I am writing this blog post because I wanted to learn more about test automation. Automation is the use of a software tool to run repetable tests against an application. We will be looking at how we can use the Selenium WebDriver to create automated tests but first lets look at why we should automate tests…

• The main reason we would want to automate tests is to better follow the agile development methodology that most orginizations are now following in one way or another. Note: I will be writing another blog post shortly about the different development methodologies and the basics of each. But automation allows you to run repeatable tests including testing regression. Regression testing helps verify that new changes to the software or application has not broken features that were previously working and tested.

• Test automation might not always be the best choice especially if it is a small project with a short deadline. Although test automation will save us a lot of time in the long run, it is a timely process to develop a well executed test automation framework. It is important to take this into consideration when planning tests for your application.

I am learning Java so I will be using Java as the scripting language for my test automation. One cool thing about Selenium WebDriver is that it operates at the OS level. I first installed the Java JDK and Eclipse on my local machine. I am running MacOSx by the way so your setup might be a little different if you are on a PC.

Lets start by setting up a testing project.