Automated Testing in .NET: Tools, Frameworks, and Examples

Introduction

Gone are the times that businesses relied on manual testing. No matter that manual testing is an inevitable part of the test process, it also has some negative aspects. It involves heavy investment in human resources and it is time consuming and tedious.

Developers have long debated whether to perform testing in .NET development services manually or automatically. Furthermore, a lot of individuals have no idea what testing automation is.

Hence this blog provides a detailed reference to test automation models. Here, you will get to know about test automation structures and components.

The significance of.NET testing automation frameworks and how to select the best one will also be covered. Lets learn some of the must known topics to help you understand automated testing better.

Understanding Test Automation

Automation is the automatic control of various processes. Hence it is an indication that there is little or no human involvement. Test automation in the world of IT is the process of testing applications by applying different automation technologies to observe their response or behavior to some type of input. Additionally these tools can be both open-source and licensed. After implementing the application, various users can use it in various manners.

Hence in short test automation is the procedure that encompasses bringing automation to certain well known or predictive actions. It guarantees that the program functions as intended.

What do you mean by automation framework?

Before proceeding to the topic of test automation frameworks in .NET application development we will first define a framework. Every idea comes with a set of rules and regulations that you must follow to achieve its results. Hence broadly speaking, a framework is a set of rules and principles, which when followed, may assist a business to maximize their investment. Similarly, a test automation framework combines multiple applications, compilers, features, and tools, providing an environment in which automated test scripts can run.

In a nutshell, a test automation framework is a set of components that facilitate the ease of conducting tests and comprehensive reporting of the test results. Hence the essential components that appropriately conduct a test automation framework are equipment, test automation tools, test scripts, test processes, and most importantly, test automation engineers.

Discussing primary components of automation framework

Management of test data and testing libraries are some crucial components of test automation frameworks. Let’s understand them in detail:

Test data management

The hardest aspect to do in automating software testing is data extraction and making meaningful conclusions. Hence the accessibility of the information to perform the testing is usually a major problem. Teams must use a methodical strategy to test data management in order to guarantee the success of automated efforts.

Moreover, to gather test data and determine what supports positive testing, a software company must equip its framework with the necessary libraries and resources.

You can use a simulation tool in your framework in order to simplify the data. Additionally it will ensure it is easier to understand and comprehend. By simplifying this, it gets easy to handle test data.

Testing Libraries

All testing strategies within the.NET architecture are based on testing libraries. They assist teams to efficiently state, plan and execute test cases at different levels of testing, such as behavior-driven development (BDD), integration testing, and unit testing. In the early stage of the lifecycle, a properly structured testing library can reduce the number of defects and improve the quality of code.

• .NET Unit Testing

Both developers and testers frequently conduct unit testing, which is an essential component of .NET software development . Moreover it does not require any external APIs, file systems, databases or other dependencies and focuses on testing of certain parts or functions independently. Hence the popular unit testing frameworks within the.NET ecosystem are NUnit, xUnit.NET, and MSTest.

During a typical .NET workflow, developers run unit tests alongside their code as soon as they implement a module to validate the business logic. Hence process will minimize the failures in the later stages of testing and help in the early identification of issues.

• Integration Testing

Unit tests validate isolated components, but in real-world .NET programs, developers use integration testing to validate interactions among modules and external systems such as databases, messaging services, and APIs.

Hence integration testing typically employs the same frameworks to which unit testing is also applied, e.g. NUnit or xUnit.NET. The main distinction in execution lies in the fact that integration tests allow actual dependencies and evaluate end-to-end processes.

• Behaviour-Driven Development

The traditional tests are weak in cases where the code changes since they often depend on too many specifics of implementation. Therefore this is taken care of in Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) which focuses more on application behavior than the internal logic.

.NET ecosystem teams are able to generate tests written in a human-readable (English-like) format, with the help of tools such as SpecFlow. Through its ability to align automated testing and business requirements and application intent, BDD improves collaboration between business stakeholders, developers, and testers.

Why do you need to have an automated testing framework?

The current day is leading towards automation of the entire world. The consequence of this is increased requirements of test automation. The advantages of the appropriate design and realization of test automation structures are a number.

Resource Optimization

A test framework helps in optimization of resources. It accomplishes this by streamlining the use of various resources according to the organization’s requirements. As an illustration, test automation systems provide a set of processes to achieve a set of established goals. Hence these processes should be able to match needs with resources. Adoption should be more flexible because you will optimize your resources better.

Better amount of testing

The testing is escalated through test automation schemes. As an illustration, there is a release of new mobile gadgets every other day. All of them cannot be manually tested. Moreover if would be extremely long even in case a company was successful. Nonetheless, through automation of testing, testers can also do tests on thousands of mobile devices at the same time.

Concurrent Testing

The test automation frameworks make simultaneous testing of multiple device types possible. The testers just have to execute the automated test scripts on a few devices. Hence it is possible to give comparison test results in a short time since the parameters used are similar (testers).

Greater Dependability and Faster speeds

To any software organization, it can take a significant amount of time to create and run tests. Hence test automation frameworks reduce the amount of time required to accomplish such work. How? Suppose you are going to test the logout of a site.

In case of a number of testing scenarios, you need to test each of the scenarios separately, ensuring that the log-out feature works. Nonetheless, when you apply a framework, you will be able to operate all the scenarios simultaneously and have the test results in no time.

More efficient performance in a lesser time

Test automation makes synchronization, local configuration, error handling and report generation easier. There is less time spent preparing tests and implementing them with the aid of an automation script. Additionally with increased efficiency and speed, a company is able to produce more in a shorter period of time.

Early bug detection and correction

A test automation structure supports early problem fixes. The working hours and the costs involved are also minimized. Additionally it does not demand much labor to perform. A test automation engineer can assist you in writing scripts and tests.

You can also implement the concept of shift-left testing through the use of the relevant test automation schemes. It supports the idea that testing must be carried out as much as possible in the software development lifecycle.

Early development automated testing should be developed as soon as possible before developing production code. This is exactly the mechanism of such techniques as behavior-driven development (BDD) and test-driven development (TDD).

Testing remotely

A test automation framework does not require one to be at the office at all times. More specifically, you might start a test and leave. Your test results will be available when you get back in a few hours. Since you can test remotely, you don’t need to purchase many devices.

Reuse of automation scripts

Automation scripts can be reused in other applications. Suppose that the testers of your company developed some scripts to test the login functionality. You can use the same script to implement another application that includes a login feature.

Increased ROI

The initial cost of automation systems in tests puts many individuals off. However, in the long term, the ROI is high. As we have seen above, a test automation framework is time-saving and can deliver the results quickly. Moreover it also decreases the need to have more workers and spend less on .NET maintenance services.

For example, a business does not need to hire many testers when it automates its testing structure. A test automation engineer can handle most tasks, including setting up the framework and running the scripts.

Conclusion

A testing process is difficult to speed up. Companies are still finding it difficult to optimize productivity. It is among the most crucial steps in the creation of.NET software. Automation in testing frameworks are the most suitable to enhance the product and increase the precision of the test.

Testing becomes better, the quality of the application increases. Moreover it also helps achieve peak rate of testing. The most prominent is your testers when you choose the best testing framework to suit you. They offer massive payback on the investment besides these advantages. All software companies must employ test automation systems to gain significant revenues. It would take time and effort to find the optimal testing framework. However, it’s worthwhile.

One of the things that do not evolve with time is the type of software testing framework adopted by the organization. Switching between frameworks mid-process slows down application development and is difficult for testers to adapt to. Taking the time to choose the most suitable framework is a prudent step.