See more Amazon Details

Contents Listing

I. TECHNIQUES FOR AUTOMATING TEST EXECUTION.

1. Test automation context.

Introduction.
Testing and test automation are different.
The V-model.
Tool support for life-cycle testing.
The promise of test automation.
Common problems of test automation.
Test activities.
Automate test design?
The limitations of automating software testing.


2. Capture Replay is Not Test Automation.

An example application: Scribble.
The manual test process: what is to be automated.
Automating Test Execution: inputs.
Automating Test Result Comparison.
The next steps in evolving test automation.
Conclusion: Automated is not automatic.


3. Scripting techniques.

Introduction.
Scripting techniques.
Script pre-processing.


4. Automated comparison.

Verification, comparison and automation.
What do comparators do?
Dynamic comparison.
Post-execution comparison.
Simple comparison.
Complex comparison.
Test sensitivity.
Comparing different types of outcome.
Comparison filters.
Comparison guidelines.


5. Testware Architecture.

What is testware architecture?
Key issues to be resolved.
An Approach.
Might this be Overkill?


6. Automating Pre- and Post-Processing.

What are Pre- and Post-Processing?
Pre- and Post Processing.
What should happen after test case execution.
Implementation Issues.


7. Building maintainable tests.

Problems in maintaining automated tests.
Attributes of test maintenance.
The conspiracy.
Strategy and tactics.


8. Metrics.

Why measure testing and test automation?
What can we measure?
Objectives for testing and test automation.
Attributes of software testing.
Attributes of test automation.
Which is the best test automation regime?
Should I really measure all these?
Summary.
Answer to DDP Exercise.


9. Other Issues.

Which Tests to Automate (first)?
Selecting which tests to run when.
Order of test execution.
Test status.
Designing software for (automated) testability.
Synchronization.
Monitoring progress of automated tests.
Tailoring your own regime around your tools.


10. Choosing a tool to automate testing.

Introduction to Chapters 10 and 11.
Where to start in selecting tools: your requirements, not the tool market.
The tool selection project.
The tool selection team.
Identifying your requirements.
Identifying your constraints.
Build or buy?
Identifying what is available on the market.
Evaluating the short listed candidate tools.
Making the decision.


11. Implementing tools within the organization.

What could go wrong?
Importance of managing the implementation process.
Roles in the implementation/change process.
Management commitment.
Preparation.
Pilot project.
Planned phased installation or roll-out.
Special problems in implementing.
People issues.
Conclusion.

II. TEST AUTOMATION CASE STUDIES AND GUEST CHAPTERS.

12. Racal-Redac Case History.

Introduction.
Background.
Solutions.
Integration to Test Automation.
System Test Automation.
The Results Achieved.
Summary of the case history up to 1991.
What happened next?


13. The Evolution of an Automated Software Test System.

Introduction.
Background.
Gremlin 1.
Gremlin 2.0: A Step Beyond Capture/Replay.
Finding The Real Problem.
Lesson Learned.


14. Experiences with Test Automation.

Background.
Planning, preparation and eventual success.
Benefits of test automation.
Lessons learned.
The way forward.


15. Automating System Testing in a VMS Environment.

Background.
The first attempt at automation.
New tool selection and evaluation.
Implementation of V-Test.
Conclusion.


16. Automated Testing of an Electronic Stock Exchange.

Background.
The System and Testing.
Test Automation Requirements.
Test tool selection.
Implementation.
Maturity and Maintenance.
Our results.


17. Insurance quotation systems tested automatically every month.

Background: the UK insurance industry.
The Brief, or how I became involved.
Why automation?
Our testing strategy.
Selecting a test automation tool.
Some decisions about our test automation plans.
The Test Plan.
Some additional issues we encountered.
A telling tale: tester versus automator.
In Summary.


18. Three Generations of Test Automation at ISS.

Introduction.
The Software Under Test.
First Generation.
Second Generation.
Third Generation.
Three Generations - A summary.


19. Test Automation Failures - Lessons to be Learning.

Introduction.
The projects.
Problems.
Recommendations.
Pilot Project.
Epilogue.


20. An Unexpected Application of Test Automation.

Introduction and Background.
Helping the Background.
Doing the testing.
Automated Testing.
The results.


21. Implementing test automation in an Independent Test Unit.

Introduction and Background.
The evaluation process.
The implementation phase.
The Deployment of the tool.
How QARun has been used.
Problems we have experienced.
The benefits achieved in two years.
Conclusion.


22. Testing with Action Words.

Introduction and Background.
Test clusters.
The navigation.
The test development life cycle.
Applicability for other types of tests.
Templates: meta clusters.


23. Regression testing at ABN AMRO Bank Development International.

Background.
Problems with conventional testing.
Pilot project using TestFrame.
Regression test project.
Spin-offs.
Future.


24. A Test Automation Journey.

Introduction.
The five generations of testware development.
Radstar.
Window-centric Scenario Libraries.
Business Object Scenarios.
Mixing Business Object Scenarios with existing tests.
Re-use versus Repeatability.
Conclusion.


25. A Test Automation Journey.

Introduction.
First Steps.
An Off-the-Shelf Automated Test Foundation: RadStar.
How we have implemented automated testing using RadStar.
Payback.


26. Extracts from The Automated Testing Handbook.

Introduction to this chapter.
Introduction to the Handbook.
Fundamentals of Test Automation.
Test Process and People.
Test Execution: Analyzing Results.
Test Metrics.
More information about the Handbook.


27. Building Maintainable GUI Tests.

Introduction and Background.
Cost Drivers.
Test Planning and Design.
Well Behaved Test Cases.
Encapsulated Test Set-up.
Putting it All Together.


28. Test Automation Experience at Microsoft.

History.
Batch Files.
Capture/Playback tools.
Scripting Language.
Cosmetic Dialog Box Testing.
Help testing tool.
Tools to randomize test execution.
What should I automate first?
My Top Ten list for a successful test automation strategy.