Converting manual test cases into automated test cases has apparent advantages. It will cut down on maintenance costs and improve the overall quality of your software or website through consistent testing.
However, many companies don’t have the resources to automate all of their tests, so it’s essential to carefully evaluate which tests are worth automating and which ones aren’t. Use this guide to help you convert manual test cases into automated ones. You can reap all the benefits of automation while giving yourself enough time to finish testing manually.
Automation testing has many benefits, including reducing human error and increasing the speed you can conduct your testing cycles. However, some companies find it hard to convert their manual test cases into automated ones because they are unsure what to automate and how best to do it. This article advises successfully converting your manual test cases into automated ones.
Manual Test Cases into Automated Test Scripts: Importance, How to Convert & Challenges
Importance of Converting Manual Test Cases into Automated Test Scripts
If you are a software tester, you must have observed that testing is a time-consuming and tedious process. It involves repetitive tasks and lots of manual effort. Testers need to automate their test cases to reduce human errors, improve efficiency, and save time.
In other words, they (testers) need to convert manual test cases into automated test scripts. It will help them (software testers) save significant time that otherwise would be wasted on mundane tasks.
Here are other benefits which a tester can enjoy from automation testing:
- Enhances efficiency of the testing
- The ability to run more cycles can be made possible by utilizing automation
- Reusable test scripts
- Lowers costs compared to manual testing
- Delivers the needed and bug-free product on time
- Helps to achieve the ROI you want.
- Test coverage for applications is excellent.
- Can be done without test experts
Read more: Benefits of Automation Testing that You Must Know
How to Convert Manual Test Cases into Automated Test Cases?
Let’s say there’s a requirement to sign in to Google. First, prepare the test design.
You should use the following format for your test design: Test cases should be documented and broken into stages. Here is a table showing the same.
S.No. | Pre-Condition | Test Steps | Test Data | Expected Result |
1 | Launch Browser {Chrome / Firefox / Safari} and Enter URL | 1. Launch the selected browser2. Enter the URL in the browser address bar and open | the URL: https://google.com | Google home page opens |
2 | Gmail links | Top right corner click on the Gmail link | NA | Clicking on it redirects to the Gmail page |
3. | Username | Enter the username in the “Email or Phone” SignIn textbox and then click next | userName: <TEST> | Clicking on Next after entering the correct username will show the password textbox |
4 | Password | Enter the Password in the “Enter your password” textbox | Password: <TestPass> | Entering the correct password should not show any error |
5 | Submit | Click on the SignIn button | NA | Clicking on the SignIn button should redirect to the mailbox |
You can now use one of the automated tools like TestGrid to convert manual test cases into automated test cases. These are the components we must take care of when translating:
1. State of Application
Automated test case creation is not complete without considering the current state of the application. While performing specific tests, keeping the application in the same state is important. It is helpful to have a browser ready for all operations. You will also need to configure your browser. More product testing companies use Selenium to automate manual testing cases and use the best-automated testing practices.
2. Validation and Verification
Validation and verification are essential steps in automating Selenium tests. It is vital to have a variety of loop statements, checkpoints, and conditional statements. It allows for efficient testing of the application using Selenium.
3. Test Data
Apart from automation scripts, test data is an important part of testing. Test data helps answer the following and allows for the reuse of test cases:
Where should the data be placed?
Should you hard code the data or not?
Security issues?
Concerns regarding reuse?
You can store the data in Excel sheets for later use in test cases. To start the test, username, password, and test data are the prerequisites.
4. Results
The results are available on the ‘result’ column when manual tests are executed. On the other hand, as an advanced automation tool, Selenium can generate helpful quality reports for testers.
5. Post Operation
It is important to close your browser after you have completed the manual tests. It is important to close all connections, free memory, clear activities, and kill any active applications.
Challenges while Transforming the Test Cases from Manual to Automation:
- Automation is needed: Even if you cannot change an established practice, you may modify the course to suit the need. Because of this, automation requires the collaboration of management and development teams.
- Automation of an entire application: It isn’t easy to automate an entire application. It requires a lot of time, planning, and monitoring.
- Manual to-Automation mentality: Criteria should also be determined to separate test cases based on demographics and other categories the client may have in mind.
- Framework design: Using the proper framework is the most critical aspect of testing. Instead of focusing on scripts, we should focus on how to create a framework that makes scripting and maintenance simple.
Conclusion
Now, you can see how quickly an Automation script is executed with a well-written Manual script and the basic guidelines to adhere to.
There are a variety of automated testing tools on the market. Choosing the right tool is among the most significant issues before you embark on automated testing. It is essential to determine your requirements, then investigate the capabilities and other tools.
TestGrid is a cloud-based test automation platform that is a complete solution for people seeking speed and quality. It can be easily integrated with your preferred CI/CD tools to continuously perform automated regression tests on every new version. With keyword-driven tests that are simple, easy to write, and understand, sophisticated automated tests are now similar to manual tests. They can aid in saving time, money, and energy, thus increasing the return on investment.
At last, automating helps the client understand the fundamental requirement without doubts or confusion.