The visual elements of a web application are very important for its proper functioning. This is because these elements act as the link between the users and the core infrastructure of the application. So, the app developers must ensure the proper placement of these elements irrespective of the devices used by the end users.
It is also important for the app developers to ensure that all the UI elements remain functional irrespective of the updates that are being rolled out to the app. With the help of visual regression testing, app developers can easily achieve these goals. Moreover, it is possible to integrate visual regression testing with automation testing to improve test efficiency further. Automated visual regression testing also helps to improve the quality of the application undergoing the development process.
This article will guide the new automation testers on uploading screenshots for performing visual regression testing. We will also briefly analyze some of the best practices that can help improve the quality of the visual regression test cases.
Visual Regression Testing and its Integration with Automation Testing
As we already mentioned earlier, modern applications go through a frequent updating process that adds various new features and elements to the core infrastructure. So, with the help of visual regression testing, the app developers can ensure that the new visual elements do not harm the functioning of the existing visual elements. So, app developers need to perform these test cases after every update to the app infrastructure. Some of the common issues that can arise due to updating include the misplacement of the elements and complete failure of the app infrastructure, which can lead to frequent crashes. So app-developing companies need to consider the importance of these test cases.
Since visual regression testing is a repetitive process, it can benefit a lot with the addition of test automation. This is because, after this, the system can automatically run the test cases without any human involvement. It will use a predetermined text file to emulate various forms of human communication. Based on these communications, the system will automatically generate a test report showing the stability and usability of the app undergoing the development cycle. Based on the modern app market, some of the upsides of test automation are mentioned below:
- Using test automation, it is possible to run the test cases 24 hours round the clock without any human error. This process is beyond the abilities of any manual testing team.
- Test automation helps to run multiple test cases simultaneously using the concept of parallel test execution. For this process, it will act as a hub that will redirect the test cases to several nodes, which are represented by all the elements of an application.
- Using test automation, the app developers can eliminate the repetitive testing processes and focus on the creative areas of the app development project. For instance, they all can plan to create a new feature for a future update.
- By considering automation testing as a long-term investment, the app developers will be able to realize its actual benefit. This is because it will help to save the company resources by eliminating the need to maintain a manual test bench.
LambdaTest and its Role in Visual Regression Testing
Visual regression testing can benefit a lot with the integration of real device test cases. This is because, with this process, the app developers can understand the functionality of the visual parameters on real devices. This process is easily available with the integration of LambdaTest, which is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform. Using the LambdaTest real device cloud, the app developers can execute the visual regression test cases over 40+ real devices instances and browser instances. This platform also allows app developers to create visual regression test cases in multiple popular automation frameworks like Selenium, Cypress, and Playwright.
When implementing Selenium testing with LambdaTest, app testers can enhance test accuracy by integrating with a cloud-based real-device testing infrastructure. This integration improves the efficiency and quality of the application under development. You can test your websites and native applications on a wide range of real mobile devices, uploading and assessing your app for responsiveness, reliability, and compatibility from LambdaTest’s extensive pool of thousands of Android and iOS devices in the cloud. LambdaTest also aggregates these test instances to generate highly accurate test reports. During this process, it’s crucial for testers and app developers to meticulously assess the functionality of the visual elements within the application.
While executing visual regression testing, LambdaTest benefits the testing process in the following instances:
- The app developers can save a lot of resources and time as LambdaTest will automatically capture the crucial screenshots during the test execution process. These screenshots can act as the baseline for performing the comparison process.
- LambdaTest allows the app developers to integrate parallel test execution to run multiple test instances on different device combinations and machines simultaneously. This feature is useful for executing thousands of different tests within a few days.
- The smart UI of LambdaTest can quickly detect any discrepancy in the visual elements of the application. It also allows us to quickly remove them at the early stages of the application testing and development cycle. Using the sophisticated algorithm, LambdaTest detects even minor changes in the screenshots captured during the test execution process compared to the uploaded baseline images.
