Getting Started with Test Automation: Introduction to Cucumber with Lapis Lazuli

Copyright © 2015 spriteCloud B.V. All rights reserved.
Introduction to Cucumber with Lapis Lazuli
Getting Started with Test Automation

Getting started:
This presentation will take you through the steps needed to set up a test automation
project using Cucumber - a software tool that runs automated tests in the BBD style -
in combination with Lapis Lazuli, a gem that provides Cucumber helper functions and
scaffolding for easier web test automation suite development.
To do this you will need to have installed Ruby with some drivers and libraries. You
can find detailed notes on how to do this here:
http://www.testautomation.info/Getting_Started

What you need:
To successfully follow this tutorial, prior
knowledge of test automation isn’t needed, but
knowledge of scripting - especially Ruby - and
HTML skills are recommended.

You will find out about:
- Gherkin
- Cucumber
- Browser testing
- Creating a TA project
- Best practices

Example website
To set up this project, we will test on a
small web application as an example.
Try the following steps out at:
http://www.testautomation.info/training-page/
Note:
The web app doesn’t store information,
closing the browser window will reset the page
and created user accounts.

HTML introduction
Firstly, this is HTML Structure you will
need to refer to:
<parent>
<element>
<child></child>
<child></child>
</element>
<element/>
</parent>
HTML Element:
<a id="homepage"
href="http://www.spritecloud.com">
spriteCloud
</a>
Element (node)
Attribute (node) name
Attribute (node) value
Text (node)

Code examples
A very short explanation of code you
need during this training:
A variable is a label you can give to a
piece of data. Data can be simple
(numbers, text, functions) or
complex. Complex data or objects
contain variables.
Functions return data based on
certain input data.
# This is a comment
variable = "string"
variable2 = :symbol
variable3 = 1000 * 3 + 200
Object.variable
puts("Hello World!")
=> "Hello World!"
$ program "on commandline"
# Red is used as a highlight

Browser testing
Install Lapis Lazuli with:
$ gem install lapis_lazuli
Run the Interactive Ruby Shell
$ irb
# Load the library
require("lapis_lazuli")
# Activate LL in this IRB session
include(LapisLazuli)
# Goto the website
browser.goto("http://www.testautomatio
n.info/training-page/")
# Print the page title
browser.title()
=> "Calliope Training"

Browser testing
Finding elements on page using LL
uses the .find / .find_all function.
It allows you to do complex searches,
but today we will focus on the basics.
# Find the title
# using the unique ID attribute
browser.find("title").text()
# or the longer syntax
browser.find({:id => "title"})
# Number of links on a page
# using the element
browser.find_all(:a).length()

Browser testing
Sometimes elements don’t have an
ID and you will have to use other
attributes.
# Number text fields on the page
# using attributes
browser.find_all({:like => {
:element => "input",
:attribute => "type",
:include => "text"}}
).length()
# or a short notation
browser.find_all({
:like => ["input","type","text"]
})

Browser testing
Website automation requires more
interaction than loading pages and
finding elements.
Start by clicking the login button
# Find the login button
# and save it in a variable
login = browser.find({
:id => "button-login"
})
# Correct button?
login.flash()
# Click the button
login.click()

Browser testing
To do a successful login we need to
enter our credentials:
# Username text field
username = browser.find({
:id => "login-username"
})
# Enter the username
username.send_keys("test")
# Repeat with password field
# Do the login
login.click()
Username test
Password test

Browser testing
What happens if you try to find an
element that doesn’t exist on the
page?
# Search for not existing element
browser.find({:id => "HIDDEN"})
=> RuntimeError: Error in find -
Cannot find elements with
selectors: {:pick=>:first,
:mode=>:match_one,
:selectors=>[{:element=>"HIDDEN"}]}
(http://www.spritecloud.com/)

Browser testing
The find functions allow you to set
your own custom error message to
helps non-technical users understand
the issue.
# Search for not existing element
browser.find({
:id => “HIDDEN”,
:message => “Could not find
hidden element”
})
=> RuntimeError: Could not find
hidden element - Cannot find
elements with selectors: { … }
(http://www.spritecloud.com/)

Browser testing
Now try it yourself:
- Click the first todo item
- Add a todo
Or try out automating another website, like searching on Google.com

