Software Testing Knowledge

Automated testing became an indispensable part of the software development business. It is also given specific business objectives to attain. Which trends will dominate automated testing in 2021 and determine who will get the biggest market share?

The rapid development of the Agile and DevOps methodology integrated automated testing into Agile (which also means accelerated) process of the code generation. One of the direct consequences of such a change was so called shift-left testing, which means moving the testing to the earlier phase of software development – it can be even gathering of the business requirements. Before “tha Agile era” testing could start only when the final effects of the developers’ work were available. It resulted in the higher costs of the maintenance and bug-fixing (because some of them were overseen in the earlier phases of the work). Not to mention huge losses of the company’s image and outflow of the customers disappointed with the product. It therefore comes as no surprise that the executive IT management surveyed in “The World Quality Report 2019-2020” recognised “contribution to business growth and business outcomes” as the most important objective for testing and QA in 2019:

Chart 1. Answers of the executive IT management concerning objectives for testing and QA in 2019:

![bb-blog-5-1.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_5_1_1081b97858.png)
Source: The World Quality Report 2019-2020

However, testing in 2013 (when Agile started to gain in popularity) and now are two different worlds. What will contribute to increasing business results after Agile became an indispensable methodology of work in the software development business?
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## Automatization of the new generation

In recent years, the software testing market has been experiencing a real boom and – according to the latest analysis – it is only the beginning. As stated in the Techavio report “Software Testing Services Market by Product, Geography, and End-user – Forecast and Analysis 2020-2024”, it is expected to grow at an even faster pace – with CAGR at the level of 12,62%. Read more about business consequences of this phenomenon. The necessary element of this process is development of the automated tests, which supports changes taking place thanks to the implementation of the Agile and DevOps methodology. Currently, the tools which offer only simple functions such as recording the tests performed on the website or in the app, are insufficient. To keep up with the rapid changes in the development environment there is a need of the software which will enable for automatization of the most actions taken by the testers. Additionally, such a tool should be easy to handle for the person without any programming skills and offer the feature of quick identification of the most bug-prone parts of the code. Check out 10 characteristics that the new generation testing automation tool should offer. Automated testing ceased to be only the tool which supports testers in their work – it became an indispensable element in the end-to-end testing process.

## Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)

Although they became very popular and catchy slogans, the newest Techavio report “Software Testing Services Market by Product, Geography, and End-user – Forecast and Analysis 2020-2024” confirms that the testing sector has just started making use the benefits which stem from this technologies. The results are encouraging, and the forecasts concerning the pace of development of the testing market (according to the TechWiz its value in 2025 could reach 190,6 billion USD) confirm its great potential. As we read in the Techavio report, implementation of the artificial intelligence in the testing process is crucial in striving for the smart testing, which means ensuring maximum effectiveness of the testing from the earliest stages of the code creation. What is important, QA specialists and testers who will be introducing the artificial intelligence in the company should receive appropriate training – it is necessary to fully benefit from the possibilities provided by this technology. Companies which will be first to discover such a need would gain a huge competitive advantage. The experts quoted in “The World Quality Report 2019-2020” indicate the complementary role of machine learning in the process of enhancing quality of the testing with the utilisation of the AI. How could it happen? As stated in the report, “As organizations grow accustomed to machine learning, they will increasingly understand its distinction from artificial intelligence. They will see that in order for AI testing to be effective, it needs access to the right data – and machine learning can provide this, by processing records in volume, thereby helping to identify and optimize test cases”.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Big Data technology

It is another shining example how testing is intrinsically linked with the latest trends in the world of the software and new technologies, as well as with the e-commerce market. Big data is used in the development of the programmes for an automated testing (i.e. with the use of the ML described above), although the data sets also require testing and continuous monitoring. Big online shops or the software for health systems are great example here – such a huge data conglomerates require testing on each phase: introduction, processing, migration, performance and speed. Along with the progress of digitisation process, which concerns each line of business, the demand for such services will be growing.

## New challenge – internet of things

“The World Quality Report 2019-2020” mentions quick development of the testing in IoT in the following industries: car, energy and telecommunication. The latter would face a great challenge in the coming years: consequences of the 5G technology implementation. As piszą Darren Coupland (Sogeti) and Mandan Sundaraju (Capgemini) write, “This will create a new quality assurance (QA) dynamics. All these new use cases will need to be validated end to end. How so? Because the increase of internet of things (IoT) developments implicit in 5G has implications not just for IT applications, but also for the physical devices themselves. For example, it’s not just the app managing the traffic light that needs to be tested: it’s also the traffic light sensor itself”. Test coverage of the smart devices interconnected with the applications became a necessity in the times of the rapid expansion of the IoT market. As the Testing Whiz reports, in 2016 its worth was estimated for 6,4 billion USD, in 2020 – for over 20 billion USD.

## Blockchain technology as a new business model

Blockchain solutions are being used increasingly with regard to the processing and protection of the data. The report “5 Blockchain Trends for 2020”, prepared by Deloitte, reflects its growing popularity and scope of use:

Illustration 1. Conclusions for the coming year with regard to use of the blockchain technology in the business.

![bb-blog-5-2.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_5_2_09dd6a8b48.png)

In the coming 12 months implementation of the blockchain technology is planned to be increased in the following sectors:

- technology, media and telecommunication (from 45 to 49 pct.)
- energy (from 37 to 43 pct.)
- industry (from 40 to 43 pct.)
- life sciences and health care (from 36 to 41 pct.)
- finance (from 33 to 38 pct.)
- professional services (from 24 to 33 pct.)
- industrial and construction services (from 32 to 33 pct.).
- 
Testing plays crucial role in the blockchain-based products, because it monitors its security level and effectiveness of data-gathering. In these fields there is no room for error.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## The increased significance of the security testing

The statistics presented in “The World Quality Report 2019-2020” confirm this trend. The survey respondents indicated that matters of security and risks are the most important for the IT strategy adapted by the company. The security testing scale in the cloud computing environment increased from 42 to 57 pct., what reflects development of the securities and the way such tests are performed, as well as adaptation of this line of automated testing to the fast pace of work in Agile methodology, because testing in the cloud enables for quicker implementation of the changes and reaction to them. In order to ensure the maximum coverage of security testing, the authors of “The World Quality Report 2019-2020” recommend introducing it on the earlier phases of the software development and carry it out with the tools for automated testing. What is even more interesting, the level of automation in security testing is surprisingly low – it discharges only 13 pct. from this kind of tests. However, if you look at the weighting attached to the particular aspects of security in the process of the software development, the increased significance of security testing seems inevitable:

Chart 3. Ranking the importance of certain aspects of secure development strategies.

![bb-blog-5-3.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_5_3_36f89419ef.png)

## Performance engineering as an essential mind-set and way of working

The time when automated testing and software development consisted only of delivering the specific solutions, and when each team had been working on its task separately from the other, can be described as the programming stone age. Nowadays the measure of success is creation of the product that all teams had been working on together. All people involved in the project (business line, project managers, developers, QA, testers) from the very beginning get acquainted with the business requirements and the needs of the end-user. They ask questions and talk about possible solutions. Thanks to such a workflow it is possible to implement many changes at an early stage, which prevents from the irreversible (or highly costly) damages that can occur after the deployment. In this way the performance engineering perfectly dovetails into the Agile objectives, because it postulates to look at the product from the meta-level and requires all teams to closely cooperate with each other. The effects are astonishing: the products that were created in this approach have a great market value in terms of the software, hardware, security, UX, effectiveness and performance.

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7 Trends in Automated Testing in 2021

There are many test automation tools available on the market, but there is still a need for the “appropriate” ones. What does it mean? What features should the testing software have to meet the real needs of testing teams?

In the [World Quality Report 2019-2020 study](https://www.capgemini.com/pl-pl/raporty/world-quality-report-2019-20/) conducted by Capgemini, questions were asked about the greatest challenges related to achieving the level of test automation desired by testers and QA. It turns out that since 2018 the percentage of respondents who say that “They do not have the right testing software” (42 percent) has not changed. More than a third of them said they use too many automation tools. There are many voices on blogs and internet forums, which the software available on the market often endorses with the words: “Cool by design, just a pity that it doesn’t work” or “Why do I have to bother with functions from the previous era? We’ve previously mentioned some of these features in our post about testing. So what should not be missing from a tool of the 21st century?
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![bb-7-1.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_7_1_ddd248eaf2.png)

## Reusing the same steps in different tests

This postulate will be understood by anyone who recorded 150 test scenarios, which differed only in a few nuances in the final stages, but each time required a login path, registration or any other repetitive activities. This is a pure waste of time, unnecessary frustration and a burden on the team’s efficiency. A tool adequate to the needs should provide a module that allows the use of the same step (e.g. logging into the system) in various scenarios, without the need to record it each time. Such functionality has another additional benefit – in the event of an error in any of the steps, its repair will be visible in each test scenario where the step was used.

## Free edition of already recorded tests

It is also a problem for testers who use tools to record test scenarios. In the case of iterations, which are the order of the day in teams working in Agile methodology, it is necessary to re-record the test scenario from start to finish. However, there are several tools on the market that allow you to make changes without having to repeat the entire procedure from the beginning. A useful function is also “overwriting” steps to already existing scenarios.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Lack of coding skills should not be an obstacle to the free use of the testing software

Many companies probably remember the pursuit of automation engineers, who were supposed to be a dream come true about test creativity and developer efficiency. Unfortunately, such people are real “specimens” on the market, and in times of increased demand for testing services, programming skills are not as important as the right approach and experience. The test automation market should also follow this trend and propose tools with built-in modules that previously required knowledge of programming languages, such as the Page Object Pattern described in point 1.

## Testing software: possibility to edit the code of test scenarios

The fact that a given tool can be used without programming skills does not mean that it should not allow interference in the code of test scenarios. Despite the most sincere intentions, the creators of any tool are not able to predict all the situations that the testers will face, so the possibility of editing the code of the scenarios prepared with a given tool should be indisputable.

