Automated Web Element Locator Adaptation for Test Script Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing web application testing methods struggle with adapting to changes in web elements, leading to failed test scripts and increased downtime due to the need for manual identification and maintenance of element locators.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves traversing locators to validate their effectiveness, identifying new elements based on similarity to current elements, generating new locators for failed locators, and updating a web elements repository with these new locators, thereby proactively addressing changes in web elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual identification and maintenance of element locators is performed, then test script reliability can be maintained, but time consumption and downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting changes in web elements and generating updated locators without human intervention. The automated testing system monitors its own test objects, identifies when elements have changed, and self-corrects by creating new locators, thereby maintaining reliability while eliminating manual maintenance time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by proactively detecting element changes before they cause test script failures. By continuously monitoring web elements and pre-generating updated locators when changes are detected, the system prevents future test failures rather than reacting to them after they occur.
2Productivity
If automated testing is implemented, then productivity increases, but adaptability to web element changes decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring web elements during automated testing and using this information to detect changes. When element changes are detected, the system feeds this information back into the locator generation process, automatically creating updated locators that adapt to the new element states, thus maintaining both productivity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies dynamics by making the locator generation process adaptive and flexible rather than static. The automated system dynamically responds to web element changes by adjusting locators in real-time, allowing the testing framework to adapt to evolving application structures while maintaining high productivity through automation.
3Reliability
If manual troubleshooting of failed test scripts is performed, then test script reliability can be maintained, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting test failures caused by element changes and self-correcting by generating updated locators. This eliminates the need for manual troubleshooting while maintaining test script reliability, as the system autonomously identifies and resolves the causes of test failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by proactively generating updated locators before test scripts fail. By detecting element changes in advance and pre-updating locators, the system prevents test failures from occurring in the first place, eliminating the need for subsequent manual troubleshooting and maintaining continuous productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An example methodology includes, by a computing device, traversing through one or more locators to validate the one or more locators, wherein each locator of the one or more locators is for an element on a page of an application. The method also includes, responsive to a determination of a failure of a locator to identify a current element on a page of the application, by the computing device, identifying a new element on the page of the application, wherein the new element is identified based on the current element, generating a new locator for the failed locator based on the new element, and updating a web elements repository for the application with the new locator.