Selenium IDE, is an extension for Firefox that allows users to record and playback tests.
A table-based syntax
was placed over the raw Javascript and this allowed tests to be written by
people with limited programming experience using a keyword-driven approach in
HTML files.
Command – Element –
Text
type name=q Selenium WebDriver
Selenium IDE is developed
using Javascript, as all the browsers being tested supported Javascript.
Do you want to see? How Selenium IDE code looks like?
a. Download latest selenium IDE add-on file from
here. (Ex: http://release.seleniumhq.org/selenium-ide/2.9.0/
) selenium-ide-2.9.0.xpi 749 KB
b. Extract xpi file using a software, which you
can download here. http://b1.org/
c. You would notice multiple xpi files under
selenium-ide-2.9.0.xpi file, but we are mainly looking at selenium-ide.xpi file
d.
Extract selenium-ide.xpi file
e.
Browse below folder once you extract xpi file C:\Users\USER_ACCOUNT\Downloads\selenium-ide- 2.9.0\selenium-ide\chrome\content\selenium-core\scripts
f.
All Java script files!! This is the selenium
Core.
Selenium Core is the heart of the original Selenium implementation, and
is a set of Javascript scripts that control the browser. This is sometimes
referred to as "Selenium" and sometimes as "Core".
How selenium IDE works?
Test Runner will do the job.
or
C:\Users\ USER_ACCOUNT \Downloads\selenium-ide-2.9.0\selenium-ide\chrome\content\selenium-core/
TestRunner.html
Below are the the referenced javascript files
to execute our scripts.
Lib/prototype.js, lib/sizzle.js, lib/snapsie.js,
scripts/atoms.js, scripts/htmlutils.js, scripts/ui-element.js, lib/scriptaculous/scriptaculous.js,
scripts/selenium-browserdetect.js, scripts/selenium-browserbot.js, scripts/find_matching_child.js,
scripts/selenium-api.js, scripts/selenium-commandhandlers.js, scripts/selenium-executionloop.js,
scripts/selenium-testrunner.js, scripts/selenium-logging.js, scripts/selenium-version.js,
xpath/util.js, xpath/xmltoken.js, xpath/dom.js, xpath/xpath.js, xpath/javascript-xpath-0.1.12.js,
scripts/user-extensions.js
Above
all javascript libraries are heart of selenium IDE, which are very important to
run selenium commands.
So, Do you want to add your own / custom functionality? Here
is the way.
Because Selenium's core is developed in JavaScript, creating
an extension follows the standard rules for prototypal languages. To create an
extension, we create a function in the following design pattern.
Ex:
C:\Users\ USER_ACCOUNT
\Downloads\selenium-ide-2.9.0\selenium-ide\chrome\content\selenium-core/script/user-extensions.js.sample
Selenium.prototype.assertValueRepeated
= function(locator, text) {
// All locator-strategies are automatically
handled by "findElement"
var element =
this.page().findElement(locator);
// Create the text to verify
var expectedValue = text + text;
// Get the actual element value
var actualValue = element.value;
// Make sure the actual value matches the
expected
Assert.matches(expectedValue, actualValue);
};
Save the above code as 'user-extensions.js"
By default, Selenium
looks for a file called "user-extensions.js", and loads and
javascript code found in that file. user-extensions.js provides a convenient
location for adding extensions to Selenium, like new actions, checks and locator-strategies.
By default, this file
does not exist. Users can create this file and place their extension code in this common location.
How to use newly created core extension?
1. Go to Selenium IDE - Click on Options -> Options…
2. In General section select the location of the newly created
Selenium Core Extension
3. Click OK and restart Selenium IDE
You will find the extension
in the command list
Architecture:
Advantages:
Advantages:
- Selenium
IDE is very easy to use.
- It
has the capability to convert the test to different programming languages
such as html, java etc
- Programming
language experience is not required for Selenium IDE
- Selenium
IDE provides Logging capabilities using file login plug-in.
- In
Selenium IDE, user can debug and set breakpoints
- Selenium
IDE is flexible for the users.
- Auto complete for all common
Selenium commands
- Debug and set breakpoints
- Option to automatically assert
the title of every page
- Support for Selenium user-extensions.js file
Disadvantage:
- Selenium
IDE is Firefox plugin, thus its support is
limited to Firefox only
- It
will not support iteration and conditional statement
- Selenium
IDE doesn't support Exception and Error handling
- Doesn't
support test script grouping
- No Reporting
- No Test Fixtures and data-driven tests
- No Test Dependencies
- No way to take screen shots
- Selenium
IDE do not support Database testing
- It is not playing multiple
windows when we record it ( switching between windows).
- limitations to open/ identifying the child windows,clicking
on the pop ups, etc.,
Clue to Selenium Remote Controller:
Why
not use Selenium IDE alone? For one thing, it works only with FireFox, version
1.5 or later. If we run the tests on the server, we can test our application
using any browser.