## Applying appropriate conditions for the recorded scenarios

Test automation tools that can be safely called dinosaurs require the user to enter a pause between individual steps or have an automatically set waiting time between moving from one stage to the next. Intelligent tools record page reload or add conditions that allow you to proceed to the next step. It all happens automatically – without having to manually set the appropriate parameters after each step in each test scenario.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## The ability to use the testing software from any browser and in the cloud

[SaaS](https://www.oracle.com/pl/applications/what-is-saas/) solutions are valued for their flexibility and efficiency. Their use, however, does not exclude even more far-reaching facilities in the form of the possibility of launching a given tool from any web browser. Thanks to this, the entire testing process is incomparably faster and easier – you do not have to wait, for example, for all the reports in the cloud to load, and you can start running a given test scenario right away.

## Automatic reports

The tester should immediately be informed about the types of errors and their areas of occurrence, and should be able to sort by test scenario type / functionality / error type.

## Access to the bug map

The bug map is a functionality offered by the most modern test automation tools. Thanks to it, it is possible to precisely locate those areas of the code that can generate the most errors, which is very useful, among others. for regression testing. It replaces tedious exploratory tests of the entire product and allows you to focus on those areas that generate the greatest risk before the next implementation.

## Working in the CI/CD model

The increasing popularity of Agile and DevOps methodologies has imposed a fast pace of work not only on programmers – also testers should be able to quickly adapt to changes and maximize their efficiency. A test automation tool tailored to these needs should enable easy integration with any system via API and, consequently, quick test launch. Parallel testing should also be a standard.

## UI and UX design

Looking at test automation tools from 10 years ago, one can get the impression that they were created with the assumption that an aesthetic and useful interface is intended only for the end customer, not for the person who has to provide/test it. Fortunately, over time, the vendors of this software saw the business value of UX design in their own projects. The easier it is to navigate and the more intuitive the test tool is, the greater the efficiency of testing. One would like to say – the tester is also a human! Fortunately, more and more producers do not ignore this rule anymore.


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10 Features Every Test Automation Tool Should Have

Software developer currently working as a tech writer and PM.  
[linkedin.com/in/marcin-%C5%82ojewski-a4191518/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcin-%C5%82ojewski-a4191518/)

Marcin Łojewski

Software development is not an academic work. The product not only needs to fulfil the creators' assumptions but first of all it needs to please the end-client. Therefore quality assurance is one of the most important aspects of an IT project. 

The opinion on how **undervalued and marginalized** software tester's role is, might be heard all over the market.  Some project managers complain about delays connected with the amount of time that the QA team requires. 

These are – to a large extent – damaging stereotypes, which come from times when the role of the tester only started to develop. How does it look in a mature IT team?

## Software Tester - What Does he/she do in The Project?

Phrase “in the project” is key here. The test engineer is not an island in the most distant part of the office. It is a person who should **work closely within the whole development team** consisting of developers, analytics, project manager and product owner. 

Depending on the specifics of the work that needs to be done, in the same group you can also find graphic designer, UX designer and other roles that are in demand. Tester stays in contact with all these people and **communicates with them on a daily basis**. 

**The so-called independent tester is an exception. **

Such a person is hired to test an application that has already been created. He/she is purposely taken away from the business team in order to keep a fresh perspective. That way the team can obtain suggestions about how the product works from the person who doesn’t know the requirements beforehand. Sometimes such a job is done by a completely independent test team. 

In this article we will use the example of an in-house tester who was included into the project from the very beginning. In this case very significant for the way the tester’s role is structured and the methodology that particular IT team embraced.

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Role of a Tester in Scrum

[Scrum](https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-scrum), the so-called **Agile approach to project management, is currently one of the most popular and frequently used methodologies** in the modern IT teams. 

The work is divided into small chunks (called sprints) so that a product is created “in parts”. In effect, the tester obtains the product ready to go, already after the implementation phase. 

It also allows **modification of requirements** formulated in the beginning, when work on the product just started, and quick reaction to mistakes/bugs can be identified later. 

For testers the most obvious consequence of this approach is that he starts **creating and executing test cases not on a fully created product, but on its part** – i.e. specific functionality, which developers completed in a given sprint.

Read more about [Scrum Testing](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/scrum-testing/).

![bb-blog-3-1.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_3_1_42ba0a462d.png)

## Role of The Tester in the IT Project – Software Test Tasks?

What are the specific roles and responsibilities assigned to tester? 

**These are the very basic ones that an experienced tester is able to perform:**

- writing the test scenarios,
- performing the tests according to the scenarios designed earlier,
- creating bug reports (and adding them to the backlog),
- preparation of the testing documentation,
- if test automation is included in the project - managing it is also in the tester job description.

It would appear that these tasks could be easily performed by one person alone and our previous claim, that teamwork is crucial for the tester, was highly exaggerated. 

**Nothing could be more wrong.**

Of course, each test manager sets his/her own rules and has a different approach as to how test execution should be organised. Although our long-term experience shows that the more testers are **included in the work of the whole team**, the better for the product that is created in this way. 

In the scrum testers get **acquainted with the product documentation and closely cooperate with analysts**, who gather requirements for the application from the client and present the way it should work. 

Sometimes already at this stage the tester discovers a mistake or lack of precision in the documentation, which could later affect the way the product is created.

![tester dev meme](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/dev_tester_dev_vs_test_2_098c2b4eac.jpeg)

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Soft Skills in the Job Description - is the Tester a Renaissance Man?

A little bit. 

A good tester will not only diligently **study the technical documentation**, but also conduct thorough **market research** (if he is not a specialist in his branch). 

Thanks to that he has wide knowledge about state-of-the art technological solutions and he **can suggest viable changes concerning product design** or broadly understood UI/UX design. It can happen during direct talks with developers and UX designers or 15-minute meetings of the whole team (characteristic to scrum), when each member of the team gives an update on his work.

Based on his professional knowledge or bugs identified in the particular phase **tester can inspire the product owner** as well as developers to act. 

Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, developers often appreciate testers’ suggestions. They enable the team to **objectively assess the work already done** and take on a **new perspective** on solving the problem. 

These remarks are different from a standard code review, which focuses more on the technical issues and is performed by another developer. An approach that focuses on increasing usability such as: “how should it work” and “in this part this functionality can perform better, because later it generates errors such as…”, is also very important in the daily routine of a software engineer. 

Such a proactive, focused on finding new solutions attitude is required in projects conducted in scrum. That means that **a good tester must have good communication skills**. The ability to obtain and present knowledge is also one of the key responsibilities of a tester. 

## Role of the Tester in the Project – Why his/her Time is so Valuable?

In the Agile approach there is a popular saying: **„Fail quickly. Fail often. Fail cheap”**. 

This methodology aims at quick bug identification, which in a broader perspective enables delivering of a high class product. Its maintenance would not generate additional costs because all potential risks had been identified and addressed when the product was created. That is why software testing roles are crucial here. 

**The most frequently used types of tests in this job are:**

### Exploratory Tests

Exploratory tests means **testing on “living organisms”**, without sufficient documentation. In this phase you get acquainted with the application in the testing environment. It is usually the starting point for creating more suitable testing scenarios, in which your knowledge and experience plays a very important role. 

That is why novices are almost never engaged in these tasks. The undoubted advantage of exploratory tests is that they offer plenty of potential for **detecting bugs that were overseen** while creating requirements for the product and new user stories.


### Regression Tests

They are performed **after each deployment**. 

They shall check whether after the implementation of a new functionality the whole application (including solutions added earlier) works properly. 

This group of tests also includes [smoke testing](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/what-is-smoke-testing/) (assessment if main functionalities of the application work seamlessly after the implementation) and **sanity testing** (tests performed after the application had been debugged). 

This type of tests has plenty of potential for wasting testers’ time, therefore it can be easily replaced with automated tests. 

Thanks to them [tester in the IT project](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/role-of-the-tester-in-the-it-project-what-does-it-entail/) can focus on creating new user stories and searching for yet undiscovered bugs instead of rather tiring research of the “old” parts of the code. 

See how BugBug [helps QA to perform Regression tests](https://bugbug.io/solutions/test-automation-for-qa/).

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

### System Acceptance Tests (SAT)

System acceptance tests it is a real cherry on the cake in tester’s work. The goal for the QA engineers here is not to discover new bugs, but **to confirm that the product functions perfectly** and in accordance with client’s requirements.

![tester in IT project meme](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/1_1_4320baa8d3.jpeg)

## Summary

As you can see, although there are many different roles in an IT project, the tester cannot be absent. The presence of a tester or a team of testers is very important – there is a saying in the scrum that every member of the team is a developer, and it is not without a reason! It means that each person from the team shares equal responsibility for delivering the product perfectly adapted to the assumptions. 

**And without the tester it is simply unattainable!**

Happy (automated) testing!

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Role of The Tester in The IT Project

Software testing industry has no choice – a new era is coming and it will determine development of the whole branch and its products such as web applications testing software. This new trend will also positively impact the management of IT departments. 2021 can be a breakout year in this respect.

For several years we have been witnessing a growing disproportion between development of project management (including programming) and the situation of testers in the IT industry. The latter are often excluded from the benefits that Agile, DevOps and CI/CD entail. It does not mean that testers do not work in these methodologies or that they are not part of the teams that implement them. According to the report „State of the Agile”, published in 2019, testing and web applications testing was placed at the top of the activities which are managed this way:

![bb-blog-2-1.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_2_1_5f1b995952.png)

Within 13 years Agile from enthusiastically received novelty has become a dominating style of IT project management. In 2019 it was used in 97% of the surveyed businesses. DevOps technology was combined with Agile (or it was intended in the next 12 months) in 73% companies. Among benefits that Agile implementation brought they mentioned, among others, acceleration of software delivery, enhanced ability to manage changing priorities and increased productivity:

![bb-blog-2-2.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_2_2_6630bd8462.png)

If you ask testers about the consequences of Agile implementation, they would probably agree with the above mentioned benefits concerning management of the workflow. However, in terms of their responsibilities, conclusions would not be so encouraging. And it is not the fault of Agile itself – it is a systemic problem, which was only exposed by this particular methodology.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## How changes in the IT industry influenced the situation of testers?

