How to Create Self-Healing Test Automation Suites for Faster App Releases?

The digital age has made application integration an integral component of any business. Companies that continue to invest in cybersecurity and app development grow over 50% faster than other competitors. In other words, to maintain a competitive edge, you must always maintain your digital infrastructure. 

But how can you ensure that your application is free from glitches and works smoothly in the long run? One of the best ways to make your application responsive is by opting for self-healing test automation. It is an inseparable part of the application testing process. Your in-house developers and QA team can also use a self-healing test automation tool to validate the app’s functionality. 

Over the years, app testing has evolved from a standalone procedure to a more integrated process. But despite all the advancements, test automation is also related to the issue of fragile test scripts. Here are some essential aspects to know to create self-healing test automation suites for rapid app development. 

Things to Know About Self-Healing Test Automation 

The requirement for efficient and trustworthy test automation is greater than ever. Maintaining automation test suites can be tough as the functionalities of apps change. On the other hand, the traditional test automation suites can become irrelevant and require constant manual intervention. This is exactly where the self-healing test automation suites come to your rescue. 

In application testing, self-healing test automation is a paradigm shift. Compared to traditional test automation, self-healing test automation smartly adapts to the changes. Moreover, the test scripts in traditional test automation are fragile. With self-healing test suites, you can recognize and implement preventive measures without manual intervention. 

The Working Mechanism of Self-Healing Test Automation Suites 

Note that any self-healing test automation tool follows a series of steps to manage the automated tests. Some of these steps are as follows:

Step 1

The self-healing algorithm gets activated when “No Such Element” occurs for an element in the automation scripts. 

Step 2

The AI algorithms continuously search the app under the test’s user interface for signs of pre-existing objects. 

Step 3

The tool makes a comparison between the data from the search and the app model used in automated tests. 

Step 4

If changes to the app are detected, self-healing will be initiated to make the necessary modifications. 

Step 5

When the self-healing automation suite runs, the internal scripts address the anomalies. 

Step 6

The self-healing automation tool finally remaps the objects to conduct error-free execution of tests. 

How to Create Self-Healing Test Automation Suites?

Self-healing test automation suites can provide your app development company with a competitive edge. You can release apps faster and stay relevant among your users. 

Here are a few ways to enable self-healing of your test automation suites – 

Select the Right Test Automation Framework 

Besides selecting the best automation testing types, you must choose the right test automation framework. It is crucial to select a framework that supports dynamic element locators and comes with superior error-handling capabilities. Nowadays, most QA teams choose Selenium, Appium, etc. 

The Smart Wait Mechanism 

One of the main reasons for the failure of tests in automation is synchronization issues. It is crucial to maintain smart wait mechanisms to ensure that the test scripts wait for elements to be available. It drastically decreases the chances of script failures due to slow page loading speeds. It also eliminates risks associated with delayed element rendering. 

The Importance of Dynamic Element Locators 

There is no denying that the static elements can give rise to fragility in your test scripts. To ensure that your test automation suite is healing itself using self-healing, try using dynamic element locators. These element locators can adapt to alterations in the application’s UI. It might also involve the usage of CSS attributes, XPath, etc. 

The Inclusion of Visual Testing Processes 

Besides learning about the automation testing types, it is imperative to be aware of the significance of incorporating visual testing tools into the test automation suite. The main reason behind its inclusion is to compare the actual application’s UI with the baseline image. If there are anomalies, it can activate the automated healing process to update the baseline image. 

Continuous Integration and Continuous Testing (CI/CT)

It is always important to integrate the self-healing test automation suites into the CI/CD pipelines. This ensures that the tests are run automatically with every change in code. You can get rapid feedback to reduce the risk of any flaws in the application. 

Review and Implement Changes 

Always remember that a self-healing test automation suite isn’t a one-time setup. In other words, you need to review and refine it continuously to ensure its ability to perform accurately. Try to monitor the effectiveness of your self-healing mechanisms and upgrade them as and when required. 

Self-healing test automation suites are a dynamic way to release apps faster in the market. By selecting the right framework and deploying smart wait mechanisms, you can harness the power of self-healing test automation.