Types of Automation Testing Frameworks

There are various types of Automation Frameworks available now days. Those are categorized based on their support to different key factors to do automation like re-usability, scalability, ease of maintenance etc. Some of them are:

1.  Data-Driven Testing Framework
2. Module Based Testing Framework
3. Keyword- Driven Testing Framework
4.  Test Library Architecture Framework
5.  Hybrid Testing Framework

The Data-Driven Testing Framework

In this framework test data and the logic is maintains separately. Here the logic lies in the test script and it lets the user store the test data into an external files (Excel Files, Text Files, CSV Files, ODBC Sources, DAO Objects). Test data is read from the external files and are loaded into the variables inside the test script. Variables are used both for input values and for expected result values.

The simplest example for Data-Driven Testing Framework is “Login” functionality of a system. Where we testing login function with deferent set of user name and password.

Module Based Testing Framework

The basic concept behind Module Based Testing Framework is abstraction. Here application under test is divides into number of logical and isolated modules. Under each module we involve the creation of independent and separate test script. These modules are used to build the large test scenarios.  The main concern of this framework is the component are separated by the abstraction layer in such a way that the changes made to the one component of the application do not affect other component

Keyword- Driven Testing Framework

Keyword Driven Testing Framework is an application independent framework, it used data tables and keywords to explain the actions to be performed on the application under test. Here test can be design with or without the application. Here we divide the entire test case into Keywords and test steps are assigned to specific keywords. Keywords are reusable.

Keyword: Keyword is an Action that can be performed.

Ex: GUI Component Textbox - InputText, VerifyValue, VerifyProperty

Test Library Architecture Framework. 

The library architecture testing framework is similar to modular based testing frame work. Basically it is built on Modular Based Testing framework with some additional advantages. Here instead of dividing application under test into test scripts, divides into functions, these functions can be used in any part of application under test. Therefore framework creates a common library for common functions in application under test. So, these libraries can be called within the test scripts whenever required. The basic fundamental behind the framework is determine the common steps and group them into functions under a library and call those functions in the test scripts whenever required.

Simple example is “Login” function instead of writing again and again we kept into a library.

Hybrid Testing Framework

This is the most commonly implemented framework, basically it is a combination of more than one framework mentioned above. In Hybrid Testing Framework tests are fully scripted so it increase the automation efforts