They caused them to have much more work with the limited resources. Increased productivity of programmers provided testers with much more code to check, which makes web applications testing longer. Concurrently, their staff as well as software tools resources have not changed. It is also widely known that tester/QA’s positions are significantly less occupied than developers’, what was confirmed by StackOverflow survey from 2019, illustrating employment in the IT sector:

![bb-blog-2-3.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_2_3_fa7dae83da.png)

Year by year the number of employed as testers/QA increased by 1,1%. It is not much in comparison with robust growth of the programmers job market. Unfortunately, this situation has a negative impact on the whole IT sector, which suffers from the lack of adequate test coverage known as “testing gap”. It was first described by Jason Arbon in 2017 in the article AI for software testing”. He pointed out that the complexity of code and new products grows exponentially, but the increase of test coverage grows linearly.

![bb-blog-2-4.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_2_4_02c5d2ecb0.png)

Source: Jason Arbon

In practice it means lack of adequate test coverage of newly implemented products or their selective testing (often with the use of exploratory tests). For some of the services/applications it could result in disappearance from the market or at least cause severe image losses. That was in the case of Uber company, which created an app for automatic car driving. Undetected bug cost the life of an USA citizen, what sparked a huge media storm.

Web application testing is starting to be set aside. According to the research conducted in the United Kingdom by Diffblue, as much as 42% developers resign from writing tests for the sake of faster product implementation. Experts from Softwaretestinggenius calculated that direct costs of testing constitute as much as 25% of the whole project budget. Indirect costs, including consequences of undetected bugs, double this figure!
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Better web application testing = better quality products. How to do it?

Invest in appropriate tools, which will take the burden off the testers and enable them to optimise their work. The good news is that internationally things are quite busy. In Techavio report “Software Testing Services Market by Product, Geography, and End-user – Forecast and Analysis 2020-2024” experts anticipate that testing industry will grow 12,62% per year. The lead in terms of pace of development should take Asian countries, South America and Australia:

![bb-blog-2-5.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_2_5_35f6065999.png)

Source: Techavio.com

Interestingly enough, North America should be responsible for 41% of growth in the whole sector. Its main driver would be the mobile app market, which for the sake of constant introduction of the new features and rapidly changing user requirements undergo continuous changes. This phenomenon is also visible in Poland, where the scale of mobile devices use is constantly increasing:

![bb-blog-2-6.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_2_6_4ecc0a5f6d.png)

## New trends in the testing industry – what quality would they bring?

We observe an increase in the amount of code provided for testing, as well as in demand for mobile products (not only – websites and e-commerce services are also thriving). Till now the common response to these challenges were automated tests. Although the tools that provide them are indispensable in the tester’s work, unfortunately many of them do not always correspond to rapidly changing customers’ expectations. Some of them were created several years ago and were a huge help in less dynamic circumstances – good examples could be commonly available in such software functions of recording tests. In a dynamically changing Agile environment, where new functions are often added with each sprint (or once established ones are modified), older tools do not enable for easy change of testing parameters. In practice it comes down to the necessity of recording each step from scratch, what loses the purpose of automation, that is diminishing the amount of work that has to be done manually…
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## New trend no. 1: Page Object Pattern without programming

Page Object Pattern is a notion well known by test programmers. Very briefly, it allows to group elements in separate classes so that the change in one of them does not impact remaining parts of the website. An example can be a log-in page, where particular fields (e.g login, password, “log-in” button) constitute distinct components. Thanks to that in the case of the malfunction in any of them it is possible to quickly implement necessary adjustments without interference in the whole code of the website.

New tools for test automation would enable the implementation of solutions such as Page Object Pattern without necessity of programming. Each element of the website (e.g already mentioned “log-in” button) would be available as a separate graphic element, which can be freely utilized according to the needs of different tests. Referring to the log-in website: if the test scenario includes it, it could be quickly added using drag-and-drop function from the main panel. Such a solution has one big advantage: if any of the elements breaks down, it could be easily fixed in all scenarios at once just by implementing changes in one place, because update is made in all tests that this particular element was used. Hence we can officially announce the end of an era when tests had to be recorded from scratch each time errors occurred in any of their elements.

## New trend no.2: possibility of editing once recorded tests

Complete freedom and maximum speed are the wave of the future in creation and editing of tests. Till now modification of the already created scenario of automated tests was possible only after the test was recorded once again from the beginning after the end. New generation tools would enable not only for editing particular elements of the test that has already been recorded, but also for adding new parts to it at any time.

## New trend no.3: great UX/UI design

It is only a matter of time when we will reminisce about interfaces of the “old” programmes for test automation with the same tenderness as one that accompanied transition from Pegasus to Playstation. UX and UI design should not be overlooked in tools for people, whose task is to ensure the best experience for the end-user! This paradox is indeed an old reality: for several years testers have been working on programmes, which graphic design epitomises trends from the last decade… It also influences the quality of their work and it is great news that there are tools on the market that aim at changing this situation.

## New trend no.4: launching highly-specialised tests from the web browser

Cloud solution does not exclude fast access to the tool from the web browser – this motto would guide authors of state-of-the art programs for test automation. Tester does not have to acquire advanced knowledge about programming nor technical skills of administrators: installation of the web browser plugin should suffice for effective work. The same applies to test launching: new generation tools would enable its start, test recording and its instant modification exclusively from the web browser. Testers no longer have to wait for test launch and reports from the cloud – they can act immediately at the minimum technical requirements.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## New trend no. 5: real, not fake, reliability and stability

There are many tools that promise a lot, but in practice are disappointing and give testers a feeling of wasted time. Users that felt let down wrote several articles about such tools – here is an example». The future belongs to these test automation tools, which will give testers feeling of control and freedom in terms of taking action, concurrently delivering what they have promised in specification and marketing materials.

![bb-blog-2-7.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_2_7_6bd4ef461b.png)


Our app is a [modern software tool for testers and software developers](https://bugbug.io/) that allows recording, editing and running reliable end-to-end tests for web applications.





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New Era in Testing Industry – Trends in 2021

At the first glance the IT industry may seem to be the main winner in coronavirus pandemic: it fully embraced remote work long ago, easily adapts to changes in accordance with Agile methodology and in the age of digitisation programmers are still in demand. But there is a “but”.

Demand for the IT services in Poland was growing before the outbreak of a pandemic – according to the S[tepStone report for Business Insider Polska](https://businessinsider.com.pl/rozwoj-osobisty/kariera/pracownicy-poszukiwani-w-2020-r/hsjbb7f) published in December 2019, the most sought-for profession in 2020 were predicted to be an IT specialist/programmer/developer. IT industry dominated the whole ranking, because the second place took  an IT project management leader/project manager and the fourth – an analyst. Demand for such qualifications can be considered to be global, because “technological” positions also dominated the annual LinkedIn report with projections for 2020. First came an artificial intelligence specialist, followed by (amongst others) the full stack developers, IT security specialists and developers.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## IT industry and coronavirus pandemic – additional incentive for growth?

The coronavirus pandemic negatively impacted the labour market in each country that was affected by it. However, the IT industry belongs to those which emerged from it unscathed. You can even say that it won. Tyler Cowen, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, who regularly publishes his opinions on the Bloomberg website, has written in April 2020 that “Technology is indispensable to lead a normal life”. Nowadays (which means in the era of the coronavirus pandemic), according to Cowen United States of America would be forced to introduce „track and trace” system. One of the conceptions describing its implementation is the smartphone application making use of geolocalisation, which would send information that its user is nearby the person infected with COVID-19. Such ideas, backed up by real needs, would be more and more prevalent, because the pandemic almost overnight changed the way we live:

- The necessity to introduce remote work forces to do so even those companies, which so far have been sceptical towards this solution.

The global giants were prepared for such a scenario: Twitter, Google or JPMorgan, as reported by CNBC, have been testing the possibility of implementing the remote work in advance. Atlassian and Slack obliged all their employees to work remotely. In this context the title of the GitLab report from March 2020: “The future of the work is remote” does not seem accidental. In the study took part more than three thousand workers representing different branches. Here is the portrait of the remote worker that came out of it:

![bb-blog-1-1.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_1_1_1859ebbe4a.png)

Source: GitLab.com
Advantages of the remote were also emphasised in the analysis prepared by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics. It shows that in the last ten years popularity of the remote work in the United States has increased by 91%. Moreover, 85% of the surveyed companies claimed that introduction of the remote work boosted efficiency of theirs employees. As many as 57% respondents working remotely reported increased job satisfaction.

The landscape of the Polish labour market is slightly different: in the Homejob survey, conducted before the pandemic outbreak, only 36% workers declared that they have possibility to work remotely. The changes that we witness now have already modified this statistics. According to the respondents of Devire survey, in the situation of pandemic 7 from 10 companies which earlier had not wanted to enable remote work, changed their mind. The IT industry would play a big role in this transformation: the main task would be creating and implementing appropriate systems for remote work and ensuring security of the companies’ data.

- E-learning would be developing alongside the telemedicine; events industry would see the chance to bounce back from coronavirus crisis in the videoconference tools.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

IT supports and for sure would be supporting transfer of the medicine and education to the internet. Here also the boundary between the giants, excellently prepared for such a transition (i.e. Harvard), and “others”, which would have to take accelerated lesson about new technologies, is visible. The events industry, which worth is estimated for trillions of dollars, is also looking for an ideal way to tackle a decline. Many high profile events moved to the internet – i.e. Adobe Summit, SAS Global Forum or Google Cloud Next’20, which is also called Digital Connect and would be free of charge. The organisers of these events want to make the digital experience to feel as close as possible to the “real” one. It could be done only with an appropriate technical support. Online streaming or teleconferences which shall substitute for traditional networking would be a challenging task for not only for the developers responsible for building proper infrastructure (and its maintenance), but also for the organisers and participants of the events.

- „Pandemic is the mother of invention” – in this unprecedented situation IT industry is asked to create new systems and applications, as well as to increase efficiency and capacity of the ones that are already in use.

[The machine learning model helps to develop efficient therapy for COVID-19 infection](https://www.bbva.com/en/technology-against-coronavirus/). New programmes, which enable for providing medical services from a distance, are created. In Israel there is ongoing work on the Diagnostics.ai – the tool for automatization of the coronavirus tests, which can double their daily number. In Madrid special application named „Corona Madrid” was implemented. It was designed for the people who suspect that they could be infected – it helps to identify the symptoms and suggests the places where person can get help. WHO launched the chatbot which provide the information about coronavirus and special module in social media named „Coronavirus information center”. There is no doubt that we are witnessing the beginning of the new era.

