Introduction to Selenium

What  is Selenium?

Selenium is a free (opensource) automated testing package for internet applications across different browsers and platforms. It's very much like HP Quick Test Professional (QTP) just that Selenium targets automating internet-based programs.

Selenium isn't only a program that is single however a package of applications's, each catering to various testing requirements of a business. It h-AS four parts.

Selenium Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Selenium Remote-Control (RC)

WebDriver

Selenium Grid

Right now, WebDriver and Selenium RC are unified into one framework to to make Selenium 2. Selenium 1, incidentally, refers to Selenium RC.

Who created Selenium?

Since Selenium is an assortment of tools that are distinct, it'd distinct programmers at the same time. Here are the key individuals who made noteworthy contributions to the Selenium Job

Mostly, Jason Huggins in 2004 created Selenium. A technologist at ThoughtWorks, he was operating on a web program that needed regular testing. 

Having recognized the repetitious testing of the application was becoming less and more efficient, he developed a Java Script software which will automatically handle the activities of the browser. He named this software as the "JavaScriptTestRunner."

Seeing potential in this notion to simply help internet apps that were other, JavaScriptRunner was created by him opensource which was afterwards renamed as Selenium Center.

Brief Introduction Selenium IDE

Selenium Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is the simplest framework in the Selenium package and is the easiest one to understand. 

This is a Firefox plugin that you could install as readily as you can with other plugins. But due to the simplicity, Selenium IDE should exclusively be utilized as a prototyping device. 

In the event you would like to create test cases that are more complex, you'll need to make use of either WebDriver or Selenium RC.

Short Introduction Selenium Remote-Control (Selenium RC)

Selenium RC was the main testing framework of the entire Selenium job to get quite a long time. 

Here is the primary web testing tool that enabled users to make use of a programming language they favor. As of variation 2.25.0, Remote Control can support the following programming languages:

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Perl

Ruby

Brief Introduction WebDriver

The WebDriver proves it self to be better than equally Selenium RC and Selenium IDE in many facets. It executes a secure and newer strategy in automating the activities of the browser. 
WebDriver, unlike Selenium RC, doesn't rely on Java Script for automation. By right conveying to it, it controls the browser.

The languages that are supported will be just like those in Selenium RC.

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Perl

Ruby

Selenium Grid

Selenium Grid is an instrument used jointly with Selenium RC to all run evaluations that are concurrent in once all across various browsers and different devices. Concurrent execution signifies working several tests simultaneously.

Attributes:

Empowers simultaneous running of evaluations in surroundings and several browsers.

Conserves time tremendously.

Uses the hub-and-nodes theory. The hub functions as a principal supply of Selenium commands to every node attached to to it.

The best way to Select the Best Selenium Tool For Your Own Need

Selenium IDE

-- To understand theories on Selenium and automatic screening, such as:

Commands such as sort, open up, clickAndWait, maintain, confirm, etc.

-- Locators etc., for example id, title, xpath selector

-- Running customized Java Script code using runScript

-- Exporting test cases in a variety of formats.

-- To create evaluations with minimum knowledge in programing.

-- To create test suites and straightforward test cases you can export after to WebDriver or Remote Control.

-- To examine a web application towards Firefox just.

Selenium RC

-- To design a test utilizing a much more expressive language than Selenese

-- To run your evaluation against different browsers (other than HtmlUnit) on different systems.

-- To deploy your evaluations across several environments utilizing Selenium Grid.

-- To test your program against a fresh browser that supports Java Script.

-- To examine web applications with sophisticated AJAX-based situations.

WebDriver

-- To make use of a programming language that is specific in creating your test suit.

-- To examine programs which are rich in AJAX-based functionalities.

-- To run evaluations to the HtmlUnit web browser.

-- To create custom-made evaluation results.

Selenium Grid

-- To run your Selenium RC scripts in several browsers and OS concurrently.

-- To run a test suite that is huge, that require to not finish impossible.

A Comparison between QTP and Selenium

Quick Test Professional(QTP) is a proprietary automatic screening device formerly possessed by the organization Mercury Interactive before it had been acquired by Hp in 2006. The Selenium Instrument Suite has several benefits over QTP (as of version 1 1) as detailed below -

Selenium	QTP
Open source, free to use, and free of charge.	Commercial.
Highly extensible	Limited add-ons
Can run tests across different browsers	Can only run tests in Firefox , Internet Explorerand Chrome
Supports various operating systems	Can only be used in Windows
Supports mobile devices	Supports mobile device using 3rd party software
Can execute tests while the browser is minimized	Needs to have the application under test to be visible on the desktop
Can execute tests in parallel.	Can only execute in parallel but using Quality Center which is again a paid product.

Advantages of QTP over Selenium

QTP	Selenium
Can test both web and desktop applications	Can only test web applications
Comes with a built-in object repository	Has no built-in object repository
Automates faster than Seleniumbecause it is a fully featured IDE.	Automates at a slower rate because it does not have a native IDE and only third party IDE can be used for development
Data-driven testing is easier to perform because it has built-in global and local data tables.	Data-driven testing is more cumbersome since you have to rely on the programming language's capabilities for setting values for your test data
Can access controls within the browser(such as the Favorites bar, Address bar, Back and Forward buttons, etc.)	Cannot access elements outside of the web application under test
Provides professional customer support	No official user support is being offered.
Has native capability to export test datainto external formats	Has no native capability to export runtime data onto external formats
Parameterization Support is in built	Parameterization can be done via programming but is difficult to implement.
Test Reports are generated automatically	No native support to generate test /bug reports.

Summary:

The complete Selenium Tutorial Instrument Suite is comprised of four parts:

Selenium IDE, a Firefox add on you could just use in creating comparatively straightforward test cases and test suites.

Selenium Remote-Control, also called Selenium 1, which will be the initial Selenium tool that enabled users in making sophisticated evaluations to make use of programming languages.

The more recent breakthrough which allows your test scripts to speak straight to the browser, WebDriver, thus controlling it from the os-level.

Selenium Gridis also a device which is used with Selenium RC to run evaluations that are concurrent across OS and different browsers.

WebDriver and selenium RC was united to to create Selenium 2.

Selenium is less disadvantageous than QTP in relation to flexibility and prices. In addition, it allows tests to run in parallel, unlike in QTP where you're simply permitted to to operate tests sequentially.