Testing Automation Using .NET Software
The arena of software testing is a rapid growth area seeing engineers employed across multiple sectors. There are multiple test methods available including, agile, extreme, scrum, white box and the traditional black box tests. Black Box testing remains the most popular worldwide.
Experts have spent huge amounts of time and energy trying to develop commercial tools that will reduce testing times while maintaining efficiency and quality but many of these proved non-viable. This has continued to the point where today we have sessions at every seminar or training course detailing the details around programming, databases and networking.
.NET application software is now moving to the forefront of the field of project testing and is being used more and more to carry out some of the more useful tests. However, in order to implement it successfully the testers and developers must be able to write the required code.
To understand this we first need to look at automated software and some of the management issues found when looking to start automated testing. At present there is just not enough information available to help testers develop the technology needed for testing. Most of the information is pitched at developers, leaving testers looking for courses and training that cater to their more specific needs. A Visual Basic Course may be useful but still leaves a tester unsure of how to apply that to their test project. Training tends to focus on controls and the creation of user interface whereas the tester needs to know about accessing system information, testing data, code and developing utilities. However, the key skill a tester must learn is the .NET language.
To pitch a training to a tester certain things must be covered, including:
- Accessing the database quickly and easily
- Accessing Windows registry and gain application database
- Front end creation including the basic tools needed to test and gain results
- Access .NET library functions as appropriate in order to gain relevant information about the operating system, registry, files, etc.
Although .NET languages can be utilized for testing they are actually designed to develop software so why use C# or Visual Basic to test instead of the usual Java, Perl, PHP and C? There are other languages like Python, and Rexx who enjoy great popularity too, yet none of these were written specifically for testing. That said, these languages may have already been installed and if a tester is experienced they would be a great choice. However, more and more engineers are looking to gain experience in .NET language and its use on software testing.
In short, .NET languages can be useful but are not essential however, for Windows it is probably the best choice as it can be used for a lot of operations tests. It assists a tester to develop scripts that can access multiple variables and performance indicators and the automation will rapidly check how files load and retrieve data.
.NET programming languages are undoubtedly a powerful weapon in the tester’s armory and are showing a lot of future promise in the area of software testing. Engineers should attempt to learn them and bring them into their working practices to keep ahead of developments.