- In the face of economic crisis many companies close stationary shops and invest in online services.

As a consequence new websites, CRM-s and databases are in a great demand. According to the International Monetary Fund, in 2020 growth in the world economy will fall by 3%. It is expected to be the worst economic crisis since the 30s of the XX century. Projections for Poland also are not optimistic – according to the IMF our PKB this year will shrink by 4,6%. This means wave of redundancies, but also transfer of the battle for consumers into the Internet.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Threats for the IT industry in the coronavirus era

Theoretically, all signs in heaven and on earth indicate growing demand for this type of services, what should result in increasing returns. In my opinion external factors are not the ones that can pose potential threats for the IT industry – we should take a closer look at the internal risks. Paradoxically, they are the effect of the rapid development of the branch –increase of productivity in the teams that implemented scrum methodology (according to McKinsey it was 27% growth in comparison to the projects managed in waterfall) and the fast pace of software development. The phenomenon that can cause deterioration of the quality of the software that is produced as well as prolongation of the delivery period is so called testing gap, which means lack of the appropriate test coverage.

These risks were already pointed out in 2018, in the article „Situation of the testers on the market”. Unfortunately, there has been relatively little change in this area:

„Complexity of the tests increases exponentially with the appearance of the new functions, and test coverage grows linearly, because the tests can be added only individually. In effect the amount of code produced is bigger than testers’ capacity, what leads to the gap in testing coverage (so called testing gap).”

There is also serious labour shortage, as the results of the „Developer Survey 2019” indicate. It was conducted among more than 80 thousands IT workers from all over the world. In testing specialised only… 7,8% of the respondents – developers are the overwhelming majority here:

![bb-blog-1-2.png](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/bb_blog_1_2_0da6894e8f.png)

Source: Stackoverflow.com

Additionally, the complexity of the applications created by developers, as well as the amount of data that should be processed, is constantly growing. Because [software testing professions](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/role-of-the-tester-in-the-it-project-what-does-it-entail/) do not enjoy the same level of popularity as the positions of the developers, recruitment and training of the new employees do not seem to be enough to address it. The solution to this problem could be freeing resources and making the best use of the knowledge and competencies that are already available on the market. How can you do that?
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Implement the appropriate software testing automation tool

“Appropriate” means one that can not only enable you to speed up testing process, but also would be a solution that offers higher quality than the others advertised on the market. What requirements it should meet?

- Availability to all testers, including those who do not know a thing about programming.
- Reliability and effectiveness, which exclude non-deterministic tests (so called flaky tests).
- Support for the tester in terms of bug analysis and identification of the causes of their appearance.
- Easy configuration and handling thanks to appropriate interface design (in accordance with the newest UI/UX recommendations).
- Recording of the tests.
- Ability for auto-recovery of the tests.
- Ready-to-use templates of the single steps in test scenarios, which you can group and configure in any way.
- Tests modelling displayed on the graph, what enables you to quickly estimate the phase that the particular test scenario is in.
- Easy creation of even the most complicated test scenarios thanks to the fact that your programme operates on many different tabs, browser windows and frames.


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IT Industry in The Coronavirus Era Not Always Wins. What Risks Should You Be Aware Of?

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Unit Testing vs End-to-End Testing: Key Differences

How to Become Automated Test Engineer? 

Atomic Test Cases - the Ultimate Guide

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Benefits of CI/CD Pipeline Implementation

Quality Engineering vs Quality Assurance: Goals & Differences

Automation Tester: The Most Important Skills in 2023

SaaS Testing Guide: All You Need to Know

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Chaos Testing: Everything You Need To Know

What is User Journey Testing? Guide for Software Testers

The Ultimate XPath Cheat Sheet

CI/CD Interview Questions and Answers

The Best Software Testing Newsletters in 2023

Record and Play vs Coded Automation Testing - How To Choose What Works For Your Team?

Agile Testing Quadrants

Best Chrome Extensions for Software Testers

Chrome DevTools Introduction

Testing Pyramid: A Successful Approach to Test Automation

Agile Testing – Organized Chaos or a Planned Way of Improving Your Software?

Top Automation Testing Tools (updated June 2022)

The Beginner’s Guide to Software Testing: Basics, Types, and Methodologies

Testing in DevOps

What is Smoke Testing?

What is Regression Testing? Everything You Need To Know

What is Functional Testing? Types and Examples

How You Can Become a Software Tester

What is End-to-End (E2E) Testing?

Bad Software Testing Strategies

5 Challenges of Introducing Automated Tests

The Software Testing Market & The Business Outcomes of Its Growth in 2021

A Manual Tester: 10 reasons That Make This Job Interesting

Scrum Testing: QA on an Agile Team 

Why is Software Testing Important?

Shift Left Testing Explained

Specflow: 8 Steps to Use Behavior-Driven Development To Improve Team Performance

How to Create a Test Plan? Steps and Examples for Software Testing

Test Plan Template For Test Automation Process

Test Case vs Test Scenario: Compare, Contrast and How to 

What is Compatibility Testing?

Test Plan vs Test Strategy: Goals & Differences

End-to-End Testing vs Integration Testing: Key differences

How to Write Automation Test Cases? 

Reliable, modern end-to-end test automation tool that improves testers’ and developers’ work.


Before you release your product into the market, it is extremely important to properly test whether it’s functioning as intended. To do that, software developers utilize a variety of testing techniques that verify the software’s integrity. To thoroughly check their software from start to finish, developers implement **End-to-End testing**, often simply called **E2E** testing – an elaborate technique that mimics end user experience. 

There are many layers to End to End testing, as it is one of the most complex testing methods. This type of testing involves testing every part of your software that the end-user interacts with in any imaginable way.

With this guide, we want to show you the importance of E2E tests, as well as tell you precisely what they are, including a few specific examples.

**Also see:** if you're new to software automation, take a look at this [beginner's guide to automation with step-by-step screenshots](https://docs.bugbug.io/in-depth-guides/beginners-tutorial-to-automation-testing).

[TABLE_OF_CONTENTS]

## What exactly is End-to-End testing?

**End-to-End testing** is one of the most useful and informative techniques for software testing, providing valuable data about the inner workings of the program from the end-user perspective. With E2E testing, developers can thoroughly verify the behaviour of their software. During the test, you will be trying to replicate key user behaviour scenarios when using your software. The actual list of things to do varies, depending on the type of software you’re testing – but in all cases, it is rather extensive.

When performing a software testing method, like an End-to-End test on a web application, you would start with opening your browser and navigating to the proper URL, and then proceeding to use the software as intended for the end-user.

Similarly, in the case of a regular desktop application or mobile application, you would open the app just like a user would, checking out every bit of functionality that is intended for the users to work with. Keep in mind that during E2E testing you won’t need to check developer-specific aspects of the software, only the end-user perspective if it is important to you.

## End-to-End test goals

During an E2E test, your goal is to verify all of the dependencies and data integrity that directly or indirectly influence the reception of the software by the end-user. This usually includes any external services, as well as databases used by the software and metrics, as well as any other system dependencies. 

E2E tests will ideally be performed in the production environment, but this isn’t always possible. The tests can, of course, be performed in an independent End-to-End testing environment, but you should make sure it is as close to the production environment as possible.

Within the SDLC process, E2E tests are performed in the Testing phase, which is situated after Coding and before Deployment. 
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Why is End-to-End testing important?

Is End-to-End testing necessary? It is true that more and more developers make sure to implement an E2E testing phase before the final deployment of their software. There are many benefits to E2E tests, but the most crucial ones are:

- The ability to verify software performance from the end-user perspective
- Testing verifies not only the software itself but also any interrelated sub systems, increasing test coverage
- Validation of back-end systems
- Immediate end-user-like feedback on test failing

While tests such as unit testing or integration testing are very useful (functional testing), allowing you to verify the working of each component and providing quick results, they don’t give you the whole picture. By not performing E2E tests, you won’t know how the experience of using your software will look like from the end-user perspective.

For example, individual component testing (integration tests) might show promising results and full functionality. However, when combined, something goes wrong and produces a bug. By only checking individual components, you wouldn’t be able to find out about the bug. 

With a proper End-to-End test, you can verify whether everything works correctly together as it should. Even integration testing doesn’t cover all of the system components of your software, and you might never know whether every aspect of your app clicks together.

E2E testing doesn’t necessarily have to discover bugs – it can also give you useful insight into the user scenario of your product. Overall, all types of tests play their respective roles in the whole vertical end-to-end testing process (differently to horizontal end-to-end tests). Just because E2E tests give you a more complex understanding of your software as a whole doesn’t mean that other test types are less valuable. 

Before releasing your app, always make sure to proceed with a thought-through testing strategy. However, while they’re certainly extremely useful, keep in mind that E2E tests occupy the top of the testing pyramid, making them the most expensive and most difficult to perform.

End-to-End testing is also one of the few functional types of tests that can be performed manually, as well as automated - which is done especially often in Continuous Integration. In such a scenario, a chosen set of tests can be run automatically each time a new iteration is uploaded to the testing server.

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Benefits of end-to-end testing

One of the goals of this software testing technique is to simulate the end-user's perspective. This means that this type of testing helps to verify not only the security or performance, but the business aspect as well. It will check whether the software collects and processes data as it was designed to do. End-to-end testing is essential for a comprehensive validation of your product. This testing ensures that all integrated parts of the application work together as expected.

Another purpose of E2E testing is to mitigate risks. E2E testing verifies if the software is ready for deployment. The confidence in stability is a crucial factor which the stakeholders consider while approving the next release. 

There are obviously much more obvious benefits of this form of testing (like bug fixing or testing across different user scenarios), but we described them already in this article.

## End-to-End Testing Framework

Alright, so now you know what End-to-End testing is – but how to exactly implement it? There is a wide variety of checks and individual tests that must be covered by your end-to-end testing plan, some of which include:

- Establishing test requirements in the preparation phase (including software and hardware requirements)
- Creating proper documentation
- Deciding what type of test environment will be used (production environment or independent test environment)
- Preparation of test cases and general E2E design
- Tracking of data input and output
- Test execution and evaluation

When executing E2E testing methods, developers usually follow an established E2E testing framework that guides you throughout the process, enumerating various tasks and responsibilities. The framework is relatively simple and consists of only three elements:

### Establish user functions

The User Functions relates to listing the features of your software, as well as all of its interconnected software systems. To properly measure and test software functionality, you need to first think about what you’re going to test. After you’re finished with listing user functions, remember to record everything relevant to each of them, including both the input and output data. Since E2E testing can be considered holistic, you also need to pay attention to all of the relations between every individual function – how they work together and whether there are any clashes.

