How can UI automated testing get out of trouble? How to embody the value?

Now many companies are doing UI automated testing , There are also many things being done UI On the way to automated testing , When recruiting, I habitually ask whether I can do performance testing , Will it automate testing （ Generally refer to UI automated testing ）, There are also many small partners who have been looking forward to becoming technical experts , Then the performance test will not be shown for the time being ,UI Is automated testing useful , Or what's the use , This section focuses on UI Application scenarios and existing values of automated testing .

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First of all, we need to have a correct understanding UI automated testing , Tests can be divided into functional tests and non functional tests , Functional testing can be divided into scripts according to the implementation method （Unit） test 、 Interface automation testing 、UI automated testing 、 Manual testing , Non function includes performance 、 Security 、 Ease of use 、 Reliability, etc .

At present, more than half of enterprises are doing and only doing manual testing , Manual testing still accounts for a large proportion in the whole testing industry , This has its inevitability , Because the current domestic IT Most of the company is still in the development stage from disorder to order , Manual testing is still the mainstream testing method . There are also some teams or individuals in the industry who are exploring and studying other testing methods , In addition to the above, there are some precision tests 、 Log backtesting 、 Depth traversal test 、AI Testing, etc .

The development law of the Internet is the same as that of everything , From birth to growth , From trial and error to maturity , And then to stable curing , And then improve . In the current stage of trial and error or from disorder to order , Many things have not yet formed a solid system .

Back again UI Automated testing part , The first said ,UI What is automated testing , It is a test means to automatically execute or run predefined operation steps , be based on UI（ Interface ） level , A test action that completely simulates manual testing .

In an ideal situation ,UI Automation can almost perfectly simulate human manual operation , But in fact, it also has some limitations , For example, some need peripherals 、 Sensor operation required , Machines are difficult to simulate , A lot of code is needed to crack or simulate similar behavior , Like face 、 The fingerprint 、 QR code scanning 、 Image recognition 、 Fancy verification code , This is not to say that it cannot be simulated , But if the simulation needs to pay a relatively high price , For the time being, there is no convenient or simple way to solve these problems .

UI What is automation? That's it , Then talk about it UI Automated application scenarios .

UI Scenarios where automation can be applied include functional testing of guest systems （ Generally used in the regression stage ）, Cover PCweb、 Android 、IOS Equal end ; It can also be used for automatic counting , This part is not as efficient as interface automation , However, the accuracy of data generation is better than that of interface , Because the internal structure of the system cannot be understood in the case of black box , And that is to understand the system interaction design , Interface automation personnel can fully simulate the design , But there is no guarantee that the actual development is implemented according to this logic ; It can also be applied to automated office , Solve the repeated labor of manpower in the system under the fixed process ; It can also be applied to intelligent customer service 、 Remote control 、 hackers 、 Click like to swipe tickets 、 Robbing red envelopes and so on . More application scenarios need our collective wisdom to develop .

Say again UI The value of automated testing , All testing methods that do not aim to intercept defects are rogue , Saying this sentence may offend some people , But that's what happened . No matter what kind of test means , Should take intercepting defects as the primary goal , So is automated testing .

A lot of people will say , Automated testing found three or five in a year , Or a dozen defects , Is it still necessary to do it ？ So much investment and so little income , Is the cost performance too low ？ This really needs to see value , If you have this question , Then we need to look at these things ：

1、 If the defect of automatic interception is not intercepted , How much damage will it cause ？ take “ Estimate the loss to ” reduce “ input ” Automated testing points to , If is positive , You need to maintain the current input state of automated testing , If it is negative, the coverage of automated testing needs to be adjusted appropriately after analysis （ If high-value defects have not been intercepted , Then we need to analyze the coverage , Whether to add coverage , Another possibility is that the coverage rate is too high , Over investment , Far more than the value of defects ）.

2、 At what stage does automation intercept defects ？ The closer it is to the online time , The greater the value of the intercepted defects
3、 Whether the defects intercepted by automated test should be found by manual personnel ？ If you should , Explain that manual testing needs to strengthen control
4、 How deep is the defect hidden by automated test interception ？ If hidden defects are found , We should continue to strengthen the investment and coverage of automated testing .
5、 Analyze the standardization of the development process according to the defects intercepted by the automated test .

If the above values do not need to be considered , Automated testing is not recommended . In addition, you can choose different automated testing technologies according to different system types , For example, the iteration is slow , High business importance , Less customer service , Such systems can be considered for unit testing , Or interface automation ; A system that provides services , There are a lot of interfaces , Interface automation can be done for many front-end systems ; Fast business iteration , Focus on user experience , Version management is not stable , Systems with more new functions , You can consider UI automated testing （ Some people think that frequent page changes should not be done UI automation , This is right , But if it is implemented within the original framework , New function , Fast iteration , And the customer system , In fact, it is very suitable for UI automated testing , The premise is that you also need easy-to-use tools ）.

Finally, let's talk about UI Positioning of automated testing , I've already talked about it ,UI Automated positioning is actually a regression testing tool 、 Automatic counting tools 、 Supplement to the test system . Forget about Automation , In some enterprises ,UI Automated testing is also a supplement to the testing system , In order to improve the team's testing methods , At the same time, it will also play a reputation role in some ratings or external publicity . It belongs to a small company and is not recommended to do , A test method to do when you have money .

ending

UI Automated testing is easy to do , But it's hard to do well （ It's hard to gain self-identity 、 It's harder to get others' approval ）, In addition to the value and positioning mentioned above , I also hope to walk a different path in the future