This document discusses common patterns used in test automation frameworks, including page object, business layer, singleton, composition, and factory patterns. It describes the page object pattern and limitations like test intent becoming imperative. The business layer page object pattern addresses these by validating business requirements. Test data patterns are also discussed, with criteria like data being complex, unique, and potentially dynamic. External files, properties, and databases are examples of specifying test data. Locator patterns include specifying locators in page objects or separate files. Overall, patterns aid in communication, reduce complexity, and help tests be of production quality and easier to implement, maintain, and scale. The best pattern depends on the specific context.

1. PATTERNS OF A “GOOD”
TEST AUTOMATION
FRAMEWORK, LOCATORS
& DATA!
Anand Bagmar
Test Practice Lead

2. @BagmarAnand
about.me/anand.bagmar
ABOUT ME

3. Test Automation
Principle

4. Code Quality

5. What is a
Design Pattern?

7. Have you heard-of or
used any
Patterns for Test
Automation?

8. COMMON PATTERNS USED IN TEST AUTOMATION
¨ Page-Object
¨ Business Layer
¨ Singleton
¨ Composition
¨ Factory
¨ Builder

9. Test Automation
Framework Patterns

10. Case Study

12. Code sample - #1

14. Page-Object Pattern

16. PAGE OBJECT PATTERN
Model pages
in code
Simulates user actions
One place change
Reduces code duplication
Snippets
of page

17. AUTOMATION FRAMEWORK WITH PAGE OBJECTS

18. Code sample - #2

19. As the framework
evolves ….

20. AUTOMATION FRAMEWORK WITH PAGE OBJECTS

21. Code sample - #3

22. LIMITATIONS OF PAGE-OBJECT PATTERN
¨ Test intent gets polluted
¨ Duplication of Test intent & implementation
¨ Intent becomes Imperative
¨ Maintenance challenges
¨ Scaling challenges

23. Business-Layer
Page-Object Pattern

24. BUSINESS-LAYER PAGE-OBJECT PATTERN

25. Code sample - #4

26. ADVANTAGES OF
BUSINESS-LAYER PAGE-OBJECT PATTERN
¨ Validate what is important - Business requirements
¨ Test Pyramid remains sane
¨ Abstraction layers allow separation-of-concerns
¨ Changes are isolated
¨ Maintenance & Scaling becomes ‘easier’

27. Test Data Patterns

28. Why do we need to
think differently
about Test Data?

29. CRITERIA FOR TEST DATA
¨ Data is complex
¨ Needs to mimic “real” data
¨ Needs to be unique
¨ Data can be nested
¨ Though specified as static, may need to be Dynamic
¨ Data can be shared and reused

30. DIFFERENT WAYS TO SPECIFY TEST DATA
¨ In Test implementation
¨ In Test specification / intent
¨ In code … separate data structures / classes / etc.
¨ External files

31. TEST DATA SPECIFICATION EXAMPLES
¨ Excel
¨ CSV
¨ Property
¨ XML
¨ YAML
¨ Database
¨ Json

32. Code sample - #5

33. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
¨ Easy to specify
¨ Easy to read and consume (by test framework)
¨ Ability to override specified data, easily
¨ Usable

34. TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION
¨ Consistent way to specify test data
¨ Read the data – as Business Entities
¨ Override as appropriate
¨ Create DSL to give meaning to data
¨ Use in test implementation
¨ Implement Test Data Entity Utilities – Build, Equals, Copy,
Find, etc.

35. Locators’ Patterns

36. DIFFERENT WAYS TO SPECIFY ELEMENT LOCATORS
¨ In Page-Objects
¨ In separate files, per Page-Object
¨ In external files / locator files

37. Advantages of
using Patterns for
Test Automation

38. ADVANTAGES OF PATTERNS
¨ Well known, well understood
¨ Tried & tested solutions for common problems
¨ Reduces complexity
¨ Language neutral
¨ Aid in communication

39. ADVANTAGES OF PATTERNS IN TEST AUTOMATION
Saves time & effort
(eventually)
Single ownership
Test Automation Code is of Production Quality!
Single point of change
Easy to –
- Implement
- Maintain
- Debug
- Scale

40. WHICH IS THE “BEST” PATTERN TO USE ?

41. It DEPENDS!
on the
Context!

42. REFERENCES
Page Objects – Google
https://code.google.com/p/selenium/wiki/PageObjects
Page Objects – Martin Fowler
http://martinfowler.com/bliki/PageObject.html
Perils of Page-Object Pattern – Anand Bagmar
http://essenceoftesting.blogspot.in/2014/09/perils-of-page-object-pattern.html
Test Design Consideration
http://docs.seleniumhq.org/docs/06_test_design_considerations.jsp

43. abagmar@gmail.com
Anand.Bagmar@thoughtworks.com
@BagmarAnand
about.me/anand.bagmar
THANK YOU