### Come up with specific conditions

Now that you have established the user functions you’re going to test, you need to think about the testing conditions. Try to come up with as many quantifiable indicators that can be measured for each of the functions. These can range from response time to consistency of data flow, to simple convenience of use. Remember – you’re trying to imagine yourself as an end-user, so try to keep track of anything that might be an issue for a non-developer.

### Create individual test cases

Finally, before the E2E testing can commence, you need to prepare specific test cases for each of the conditions. At this point, you have prepared a list of user functions to test, as well as data conditions that will be measured during the test. Now, you need to create at least one test case for each of the conditions. By test cases, we mean user scenarios during which specific indicators will be able to be measured.

And by test case preparation status, we mean the precise location of the test instances being developed, as compared to intended test cases.

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## End-to-end test cases for your testing process

Congratulations, you’ve almost reached the end! At this point, you should pretty much be a walking fountain of knowledge about End-to-End tests. However, the raw theory is one thing, and implementing those types of tests for system testing in reality is another. To make the process a bit more digestible, consider this End-to-End testing example for a website with shopping functionality:

- Go to the specified URL
- Open a list of products
- Check whether the information on the list correlates with specific product pages
- Try to add the product to the cart and look for visible confirmation
- Navigate to the cart and check whether the product has been successfully added
- Double-check all of the relevant information (price, product info, etc.)
- Proceed with the check-out and verify payment options integration

See how simple it is in the end? Now you can implement E2E testing methodology in your software to ensure better end-user reception, increase your product quality, and build a positive brand image.

This is just a high level example. If you would like to learn how to create a proper test case from start to end, please check out our article on [test case creation](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/how-to-write-automation-test-cases/). You will have a better understanding on how to design test cases for manual and automatic testing. Also check out our other topics in our testing guide. 

## End to End testing tools

Proper tools may play a crucial role in reducing your effort by automating your end-to-end tests. These tools provide a range of features and capabilities to support horizontal testing and vertical testing of the entire system. They allow testers to perform comprehensive testing processes. Choosing a proper tool for testing is typically a long-term investment. If you research and choose a tool that will enable you to execute and record complex user scenarios and allow testing across multiple technologies, your job will be way easier. 

One of the tools that meet such requirements is BugBug. This automated testing tool proved its efficiency for many clients. On the picture below you might see how many steps might an end-to-end scenario actually have.

![n example of a passed test with a proper output statement.](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/88bc1d9e_16f8_4e1a_b33d_15e2a8d17cdf_cdfc84abfc.webp)

## Summary

End-to-end testing is a type of testing that focuses on validating the whole system from start to finish rather then testing individual functionalities. It is often seen as a software testing methodology, but it is not the case. It may be a part of a methodology (i.e. Agile testing) but it is by definition a type of software testing. 

Performing end-to-end testing covers an important task of checking data flows and focuses on testing if any functional gaps occur. This type of testing is necessary to verify if the software is ready for the next release cycle.

## Frequently Asked Questions

1. **What is automated testing?** \
Automated testing in software development is a form of software testing that uses the execution of predefined sets of operations to probe and validate the software system. The fundamental purpose of automation testing in software development is to generate objective feedback about the quality of the product. One such testing tool is Selenium. It can run UI tests. The ideal situation is to run E2E tests with both manual testing and automated testing approaches. If your application has a lot of complicated user interfaces, you'll need more end-to-end testing.

2. **What is software development lifecycle?** \
Software development lifecycle (SDLC) is the process used by developers to create, deploy and maintain software. This process includes several steps that are all closely connected with one another. These steps include requirements gathering, analysis and design, coding and testing.

3. **What is a testing pyramid?** \
In software development projects, we have limited time and resources. This is why it's important to consider our test efforts carefully and find the right balance between different types of testing. Basically, there are 3 layers in the testing pyramid: Unit Tests, Integration Tests, and E2E Tests.

3. **What is a selector?** \
A selector is a small piece of code that describes a specific button in your app. It allows you to clearly define what should be clicked in automated end-to-end tests. You can learn more about selectors using [this interactive XPath learning tool](https://bugbug.io/xpath-selector-builder/?ref=blogarticle)



Happy (automated) testing!


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Professional Quality Evangelist, experienced in testing web and mobile applications.  
[linkedin.com/in/kinga-witko-b5bba659/](https://linkedin.com/in/kinga-witko-b5bba659/)

Kinga Witko

[TABLE_OF_CONTENTS]

The term “shift left” expresses movement. It can describe the movement of an entire team or individuals.
What does it do in a project or an entire development lifecycle? Putting it simply,  it reflects the position of testing on a timeline. 

**Shift Left means testing earlier in the development process.** It also means repositioning the engagement, development, and testing efforts towards the customer.


Typically, in a traditional (waterfall) model of software making, testing lands at the end of the pipeline or is one of the last phases of the process. Bringing testing at the very last stage usually causes many problems such as:

- delays in the deployment
- a lot of bugs at the end of the development lifecycle
- bugs discovered just before or after the release to production
- lack of collaboration between developers and testers through the entire process.

Poor software quality is one of the most harmful consequences of all of these pains listed above.

At first, the team members do not communicate with each other and they fail to communicate the problems early. 

It must not necessarily be a bug; sometimes there is some issue with the application setup, there is no testing environment, access to certain resources (such as specific tooling or external software providers), the task description is vague, or the team setup is incorrect. 

If communicated and fixed earlier, the entire process can be smoother and cause less frustration in the team. It also encourages people to focus more on the code quality and to deliver earlier and faster.

Most of those issues can be avoided by changing the style of working and shifting testing efforts at the beginning of the process.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Agile way of working

If you care about the quality of your product, your mindset has probably shifted left already.

This approach is strongly connected with the agile way of thinking and using agile work methods in software projects.


In this setup, testing is an integrated part of the team and accelerates software development at higher quality. As a result, testers can identify bugs sooner, saving time and effort. Notably, the earlier you test, the less expensive bugs are to fix.


[T The Seven Testing Principles (ISTQB)](https://www.istqb.org/downloads/syllabi/foundation-level-syllabus.html) tell that testing everything is not possible unless a system or functionality is very simple. In practice, however,  the testing efforts should be targeted appropriately at the risk analysis, techniques, and bugs prioritization rather than be attempted thorough testing. 


One of the good methods of approaching testing strategy for a specific application can be the guideline from [Agile Testing Quadrants](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/agile-testing-quadrants/). The quadrants are a taxonomy to help teams plan the testing process and testing activities and make sure they have all the resources they need to accomplish it.


## Shift Left approach and DevOps and agile background

With the rise of the DevOps movement, there is an increased focus on delivering automated, continuous improvement. It holds true for development and testing alike.

What is more, Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are core software development disciplines integrated into the agile software development cycle. The point is to release fully-tested and stable builds early and as often as possible. Development, delivery, and test automation are crucial components of this process. 

## What it means to “Shift Left”

As mentioned at the beginning, Shift Left testing pushes testing to the “left”, to the earlier stages in the pipeline. This improves software quality and reduces time spent on resolving issues later in the pipeline.

Introducing testing early on the “left-side” of the development process, starting with unit tests and complementing with functional and integration tests is fundamental to making CI/CD happen. But that may not be enough.

The team can go even further: to eliminate unclear and contradicting requirements and improve the end-user experience, it is best to involve test engineers in the clarifying and prioritising application requirements. Test engineers can check the available or newly created requirements or user stories for clarity, consistency, testability, and traceability.

This also improves the shift towards client happiness. An early review of the requirements and spotting the flaws marks an early start of the communication with the end-user. 

The Shift Left approach introduces more care and thought exchange concerning the client. The team can be perceived as more proactive and more dedicated to the best quality standards of a project.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Benefits of Shift Left Testing for Agile and Devops teams

Agile teams benefit most from Shift Left Testing in terms of clearer specifications, smoother implementations, earlier testing, and reduced costs. However, Shift Right Testing has more benefits like the ability to incorporate user and system feedback based on real usage scenarios. 

In opposition to testing early, Shift Right can provide an additional context to the testing scenarios. Shifting right means testing at the end of the process, typically when the software is deployed to production (the post-production environment). 

It is performed by a group of experts or selected end-users. It can utilize testing methods such as API Monitoring, using Feature Toggles, or measuring the performance of a live application. 

This helps to understand the application better and discover some other flaws that could have been omitted earlier.

Nevertheless, when quality comes first:

- developers spend more time on coding because they discuss potentially good solutions - they do not investigate who pushes the code first into production without testing

- there are Unit Tests beside the application code, available and maintainable

- there is an infrastructure that allows testing before pushing to production, usually the entire team is responsible for the process health

- there is room for improvement and mistakes

- developers pair up to catch obvious errors on the fly and learn from one another

- teams estimate tasks together, taking quality and risks into account

- potential risks in the systems are spotted and minimized rather than left alone

And finally - the application is tested - not only by one automated or manual test  but by a set of different functional and non-functional scenarios. 

The tests are regularly reviewed, adjusted, and observed. This approach introduces a new way of working and highlights the value of testing.


## Benefits of the Shift-Left Testing approach

The idea of shift left testing is simple to understand but hard to implement in the development cycle. It is worth the effort though, especially when the team and the entire organization understands the main benefits of this approach, such as:

- Lower costs - as explained above, bugs detected earlier are less expensive to fix.

- Increased efficiency in the software development process.

- Improved product quality and reliability because more bugs are detected at earlier stages.

- Reduced time to market since the QA process covers the entire development cycle, not only its’ last phase.

- A competitive advantage gained by letting development teams move fast, build and defend their credibility by innovating in iterations.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Get started with “Shift Left” Testing in Agile

How to approach the change and switch to early software testing? Here is the basic list: 


1. **Plan**

Shape development in a way that is friendly to Shift Left testing. Once the requirements have been established, developers and testers should ideate how to shape the coding and software testing as early as possible. 


