It has been more than a year since I wrote my first blog on mobile automation using Appium for Android applications. There were many requests to come up with a similar blog for iOS applications. But due to time constraints I couldn’t get to it. But as they say, better late than never! I finally have a guide to help […]
Get Set Test an iOS app using Appium and Python
JavaScript evaluate() and XPaths
I recently used a neat solution that involved JavaScript evaluate() and XPaths as part of an automated GUI check. I am good with Python and writing XPaths for locators but not so good with JavaScript. I needed to locate an element in the DOM and then change a specific attribute. The solution was simple enough that I did not have […]
Obtaining BrowserStack screenshots and video links
At Qxf2 we use BrowserStack to run our automated checks against different browsers. BrowserStack is a cloud-based, cross-browser, testing tool that takes away the pain of maintaining a physical lab and saves us a lot of time. Why this post? BrowserStack is a great tool to execute your automated tests. However BrowserStack is not a good tool to report the […]
CircleCI nightly automation
A Qxf2 client is using CircleCI for their continuous integration and deployment needs. We decided to run a small subset of critical tests in our automation suite against every new commit and deploy. We also run our entire automation suite, which takes longer, once every night. This post outlines how we setup CircleCI to achieve this setup. Why this post? […]
How to compare PDFs using Python
Problem:How do you compare two PDF files programmatically using Python? Adobe makes it easy to compare the changes in two PDF files. However as testers, we sometimes need to compare a lot of PDF files (especially reports!) against some preset baselines. In these cases, it helps to have a script that can compare PDF files and tell you if they […]
If you can move the earth …
I recently realized something about working in product companies that sell to healthcare providers. I am writing this in the hope that at least a few engineers contemplating working in Healthcare IT read this post and come out with a better perspective about one aspect of working in the Healthcare IT sector. Give me a place to stand on, and […]
Common XPath mistakes
Ever wondered if your XPath is good enough? Did your XPath break for any minor changes made in the webpage? Did your XPath return a different element? If your answer to one of those questions is yes, then this is the right post for you. Why this post? While learning to write XPaths, I made a few mistakes that were […]
Getting started with XPaths
Assuming you already know what you want to automate and that you have a good reason to automate it, then GUI automation is largely about: a) identifying a web element you want to interact with b) performing an action on the identified element c) repeat steps a),b) until you have automated the workflow that you identified. To perform step a), […]
State of Testing Survey 2016
The State of Testing Survey 2016 goes live on Thursday, January 7th, 2016. This is a worldwide survey that tries to identify the existing state of testing. Taking the survey is one step into bringing more transparency into our profession. If you are a professional tester, I strongly recommend participating in the survey. Like most surveys, you will receive a […]
Getting started with MongoDB and Python
I was recently playing around with MongoDB. It took me a little while to get setup and write some simple Python scripts to access it. I thought I would write up a summary and share my learning. Why this post? Companies have begun adopting MongoDB at a good clip. I think, interacting with a NoSQL database will soon become a […]