efficient and accurate manner. Proper configuration of this file is very important when it comes to testing.
If one comprehends each of the sections in the configuration file, then it becomes easier to fine tune the testing environment. This knowledge enables you to fine-tune a setup that matches with the specific requirement that give your test higher efficiency and reliability.
Running Your Selenium WebDriverIO Tests
In its execution, running your selenium webdriverio tutorial is easy. Writing of tests is the final step after which WebDriverIO CLI can be used to run your tests. This tool helps you in managing and executing your tests, or in other words your testing process.
Ensure you are in your terminal and at your project directory of choice. Next run the command that starts the WebDriverIO test runner. This will run your tests on the basis of the settings provided in the configuration file and the outcome will be displayed in terminal.
The examination of the results obtained when testing helps a person determine inabilities or bugs. If a test does not pass, there should be a report pointing out what went wrong to enable you correct issues standing in the way of your website functioning well.
Debugging Common Issues in WebDriverIO
Dealing with common problems in WebDriverIO is also crucial for a front-end developer. It is also possible for tests to get to the negative because of some wrong codes or configurations put in place. Both the current and the next sections are essential for learning how to find and correct such problems to facilitate testing.
Check logs in terminal as a starting point by clicking on the ‘error’ tab in stacktrace. This is commonly indicated by messages that shed light on the problem encountered. Check for typos or commands that are wrong in your test files as this is an area where most go wrong.
If the problem cannot be determined by the error message, utilize WebDriverIO’s debugging functions. It assists you to run through your tests and see what is happening at the back end at every instance. This procedure can expose the problems and allows you to correct it as soon as possible.
Using Custom Commands in WebDriverIO
This often means that by using custom commands in WebDriverIO you are able to add new features to it. A custom command is a script one creates to reduce the general functions to easy to use options. They improve the manner in which you carry out your tests in a manner that makes it easier for you.
For instance, to come up with a new command, create a new method at WebDriverIO’s browser object. This method is capable if performing any task that you require of it for instance, when you want to click on an element within the webpage. Whenever the custom command is created, it utilizes it in the test files.
As you will soon see, they very much assist in the cutting down of code redundancy and in the enhancing of your tests’ readability. By creating common actions as the custom commands, you simplify your testing procedure and do not spend much time on organizational and routine activities.
Integrating WebDriverIO with Mocha and Jasmine
WebDriverIO in combination with Mocha-Jasmine improves your testing environment. Jasmine and Mocha are testing frameworks which give structure and other functionalities to the tests.
The testing framework of your choice can be Mocha or Jasmine; but before you begin, you need to install the package of the selected framework on your project. In the next step, you should update the WebDriverIO configuration file for using the selected framework. This setup enables you to write and structure your tests in the Mocha or Jasmine frameworks as you please.
These frameworks make the tests more readable and organized when using WebDriverIO. They are useful like assertions and hooks that make your tests more reliable as well as easier to support. This integration is a good supplement to your Selenium WebDriverIO tutorial.
Parallel Testing with Selenium WebDriverIO
Selenium WebDriverIO simplifies testing as well as allows you to test in parallel. Parallel testing also applies that more than one test can run simultaneously, thereby contributing to cutting down the overall testing time.
To set up parallel testing, you need to modify the WebDriverIO configuration file. Define the number of comparable activity streams you would like to organize. This setting informs the WebDriverIO the number of tests to be run concurrently.
There is usually a significant benefit of a large number of tests which is well highlighted by parallel testing. This means if the workload is divided into different sessions, it will take a shorter time to get the results. This efficiency is a big win in the circumstances where the continual integration and deployment are a common practice.
Generating Reports in WebDriverIO
The creation of reports in WebDriverIO enable the user to know the results of the tests. Reports contain more specific information concerning which tests have been passed or which ones have been failed, which will help to review the testing process.
WebDriverIO supports many types of reports. Sample reporters to install: Packages required, Add the following to the configuration file. This arrangement helps to avoid the need to record the tests as well as the format of the report after the tests since it is automated.
The consideration of these reports makes it possible to distinguish the common issues or patterns. They give one an understanding of the stability of ones website by pinpointing the areas that require fixing. This feature is important to a basic Selenium WebDriverIO tutorial.
Advanced WebDriverIO Features for Pros
Some of the features mentioned here may not be very apparent to the regular WebDriverIO users but are available for the users who want to dig deeper. These features assist in generating more sophisticated and superior tests and therefore futher improves the process of automation.
That serves as an example of one of the WDIO services, namely service integrations. WebDriverIO is complemented with such services as browser drivers, and cloud testing platforms. These are some of the services that you should integrate in your settings to reduce the time it takes to test.
The last of these is the usage of WebDriverIO’s hooks as another advanced feature. Hooks enable you to write your own code to execute before or after specific test actions will be performed. This feature benefits you in handling the setup and tear down of tests, enhancing the test functionality.
Conclusion
Selenium WebDriverIO is quite an enjoyable and fruitful path. It simplifies the testing of website and guarantees that they are functional to all end users. So, in this tutorial you are introduced, the environment is prepared and even the first test was made. Great job!
For the remaining sections, always adhere to the best practices, as well as incorporate as many of the more elaborate features as is practicable. Keep learning and experimenting. In a short while you will be a master in web automation with selenium webdriverio tutorial. Happy testing!