Depending on the product expectations as well as the limitations of the team, specific strategies, such as involving testers in the project since the planning phase or using the TDD approach, might have to be crafted to accommodate the Shift Left way of working.


2.** Review the requirements**

It is best to verify not only the existing code but also all the requirements necessary for the code to be written. Early verification can spot obvious mistakes.


3. **Use Static Code Analysis**

Static code analysis is the practice of checking the code without executing it. It runs through the basic code structure and ensures that the code is aligned with many standards and guidelines. By following the approach the team can early detect:

- Programming errors

- Violations of commonly followed coding standards

- Syntax anomalies

- Security issues

A static code analysis is best done via automation. The software should scan all untested codes in a project before it moves to the test phase.

4. **Collaborate**

As in any other [agile testing](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/agile-testing-organized-chaos-or-a-planned-way-of-improving-your-software/) technique - early software testing requires a lot of collaboration with the team: Developers, Product Managers, Business Analysts, and other stakeholders responsible for the overall product. 

Everybody needs to understand the value of the Shift Left approach and spot the difference after some time of the new process introduction because as a result, the client benefits from better software quality and receives a lovable product.

## Conclusion for Left Shift Testing in test automation

There are a number of benefits to left shift testing in test automation. One of the primary benefits is that it helps to identify defects earlier in the development cycle. This means that defects can be caught and addressed before they become more complex and costly to fix. In addition, left shift testing can help to reduce the overall time and effort required for testing by identifying and addressing issues earlier in the process.

Another benefit of left shift testing in test automation is that it can help to improve the quality of the software being developed. By identifying and addressing defects earlier in the process, developers can ensure that the software they are creating is of higher quality and meets the requirements of the end-users.
->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


One of the keys to successful left shift testing in test automation is to incorporate testing into the development process **from the very beginning**. This means that testing is not an afterthought or an additional step at the end of the development process, but rather an integral part of the development process itself. Test automation tools and frameworks can be used to automate testing activities and make it easier to incorporate testing into the development process.

It is also important to involve testers in the development process as early as possible. This allows them to provide feedback and identify potential issues before they become more complex and difficult to fix. Testers can also work with developers to ensure that the code being developed is testable, and that the testing process is efficient and effective.

Overall, **left shift testing is an important approach in test automation that can help to improve the quality of software, reduce testing time and effort, and identify defects earlier in the development process**. By incorporating testing into the development process from the very beginning, developers and testers can work together to create software that is of higher quality and meets the needs of the end-users.

Happy (automated) testing!

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Guides to Automation

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Testing Tools for Web Application - The Ultimate Guide 2023

Testing is an ever-present part of a software developer’s job, performed at every stage of the production process. There is a wide range of test types used for software testing, some performed at various points during production, and some performed after production to confirm that the software functions as intended.

Regression testing is performed on a product that has already been finished and released. How exactly is it performed? What are the objectives and how does the procedure look? If you’re keen to find out, keep on reading as we explain everything you should know about regression testing.

[TABLE_OF_CONTENTS]

## The definition of Regression Testing

**Regression testing** is a software testing method that aims to investigate and locate any possible flaws or bugs in software that has already been fully developed. Regression Testing is performed to find out whether your software has regressed (surprise, surprise) as you continue introducing new updates and bug fixes. Whenever a piece of software is changed in any way, new bugs might emerge and some of the older ones re-emerge.

Most often, regression testing is performed immediately after introducing a new update, but it isn’t the only factor that might call for the test. If any software or hardware-related factor has changed, regression testing should be committed to find out whether everything performs as it has before the change. 

This can include any sort of bug fixes and software changes, but regression might also be caused by hardware configuration changes and electronic component degradation over time. Regression testing isn’t easy – it requires cooperation and diligence out of all of the team members, which makes it perfect for agile software development practices.

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Regression Testing process

As with most testing efforts regression testing is an art rather than science. Let us describe the regression testing process that our development team uses. You may then use and adapt it to your existing test strategy. As regression testing is a type of testing that occurs whenever any change in your software occurs, the smartest way to start is to..

### Identify code changes

This will allow you to asses the number of test cases for regression testing that will need to be created. The testing team will need information on the impact that the current changes may have on the whole application. This is done also during this step.

### Prioritize changes

You finished step one with a list. Now you need to create a queue out of it. By proper prioritizing the changes in your software application you reduce the amount of time you will use on 

### Select for re-run

This is the part where the selection of test cases is performed. After the first test is done, test cases are categorized into reusable and obsolete ones. The reusable ones create a regression test suite. The others are will not be used for regression. 

### Categorize manual and automated regression test cases

Here is where the test automation actually begins. Test cases that occur more often within one process are perfect candidates to for the automation tool to do the work for you. If you want to automate tests in a fast and efficient way, try BugBug as your tool for regression testing. You will soon find out that it is great to reduce regression testing costs.

### Prioritize test cases

Here is where regression testing becomes a tad tricky. One would think, that the most often occurring test cases should have the biggest priority, right? Well the theory on that one is a tad different. The need for regression testing, therefor the priority, is the highest for those cases, that cover all essential features. The lowest on the other hand are stated as "technical complexities". 

### Plan and execute

This one is rather obvious, but we have to put it here. After doing all the analysis, you have to plan when regression testing is done and "push the execute button". 

## Regression Testing techniques

Regression testing can include various functional and non-functional tests in its process to thoroughly investigate the software in search of flaws. There are also many techniques with which developers and QA specialists perform regression testing, including:

- Retest All
- Regression Test Selection
- Test Case Prioritization
- Hybrid approach

### Retest All – an accurate yet expensive solution

**The Retest All ** technique is the most accurate and all-around method of regression testing, but it is also the most expensive one. In Retest All, every test case is checked again on the software to confirm if all of its parts are working as intended. That’s all there is to Retest All – it might be simple in definition, but it is definitely the hardest and most costly technique to actually perform.

### Regression Test Selection – when you realize you might not have enough for a Retest All

**Regression Test Selection** has been designed as a solution to the expensive nature of the Retest All technique. In RTS we don’t run all of the tests in our test suite, but instead we divide all of the tests into three categories – reusable test cases, retestable test cases, and obsolete test cases. In addition, RTS might actually create new test cases that haven’t been in the suite before, but might be relevant for regression tests.

If you’re interested in finding out more about regression testing examples, we recommend taking a look at Understanding Regression Testing Techniques by Gaurav Duggal and Bharti Suri. The authors further divide RTS techniques, naming two most important categories – coverage techniques and minimization techniques, and explain what are safe techniques.

**Coverage techniques** feature specific coverage criteria, often provided by the client who wants their software regression tested. These techniques sift through all test cases, selecting only the ones that are relevant for the covered parts of your software. **Minimization techniques** work in a way similar to coverage techniques, but instead of selecting cases based on set criteria, you select a minimum set of cases that you think will do the job.

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

### Test Case Prioritization – a rational approach

**Test Case Prioritization** aims to maximize the rate of fault detection, creating the most thorough regression test for the lowest cost. First you prioritize the test cases one by one. Then all of them are performed in order, starting from the most important one and finishing on the least important one. Thanks to that, even if your resources aren’t enough to perform all of the tests in your suite, you will still perform the ones that should detect the most flaws.

**TSP** might be performed in two ways – the first one, called **General Prioritization**, selects test cases that should be effective (on average) on all versions of the software you’re working with. The other way, called Version Specific **Prioritization**, only takes into account a specific version of the software, without considering other existing or potential future versions.

### Hybrid approach – the best of both worlds

When choosing one technique of regression testing is impossible – why not combine the best features of Regression Test Selection and Test Case Prioritization? 

The hybrid approach is still being developed, and every researcher gives a personal spin on the idea. Since there isn’t an exact definition of what a hybrid approach actually is, there are tons of versions available – each one with its own upsides and downsides.

## Regression Testing tools

Regression testing ensures that each version of your software runs smoothly. We have described various regression testing techniques, but our article would not be complete without a few hints of what tool to use for proper test execution. 

Regression testing is used on an incremented basis. Each release of your software means building another layer of an already high pile of multiple regression test cases. A good tool will allow you to perform regression tests without writing a single line of code. 

If you want a specific list of tools, please redirect to our article [HERE](https://bugbug.io/blog/guides/testing-tools-for-web-application/).

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Disadvantages of regression testing

Well now that's a shocker isn't it? We have many articles on testing in the BugBug blog, and never have I ever wrote anything negative about testing. Until now. We found four "buts" on regression testing and we tried to tackle them immediately.

- "but regression testing is time consuming" - yes, but only if you only perform a manual test, this is why selecting a good testing tool is essential
- "but you have to do it after even the smallest patch" - yes, but this is why you build a good regression cycle. You store all the recurring tests and only build a few on top of them for that given patch. It is like CI/CD for your testing process
- "but that process might interfere with the sprint planning" - only if you do regression tests without automation. Think of it from a business perspective - would you have a task that goes cross-sprint or a large bug in the production environment?
- "but it is difficult, to write those test cases" - ah, an oldie but a goodie. There are great no-code regression testing tools. Those might be used not only by QA or other technical personnel but by a PM. Such a person would be even able to automate the test or record and recreate it. 

Regression testing is one of the key ways to have your code thoroughly checked and ready to start earning you money!

## Conclusion – is Regression Testing necessary?

As you have already learned, regression testing plays a key role in keeping the quality of your software as high as possible for as long as possible. Updates and changes to your software might introduce new problems, which is exactly why regression testing is so important – to keep user experience high throughout all iterations of your program.

Not all projects require regression testing, of course. In projects that are already finished and won’t be further updated, regression testing is mostly irrelevant. However, if you are planning to continue development further – never forget to properly regression test your software before releasing an update.


Happy (automated) testing!

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Case studies

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Testing Tools Comparisons

Tech Leader's Guide To Automation Testing

Automation Testing Guide for Startups - Level 1: Get The Most out of Basic Automation

Automation Testing Guide for Startups - Level 3:  Integrate With Your CI/CD

Automation Testing Guide for Startups - Level 2: Automate Hundreds of Regression Tests

Application Tests: BugBug vs Selenium IDE

Product Updates

[TABLE_OF_CONTENTS]


After carefully selecting the YouTube channels and podcasts, we switched our attention towards newsletters. Those are also a great tool for a QA or for software testers to expand their knowledge. 