- This platform allows the development and testing terms of a company to synchronize for conducting the testing and development processes side by side. This is a very important parameter that helps to forward the application toward the production phase quickly.
- The support team of LambdaTest is always available for the new testers and developers whenever they have issues with any feature in the testing process. LambdaTest also maintains a community of tech enthusiasts who can discuss among themselves. These resources will allow the developers to access adequate information about various features and tools available with LambdaTest.
- The test reports of LambdaTest are visually attractive as they contain a lot of screenshots, videos, and other test logs. It is also critical to highlight the faulty elements and quickly navigate to them during the troubleshooting process.
Uploading Screenshots for Visual Regression Testing
It is a very simple process to upload screenshots for visual regression testing while working with the LambdaTest system. For this process, the app testers simply have to follow the mentioned steps in the correct order:
Setting up the LambdaTest Account
To begin uploading screenshots for visual regression testing, the app developers have to navigate to the official website of LambdaTest and create an account. Which will provide all the access credentials to execute the test cases on the LambdaTest real device testing cloud. The access key and username will be available in the user dashboard that can be, in turn, accessed from the account settings.
Choosing Your Desired Testing Framework
After setting up the LambdaTest account, the app developers have to choose a test automation framework that can allow them to integrate the visual regression test cases with LambdaTest. Some of the popular choices to consider include Selenium WebDriver and Cypress. In this regard, we would like to advise the app developers to choose a framework that is not only compatible with the LambdaTest API but also with their app. For instance, the developers must choose the Selenium WebDriver when they are working with web-based applications.
For initiating the visual regression testing, the app developers have to specify certain parameters like the target browsers, devices, and operating systems. This process will allow the system to automatically streamline the test cases and redirect them to the specified parameters. For this process, the app testers simply have to enter the following code snippet:
Integrating the LambdaTest API for Uploading the Screenshots
The LambdaTest API will not only help the app developers upload the screenshots for visual regression testing, but it will also help to compare the baseline images with the uploaded screenshots.
The API of LambdaTest works on an endpoint principle for executing visual regression testing. This endpoint is compatible with 2 base- 24 coded strings containing images. These strings will allow the system to perform the comparison process with the images.
Uploading the Screenshots as Baseline Images
- Now, the app developers have to go to the navigation menu bar and click the smart testing option from the visual UI testing menu.
- The next step in this process is to upload a baseline image by clicking on the plus icon that will be available next to the baseline images header.
- Now, the system will allow the testers to select a baseline image from their computer files menu. During this process, testers can select multiple images simultaneously for the uploading process.
- After the image selection process, the app testers can preview these images under the baseline image gallery. Finally, the developers can complete this process by clicking the upload option.
Uploading Screenshots for Comparison
The developer must remember that they cannot upload the comparison images before uploading the baseline images.
After uploading the baseline screenshots, it is time to upload the comparison screenshot by the following steps:
- The first step is to initiate this process by clicking on the baseline images that the testers want to compare.
- To the right, there will be a button named “Upload comparison images”. The developers have to click on that option to begin the uploading process.
- Now it is time to select the images from the computer that must be compared. While uploading the comparison images, the developers also have the option to select multiple images at once.
- Finally, the system will automatically show the thumbnail of the comparison images along with the run button that will be available beside it.
- After uploading both the baseline images and the comparison images, the system will begin the visual regression testing and display the final results.
The Final Verdict
The process of uploading screenshots while performing visual regression testing is crucial for maintaining the accuracy and dependability of the test reports. It is also important to integrate regression and automation testing for improved efficiency.
In this competitive application development market, we would advise the developers to constantly update the information regarding all the new trends and innovations. It is also crucial to collect adequate information regarding the requirements of the target users. This data will allow app developers to customize their applications for improved efficiency and audience reach.
Finally, the developers must choose the correct automation testing tools to synchronize with their requirements and the app project.
