Semantic Test Objects in Ruby and Watir Human Readable Machine Executable Test Case Design for Web Applications

How Does Traditional Testing Work? Let’s make some assertions =>

Traditional Test Cases Written in Language processed and executed by Human Beings who require specialized knowledge.

Traditional Test Case Notation Documents as Pages of Text bound to specialized Formatting. Presentation and data glued together.

Costly to Write. Slow to Execute Requires Live Performance of a Skilled Tester. Each Replay is Another Live Performance! Long Cycle Time$

TADA! Just Automate! Record and Play it Back It seems so easy, right? (maintenance nightmare)

The Silver Bullet What do you get when you automate Manual, Natural Language Step By Step Procedural Tests that only a machine can read?

Yes, Let’s Automate. With Human Readable and Machine Executable Notation Semantic Functional Test Object Model

TestObject.message(subject) Semantic Test Objects Notation Human Readable Machine Executable

Unnecessary Text Out “ By relieving the brain of all unnecessary work, a good notation sets it free to concentrate on more advanced problems” – Alfred North Whitehead “ While what is being discussed here is software development not notation sets, the same principle is operative if one thinks of a notation set as the ability to represent a problem to one's self .” – Dr. Pam Lawhead http://john.cs.olemiss.edu/~lawhead/summary.html

“ By relieving the brain of all unnecessary work, a good notation sets it free to concentrate on more advanced problems” – Alfred North Whitehead

“ While what is being discussed here is software development not notation sets, the same principle is operative if one thinks of a notation set as the ability to represent a problem to one's self .” – Dr. Pam Lawhead

http://john.cs.olemiss.edu/~lawhead/summary.html

OO dot Notation Human Readable Billy.clean(your_room) said Mom to her Child Room.clean_up() said Billy to his Room Object.message(subject) said Object to Another Machine Executable Can be written in any OO Language.

Human Readable

Billy.clean(your_room) said Mom to her Child

Room.clean_up() said Billy to his Room

Object.message(subject) said Object to Another

Machine Executable

Can be written in any OO Language.

Request, Response Object Oriented Notation captures the Interaction between Objects. Every request gets a reponse When Mom sends a message to Billy does she get an answer? Yes – but not what does the call to Billy return? Tests as Concrete Examples rather than Abstract Description

Object Oriented Notation captures the Interaction between Objects.

Every request gets a reponse

When Mom sends a message to Billy does she get an answer?

Yes – but not what does the call to Billy return?

Tests as Concrete Examples rather than Abstract Description

Understanding TestObject All ‘things’ in a TestCase are TestObjects. All ‘steps’ in a TestCase are about sending messages to TestObjects All ‘things’ are derived from Domain Model, UseCase Model, User Inteface Model All ‘things’ live in Application Test Map, a kind of Semantic Test Objects API for testing.

All ‘things’ in a TestCase are TestObjects.

All ‘steps’ in a TestCase are about sending messages to TestObjects

All ‘things’ are derived from Domain Model, UseCase Model, User Inteface Model

All ‘things’ live in Application Test Map, a kind of Semantic Test Objects API for testing.

Separate Design from Implementation You’ve heard this before, right? TestCases talk to TestObjects TestObjects talk to the Browser Abstraction Layer built from Business Domain Model Decouple and Glue instead TestCases speak the language of the Test Domain. TestObjects speak the language of the browser, IE, FireFox, Safari, Mobile, whichever….

You’ve heard this before, right?

TestCases talk to TestObjects

TestObjects talk to the Browser

Abstraction Layer built from Business Domain Model

Decouple and Glue instead

TestCases speak the language of the Test Domain.

TestObjects speak the language of the browser, IE, FireFox, Safari, Mobile, whichever….

TestCase Definition TestCase is an inventory of tests Executed in context (TestScope) Validating expected existence and expected behavior of the System Agreed by Customer Resulting in pass or failure

TestCase is an inventory of tests

Executed in context (TestScope)

Validating expected existence and expected behavior of the System

Agreed by Customer

Resulting in pass or failure

Ruby High Productivity. Object Oriented. No compile. Interpreted. Dynamically Typed. Widely used

Watir WebAppTestingInRuby Pronounced [water] Ruby Library. Talks to IE DOM at runtime. Browser Automation Interface.

Document Object Model Tests talk to DOM in memory. HTML + CSS + JavaScript + Ajax + UserInteraction + ??? Tests speak semantic structural DOM

App Test Model Interface Construct new TestObject from API or build new ones Abstract Business Domain Model

Tests > API > Browser Semantic separation. Tests talk to API Test Objects which are wired to speak to the DOM

‘ manual’ vs ‘model’ Process Based Testing Linear step by step snapshot based testing Dependent on previous run and individual implicit knowledge of the tester. Many lines of text written in author’s style. Deciphering meaning. Abstract Description Object Based Testing Non linear behavior and state based. Holographic view of system. Context and Perspective Shared vocabulary. Standard Notation. Explicit expectations Concrete Examples

Process Based Testing

Linear step by step snapshot based testing

Dependent on previous run and individual implicit knowledge of the tester.

Many lines of text written in author’s style.

Deciphering meaning.

Abstract Description

Object Based Testing

Non linear behavior and state based.

Holographic view of system. Context and Perspective

Shared vocabulary. Standard Notation.

Explicit expectations

Concrete Examples

Thank You Questions?