Once you subscribe you get a regular update or a chunk of knowledge straight to your inbox. Some of them are sent weekly, others not. 

Browse the list, click the link if you found one interesting for you and **get the best software testing news**.

## Our selection of software testing newsletters


### Software Testing Weekly

![Software Testing Weekly newsletter](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_09_22_at_11_48_09_c012aa8097.png)

This one is from our home court. The newsletter curated by **Dawid Dylowicz** brings you the latest software testing news. It is published every Friday and provides you with carefully selected information with links and short descriptions. 

This pre-selection provided by Dawid allows you to decide which article would you like to read in detail and which is not of your scope of interest.  As the testing world expands basically every day, having a true professional preparing you a weekly digest is a real gem. 

You can also become a sponsor of one edition, which could be always a great way to expand your brand worldwide. 

Link: [https://softwaretestingweekly.com/](https://softwaretestingweekly.com/)

### Ministry of Testing

![Ministry of Testing newsletter](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_09_22_at_11_49_31_51e0495e6d.png)

Sounds familiar? Well maybe because we covered them in the podcast list already :) They run a great testing community that includes a weekly newsletter. Multiple authors will provide you with information on multiple topics - test automation, testing tools, api testing, coding but also soft skills, testing events and many more. 

Ministry of Testing newsletter reaches your inbox **every week on Monday**. 

Link: [https://www.ministryoftesting.com/newsletter](https://www.ministryoftesting.com/newsletter)


->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


### TestGuild Newsletter

![TestGuild Newsletter ](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_09_22_at_11_50_58_f9d57351b2.png)

This weekly software testing newsletter is mostly focused on test automation. Produced by **Joe Colantonio**, a renowned figure in the testing field it features articles, tutorials, industry news, and announcements. 

The topics covered include proven tips, tricks, and techniques on full-stack automation. The newsletter includes also the latest & most relevant info from the world of E2E testing. 

By joining the newsletter you will get 10 quick & actionable test automation tips. 

Link: [https://testguild.com/newsletter/](https://testguild.com/newsletter/)

### Methods & Tools

![Methods & Tools newsletter](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_09_22_at_11_53_00_ac9128116a.png)

In the article on podcasts we mentioned that one established in 2014 was a mature product. Well how mistaken we were... Methods and tools was set up in 2000 (!!!). And with all due respect to the creators it seems they did not change the layout since then. 

Jokes aside - **Methods & Tools** is a great place for those members of the software testing world, who would like to receive less e-mails but still be in the loop. 

They hand-pick an overview on what happened in the industry and send a monthly package. Even though they seem to have a brief pause recently, it is a great place to browse what is and was hot for the last 20+ years.

Link: [https://www.methodsandtools.com/facts/facts.php](https://www.methodsandtools.com/facts/facts.php)

### Five for Friday

![Five for Friday newsletter](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_09_22_at_11_54_33_e85f148774.png)

Every Friday **Alan Page** (the Angry Weasel) provides five articles related to software testing. If you don't have time to browse multiple links, such a brief selection would be perfect for you. 

Although this is not a newsletter per say, it is worth to either have your own calendar remind you to check the website or to get a RSS feed from Alan. 

The selection is sometimes surprising and expands beyond all things testing. You can find some software development there, webinars, blogs and many more. 

Link: [https://angryweasel.com/blog/](https://angryweasel.com/blog/)

### Five Blogs

![Five Blogs ](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_09_22_at_11_56_29_6ac1f4daa4.png)

The very ascetic website based on the simplest Wordpress template possible is a true gem. For **3000** (yes THREE THOUSAND) posts the author provided us with links to 5 different blogs he read that day. They mostly relate to testing and programming, but you will get also some insights into management, productivity and leadership. 

It is honestly one of the biggest library of testing materials ever. Unfortunately there is no email subscription available since this May the author mentioned that number 3000 was the last post on that site. 

Do check it since every blog post is worth reading and you have it all in one place.

Link: [https://5blogs.wordpress.com/](https://5blogs.wordpress.com/)

### QMetry Newsletter

![QMetry Newsletter ](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Screenshot_2023_09_22_at_11_57_59_070ac47d5d.png)

This one is provided by the company behind **QMetry** app and brings you a monthly insight to different aspects of testing. Every edition includes a few of their articles regarding concepts, tools or conferences. It is very insightful and easy to navigate. 

Although it is relatively young (only 8 issues when we created this article) it is carefully curated and already owns a place on our list. 

Link: [https://www.qmetry.com/resources/newsletters](https://www.qmetry.com/resources/newsletters)


->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Summary

There you go, the top 7 written resources we were able to find. Some great places to get knowledge and practice on software testing. 

If you know any others that are worth our consideration, do let us know. Maybe we will end up having a part 2 of this article. 


Happy (automated) testing!


The Best Software Testing Newsletters for 2023

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Application Consultant working as a Tech Writer


[https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikdurejko/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikdurejko/)

Dominik Szahidewicz

[TABLE_OF_CONTENTS]


In the world of automation testing and web scraping, XPath is an invaluable tool. XPath allows you to navigate through the Document Object Model (DOM) of HTML and XML documents, making it a crucial skill for anyone involved in test automation or data extraction. 

XPath in Selenium is widely used to locate and interact with elements on web pages. Selenium Webdriver provides several methods for finding web elements using XPath expressions. In this guide, we will explore XPath locators, delve into their essentials, syntax, types, and functions, and provide you with an exhaustive cheat sheet to boost your XPath proficiency.


![xpath cheat sheet](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/i_came_from_0c5f74bdfa_cf07b3471a.jpeg)


## What is XPath Locator?

XPath locator, often simply referred to as XPath, is a language used for navigating and querying XML or HTML documents. It provides a way to locate and select elements within the document's structure, making it an essential tool for automating interactions with web applications using libraries like Selenium.


## XPath Essentials

### 1. Syntax and Structure

XPath expressions are written using a combination of elements, operators, functions, and axes. The syntax is hierarchical, resembling a directory structure, with forward slashes ("/") used to traverse through nodes.


### 2. Key Axes and Node Types

XPath offers various axes (e.g., child, parent, sibling) to navigate the DOM, and it recognizes different node types (e.g., element, attribute, text) that can be selected.


### 3. Common Functions

XPath includes a set of useful functions for manipulating strings, numbers, and other data types, enhancing the power and flexibility of your queries.


## XPath Types

Absolute and relative XPath are two different approaches for locating elements in an XML or HTML document using XPath expressions. They are commonly used in web automation testing, particularly with tools like Selenium. 

Here's an explanation of each:

### Absolute XPath Expression

Absolute XPath specifies the exact and full path from the root element of the document to the target element. It starts with a single forward slash ("/") and then lists all the elements in the hierarchy, separated by forward slashes, leading to the target element.

**Pros:**
- It provides an exact and unique path to the element, which can be useful in situations where there are multiple elements with similar attributes.


**Cons:**
- It can be long and prone to breakage if the structure of the page changes, making it less maintainable.

- Absolute XPaths are less flexible because they specify the full path from the root, so any changes to the document structure above the target element can break the XPath.


### Relative XPath

Relative XPath, also known as a partial XPath, specifies the path to the target element based on its position or attributes relative to other elements in the DOM, without starting from the root element. It typically starts with a double forward slash ("//") and then specifies conditions or attributes that lead to the desired element.


**Pros:**
- It is more flexible and resilient to changes in the document structure because it doesn't rely on the entire path from the root.

- Relative XPaths are shorter and easier to read and maintain.


**Cons:**
- If the document structure changes significantly, a relative XPath might not be specific enough and could select unintended elements.


In summary, absolute XPath provides the full path from the root element, offering precision but less flexibility and maintainability. Relative XPath, on the other hand, offers flexibility by specifying the path relative to the current context, making it more robust against changes but potentially less precise in complex document structures. 

The choice between them depends on the specific requirements of your automation task and the stability of the target elements in the document.

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## XPath Types

XPath operates on different types of data within XML documents, including nodes (elements, attributes, text, etc.) and values (strings, numbers, booleans, etc.). Understanding these types is crucial for constructing effective XPath expressions.

## XPath Syntax

XPath expressions are written using a specific syntax that allows you to traverse and query an XML document. The syntax includes a combination of elements, functions, operators, and axes to specify the elements you want to target.


## XPath Selectors

XPath selectors are the components of an XPath expression that define the criteria for selecting nodes or data from an XML document. These selectors include elements, attributes, text, and more, depending on the XPath expression's purpose.

Our team has created [the No-code XPath Selector Builder](https://bugbug.io/xpath-selector-builder/) so you can generate reliable XPath selectors without extensive XPath knowledge. 


## XPath Expressions

XPath expressions are the heart of XPath language. They are used to define a path within an XML document to locate specific nodes or values. XPath expressions consist of a series of location steps separated by slashes, and they can include predicates, functions, and more.


## XPath Axes

Axes in XPath are used to define the relationship between nodes in an XML document. They help you navigate the document's structure by specifying the direction in which you want to move from the current node. Common axes include child, parent, ancestor, descendant, sibling, and attribute axes.


## XPath Operators

XPath includes a set of operators that you can use in your expressions to compare, combine, or filter nodes and values. Some common operators in XPath include equality operators (e.g., =, !=), arithmetic operators (e.g., +, -, *, /), and logical operators (e.g., and, or, not).


## XPath Functions
XPath provides a wide range of built-in functions that allow you to perform various operations on nodes and values. These functions can be used to extract data, manipulate strings, perform mathematical calculations, and more. Examples of XPath functions include text(), contains(), substring(), and count().


## Debug Console for XPath

Effective debugging is crucial when working with XPath locators. Learning how to use the browser's developer tools to test and refine your XPath queries can save you time and frustration.


## Tips and Best Practices

### 1. Avoid Common Pitfalls

**- Keep it Simple:** Avoid creating overly complex expressions. Simplicity often leads to greater readability and less error-prone code.

**- Avoid Absolute Paths:** Using absolute paths (e.g., /html/body/div[1]/p[2]) can make your XPath fragile and prone to breaking if the HTML structure changes. Prefer relative paths whenever possible.

**- Be Specific:** Make your expressions as specific as needed to target the elements you want. Avoid using wildcards (*) when more precise expressions can be used.

