The document discusses the intricacies of web application testing, focusing on the roles of HTTP requests, the Document Object Model (DOM), and XPath for element identification. It highlights the limitations of XPath and emphasizes the advantages of using DOM for browser interactions, including real-time event simulation and cross-browser compatibility. Key recommendations for testing tools include the ability to handle various browsers, automatic element identification, and minimal dependencies.

1. Understanding web applicationsto evaluate web testing tools- Narayan Raman

2. Web ApplicationHTTP RequestWeb ServerBrowserHTTPResponse(HTML, Javascript)

3. We test what is on the browserThe browser always gets HTML, javascriptWe don't need to worry about the server technology!Server or Browser?

4. Locating elementsDocument Object ModelXPathSimulating eventsFrom within the browserFrom outside the browserTest building blocks

5. HTML Pages -> represented in Javascript as a live window.documentobjectAnything can be accessed through DOMdocument.getElementsById("id")document.forms[2].elements["login"]document.images[23].srcdocument.links[5].hrefDOM: Document Object Model

6. XPaths are used to access structured XML data<person> <name>Ram</name></person>//person[0]/nameXPaths

7. HTML is not data, it is presentation + data<div> <span class="labels">Name: </span> <span>Ram</span></div>/html/body/div/span[2]Semantic information now has to be ADDED to html idcssclass (more for presentation)Not the best solutionXPaths (contd)

8. Window1Frame1Frame2IFrame1XPath does not traverse Frames and Iframes.User has to identify the containing Frame or Iframe before using XpathXpath is not consistent across browsersXpath is slowMore problems:

9. DOM properties and methods are browser dependentNeed good wrapper functionsTo access DOM, need to go inside the browserBrowser pluginsProxy based approachBut, if accessible, DOM is more powerful than XPathDOM

10. Can monitor page load state and AJAX stateNo need for waitsCan create elegant functions in javascript to normalize browser differences//table[@id='listing']/tbody/tr[4]/td[4]/inputVs_textbox("q", _near(_cell("Python Cookbook")))DOM Advantages

11. OutsideWill be “real” simulation of events (OS level)May need browser in focusThe correct way, if easily possibleWrite drivers for every browser typeMaintenance problemBrowser quirksInsideProxy based approachEasy, but events are simulated at browser levelBrowser events allow parallel executionBrowser extensionsMaintenanceInside or Outside the browser?

12. Tests should run on any browserSteps should wait automatically for page load, AJAXElement identification should be stableRecord/identify elements automatically on any browserReduce playback time by running in parallelHandle complex UIs without the necessity to add idsBe simple to learn, scale and maintainWhat we should look for in Tools

13. Use a proxyInject smart javascriptCan handle any browserCan wait for page load/AJAXCan record on any browserSimulate events inside the browserAllows parallel playbackEasy to maintain – small code baseMinimal dependency on browser/OS architecturesSimplest possible approach

14. Object identification and event simulation are nearly solved problemsTests should reflect intent rather than implementation of UI.Login as “testuser” with password “secret”Vs_click(_button("Logout"));_setValue(_textbox("user"), "test");_setValue(_password("password"), "secret");_click(_submit("Login"));Going beyond

15. V Narayan Ramannarayan@tytosoftware.comhttp://sahi.co.in/Q&A