Selenium IDE Review

Automatic Recording Of Test Cases

Selenium IDE has the capability to automatically record test cases based on interactions with a website. This automatic recording feature, however, can be disabled. As the tool records a test case, commands are automatically inserted into the test case depending on the actions performed by the test developer; such as clicking a link, entering values, selecting options from drop-down list boxes, and clicking radio buttons.

Add Verifications And Asserts

Building test cases through Selenium IDE includes the ability to add assert and verify commands to test cases. These are commands used to check the properties of web pages. When users right-click a specific UI element like a text block which is currently displayed on the web page, the context menu shows a list of assert and verify commands, along with pre-defined parameters based on the context of the selected UI element. This list of commands will expand as test developers continue to use  Selenium IDE. Thus, the IDE can predict the possible commands and parameters they can apply for selected UI elements on web pages.

Flexible Execution Of Test Cases

In terms of running test cases, Selenium IDE provides test developers with different options. They will be able to run all the test cases contained within the currently loaded test suite (a collection of test cases) or pause and resume a test case. They can also allow Selenium IDE to start running a test case from a specific command in the middle of the test case or stop it from running on a particular command. In addition, the IDE permits them to run a single command, which is very useful if they are not sure if the command they created is correct.

Rich Set Of Commands

Selenium IDE functions based on a set of commands called “selenese.” These are commands that define the things the IDE needs to do, and they are very important in testing web apps virtually. There are three types of Selenium commands: Actions, Accessors, and Assertions.

Actions are commands that are called to manipulate the state of an application. Actions include clicking a particular link or selecting an option. When an action returns an error, Selenium IDE stops the execution of the test currently being run. On the other hand, Accessors are used to assess the state of an application. All the results returned by such commands are stored in variables (e.g., “storeTitle”). Lastly, to verify whether the state of an application conforms to what is expected, Selenium Assertions are called. For instance, through such commands, users will be able to check if the application is on the right page, the page title is correct, or verify if the checkbox is checked.

“Verify” Or “Assert” UI Elements

Selenium IDE provides users with the ability to verify or assert UI or page elements. Thus, it gives them two modes of assertion commands that they can apply: “verify” and “assert.” When an “assert” command returns an error, it fails the test and aborts the test case, while a “verify” command can fail a test yet continue to run the test case.

As an example, when users are just interested in determining whether the browser displays the correct page, they can execute the “assert” command if the browser loads the wrong page. Because the test fails, they can use such command to abort the test case and investigate and fix the issue. However, if they still want to check the other attributes of the page, despite the first failure, they can use the “verify” command to keep the test case running. In this case, Selenium IDE logs all the failures on the page so users can review them and do the necessary troubleshooting steps.

Debug Test Cases And Set Breakpoints

Selenium IDE  lets test developers set breakpoints when it comes to debugging their test cases. As previously mentioned, the IDE enables a  test case to be started or stopped on a particular command.  Thus, developers can keep a test case running until a specific command in the middle of the test case, and they can check the errors that occurred up to the point. To do this, they need to set a breakpoint by selecting a command, right-clicking it, and selecting the Toggle Breakpoint.