**- Use Predicates Wisely:** While predicates (filters) are useful, don't overuse them. Too many predicates can make your expressions hard to read and maintain.

**- Consider Cross-Browser Compatibility:** Test your expressions in multiple browsers to ensure they work consistently. Different browsers may interpret XPath slightly differently.


### 2. Optimize for Performance

**- Use Efficient Selectors:** Choose the most efficient selector for your task. For example, prefer ID selectors (//*[@id='myId']) over complex hierarchical paths when possible.

**- Limit the Use of //:** The // selector can be slow because it searches the entire document. Whenever you can, specify a more direct path to the element you need.

**- Cache Elements:** If you need to interact with the same element multiple times, cache it instead of repeatedly locating it with XPath. This reduces overhead.

**- Minimize XPath Calls:** Reduce the number of XPath evaluations in your code. Each evaluation consumes time. Store elements in variables and reuse them.

**- Test Performance:** Measure the performance of your test automation with profiling tools to identify bottlenecks related to XPath usage.


### 3. Debug Effectively

**- Use Browser DevTools:** Most browsers have built-in tools for testing and debugging expressions. You can use these tools to evaluate and refine your XPath.

**- Output Results:** Print the results of your XPath queries to the console during debugging. This helps you verify that you're selecting the right elements.

**- Step Through Code:** Use breakpoints and step-by-step debugging in your testing framework to inspect the state of your application and XPath results at different points in your code.

**- Comment Your XPath:** Add comments in your code to explain complex or non-obvious expressions. This makes it easier for you and your team to understand the purpose of each XPath.

**- Regularly Review and Refactor:** Periodically review and refactor your expressions. As your application evolves, XPath may need adjustment to stay reliable.


->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-

## Cheat Sheet

To make your life easier, we've compiled a handy cheat sheet with quick-reference tables for common expressions, functions, and operators. 

This cheat sheet is your go-to resource when working with XPath in your automation testing or web scraping projects.


### Basic XPath Syntax:

-  `/` - Selects from the root node.

- `//` - Selects nodes anywhere in the document.

- `.` - Represents the current node.

- `..` - Represents the parent of the current node.


### Selectors:

- `element` - Selects all elements with the given name.

- `@attribute` - Selects the value of the specified attribute.

- `*` - Selects all child elements.

- `text()` - Selects the text within an element.

- `[predicate]` - Adds a condition to filter nodes.


### Predicates:


- `[name='value']` - Selects nodes with the specified attribute value.

- `[position()]` - Selects nodes based on their position.

- `[last()]` - Selects the last node of a given type.

- `[contains(@attribute, 'value')]` - Selects nodes with attribute values containing 'value'.

- `[not(predicate)]` - Negates a condition.


### Axes:

- `ancestor::` - Selects all ancestors.

- `ancestor-or-self::` - Selects ancestors and the current node.

- `child::` - Selects all children.

- `descendant::` - Selects all descendants.

- `descendant-or-self::` - Selects descendants and the current node.

- `following::` - Selects all following nodes.

- `following-sibling::` - Selects following siblings.

- `parent::` - Selects the parent node.

- `preceding::` - Selects all preceding nodes.

- `preceding-sibling::`- Selects preceding siblings.

- `self::` - Selects the current node.


### Operators:

- `=` - Equal to.

- `!=` - Not equal to.

- `<` - Less than.

- `<=` - Less than or equal to.

- `>` - Greater than.

- `>=` - Greater than or equal to.

- `and` - Logical AND.

- `or` - Logical OR.

- `not` - Logical NOT.


### Functions (Examples):

- `name()` - Returns the name of the current node.

- `count(nodes)` - Returns the number of nodes in the node-set.

- `concat(string1, string2)` - Concatenates two strings.

- `substring(string, start, length)` - Returns a substring.

- `contains(string, substr)` - Checks if a string contains a substring.

- `normalize-space(string)` - Removes leading/trailing whitespace and collapses spaces.


### Examples:

- `/bookstore/book` - Selects all book elements in the root bookstore.

- `//title[text()='XPath']` - Selects title elements with text 'XPath' anywhere in the document.

- `//*[@id='myId']` - Selects elements with the attribute id equal to 'myId'.

- `/bookstore/book[position()=1]` - Selects the first book element.

- `//div[@class='highlight']//p` - Selects p elements within div with class 'highlight'.

- `//a[contains(@href, 'example.com')]` - Selects a elements with 'example.com' in the href attribute.


->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Conclusion

XPath is an indispensable tool for automation testing and web scraping. With a solid understanding of its syntax, types, and best practices, you can become a master of XPath locators. 

Armed with our XPath cheat sheet and the knowledge gained from this guide, you are well-equipped to tackle even the most complex automation tasks and DOM structures with confidence. So, go forth and automate with precision using XPath!

Read more about how to create robust XPath selectors in our [Ultimate Beginner's Guide](https://bugbug.io/xpath-selector-builder/) for every tester. 


Happy (automated) testing!

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[TABLE_OF_CONTENTS]


In today's digital landscape, ensuring that your application functions seamlessly from start to finish is a critical aspect of software development. One powerful approach to achieve this is through user journey testing. 

Customer journey [end-to-end tests](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/what-is-end-to-end-testing/) offer an insight into application's usability (especially in the context of UX research) as it replicates the steps of a typical user inside the application or browser. 


## What are User Journeys?

User journeys are the paths that users take as they interact with a software application, from their initial contact with the interface to the final accomplishment of their goal. Journey encompasses a series of steps, which may involve different features, pages, or functionalities of the application. 

These journeys are diverse, as they reflect the variety of actions users can perform within an application, such as signing up, making a purchase, or submitting a form. They can be represented visually as a user journey map.


## What is a User Journey Testing?

E2E Journey Test is a type of usability testing method in software development that focuses on simulating the complete path a user takes while interacting with a mobile app or website. 

This approach aims to **replicate the real-world user experience by following a series of steps and actions** that a person would perform to achieve a specific user goal or task within the software.

The primary objective of a user journey testing sessions is to assess how well different components, functionalities, and interfaces of an application work together to deliver a seamless and satisfying user experience. 

This method goes beyond evaluating individual features in isolation and instead tests the end-to-end workflow that user follows, ensuring that all components integrate smoothly and perform as expected. 


## Best Practises for User Journey Testing

Best practices for User Journey Tests include:

**1. Identify Critical User Journeys:** Prioritize user paths that align with your business goals or are frequently used by your target audience.

**2. Identify Different Scenarios:** Users interact with applications in various ways. Make sure you cover different scenarios, including positive and negative cases, edge cases, and variations in user needs and inputs.

**3. Use Realistic Test Data:** Utilize realistic and diverse test data that mimics actual user behavior. This includes using valid and invalid inputs, different user roles, and varying data combinations.

**4. Create Clear Test Scripts:** Document the steps and interactions. Clear and well-structured test scripts ensure consistency and accuracy during testing and help other team members understand the entire process.

**5. Automate:** Test automation tools can significantly speed up the process while ensuring repeatability and accuracy.

**6. Isolate Environments:** Use isolated testing environments to prevent interference from other ongoing tests or changes. 

**7. API Testing Integration:** Integrate API testing to validate the communication between different components.

**8. Parallel Testing:** Run multiple tests in parallel to save time and accelerate the testing process. 

**9. Monitor and Analyze Results:** Regularly monitor and analyze the results. Identify patterns, trends, and areas of improvement. Act on any issues identified promptly to ensure a smooth user experience.

**10. Feedback Loop:** Encourage collaboration between developers, testers, and user experience design teams. Regularly gather feedback and collaborate to refine and improve customer journey.

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Benefits of User Journey Tests


User journey testing offers several benefits that contribute to a higher-quality user experience and more reliable software:

**- Realistic Testing:** By simulating real customer experience, you can show more accurate test results that represent how the application functions in a real-world scenario.

**- End-to-End Validation:** User journey tests validate the entire application workflow, detecting integration issues that might go unnoticed with unit or component testing.

**- Improved Bug Detection:** This approach helps identify complex bugs and glitches that arise from the interactions between different components of the application.

**- Enhanced User Satisfaction:** Consistently delivering a smooth user experience increases user satisfaction and loyalty, leading to better retention rates.

**- Reduced Development Costs:** Detecting and addressing issues early in the development process can help avoid costly fixes later on.


## How to Run User Journey Tests in BugBug?

With BugBug we could verify holistic and typical functionality of an online shop. We can set up a scenario where first we choose an item, add it to the cart and then proceed to the payment. 


1. Log in and create a new test on [bugbug.io](https://bugbug.io/)


2. Create a new test

![bugbug create new test](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/spaces_M_Kixge_B_Pb_Lvn_D0l1ei_V_uploads_S_Vab_Xz_KBYBD_13_X_Bp_AR_Xb_Zrzut_ekranu_2023_03_15_111506_ac3ab54cef.webp)

3. Enter the URL of the web app or website that you want to test

![bugbug test automation tool](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/spaces_M_Kixge_B_Pb_Lvn_D0l1ei_V_uploads_Bqsl_G_Ij_ET_Fs_Bom7h_U_Yz_M_bugbug_guide_03_be98d6485e.webp)

4. Click "Start recording" - if you installed the extension, the incognito Chrome browser window should appear

![BugBug Test Recorder](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/spaces_M_Kixge_B_Pb_Lvn_D0l1ei_V_uploads_De_G_Hov_Pyw9_Qrv7z34cp_S_bugbug_guide_05_fd3f3c6149.webp)

5. Carefully click the elements to navigate - each click will be recorded automatically


6. When you are ready with the test case click the Finish and close button in the overlay menu on the right
BugBug test recorder


7. Now run the test to see if everything was correctly recorded

![test run in cloud](https://bugbug-homepage.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/Frame_63_1_1ad656e4d3.png)

->[Automate your tests for free](https://app.bugbug.io/sign-up/){.markdown-cta}<-


## Conclusion

Creating [end-to-end tests](https://bugbug.io/blog/software-testing/what-is-end-to-end-testing/) that faithfully replicate user journeys is an essential practice in software development. These tests go beyond mere functionality checks to simulate the complete paths users take through an application. By doing so, they ensure that all aspects of the user experience work harmoniously together and ensure customer loyalty. 


Happy (automated) testing!