Technology framework
- BDD Language to describe tests
- Test specification and execution
- Tools to improve Watir for cucumber testing
- Tools to improve WebDriver
- Browser automation
- Programming Language
- Cucumber Software-as-a-Service by spriteCloud
Lapis Lazuli
Watir
Selenium WebDriver
Ruby
Cucumber
Gherkin
Calliope

Gherkin
Gherkin is the language that
Cucumber understands. It is a
Business Readable, Domain
Specific Language that lets you
describe software's behaviour without
detailing how that behaviour is
implemented. Gherkin serves two
purposes — documentation and
automated tests.
Feature: Some terse yet descriptive
text of what is desired
Scenario: Some situation
Given some precondition
And some other precondition
When some action by the actor
And some other action
And yet another action
Then some outcome is achieved
And something else we can check

Gherkin
For the feature description, a three-
line user story is ideal:
● In order to <achieve goal>
● As a <role>
● I want to <activity details>
Feature: Todo Clicking
In order to complete a todo
As a test automation novice
I want to click a todo
Scenario: Regular numbers
Given I am logged in
When I click the fist todo
Then 2 todos remain

Cucumber
Cucumber is a software tool that
computer programmers use for
testing other software. It runs
automated acceptance tests written
in a behavior-driven development
(BDD) style.
Given /I am logged in/ do
browser.goto
"http://www.testautomation.info/training-page/"
end
When /I click the first todo/ do
browser.find("todo-item-0").click
end
Then /(d+) todos remain/ do
|number|
browser.find("todo-remaining")
# … some extra code
end

Cucumber
Given /I am logged in/ do
browser.goto
"http://www.testautomation.info/training-page/"
end
When /I click the first todo/ do
browser.find("todo-item-0").click
end
Then /(d+) todos remain/ do
|number|
browser.find("todo-remaining")
end
Feature: Todo Clicking
In order to complete a todo
As a test automation novice
I want to click a todo
Scenario: Regular numbers
Given I am logged in
When I click the fist todo
Then 2 todos remain

Starting a new project
To create a project type:
$ lapis_lazuli create MyTaTraining
The project already includes an
example scenario, so lets run it:
$ cd MyTaTraining/
$ cucumber
MyTaTraining/
config/
config.yml
cucumber.yml
features/
example.feature
step_definitions/
interaction_steps.rb
validation_steps.rb
support/
env.rb

Cucumber result
Let’s look at the cucumber output:
Scenario: example01 - Google Search # example.feature:8
Given I navigate to Google in english # interaction_steps.rb:6
And I search for "spriteCloud" # interaction_steps.rb:16
Then I see "www.spriteCloud.com" on the page # validation_steps.rb:6
1 scenario (1 passed)
3 steps (3 passed)
0m9.976s

Cucumber result
Let’s look at the cucumber output:
Scenario: example01 - Google Search
#example.feature:8
Given I navigate to Google in english
# interaction_steps.rb:6
And I search for "spriteCloud"
# interaction_steps.rb:16
Then I see "www.spriteCloud.com" on the page
# validation_steps.rb:6
1 scenario (1 passed)
3 steps (3 passed)
0m9.976s
MyTaTraining/
config/
config.yml
cucumber.yml
features/
example.feature
step_definitions/
interaction_steps.rb
validation_steps.rb
support/
env.rb

Cucumber options
By default Cucumber will run all
feature files it can find, but it has
multiple options for customized runs
Advanced:
To view all options
$ cucumber --help
# Using feature file
$ cucumber features/test.feature
# With line number
$ cucumber features/test.feature:10
# Run a single tag
$ cucumber --tags @example
# Run two tags (logical OR)
$ cucumber -t @example,@dev
# Run scenario with both tags (AND)
$ cucumber -t @example -t @dev
# Excluding a tag
$ cucumber -t ~@dev
# Check which scenarios will run
$ cucumber --dry-run

TA Best practices
1. Don’t add ‘code’ to Gherkin
2. Validate if a step has been completed
3. Try to use XPath or the like and not RegExp
4. Don’t use hard timeouts
5. Work with the development team
6. Use shortest possible selector
7. Scenarios are independent
8. Keep your code clean and simple

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