Everything About Keyword Driven Framework Testing

In this blog, we will learn about the keyword-driven framework and testing. Also, we will dive deeper to know and understand the objective behind automating Keyword-based testing, tools used for Keyword Driven Testing, and how to perform Keyword Driven Testing. So let’s begin!

Keyword Driven Framework

Keyword Driven Framework is an active automation testing frame that allocates test cases into four distinct fractions to segregate coding from test cases and test steps for satisfactory automation. The keyword-driven testing framework distributes the test cases as steps of tests, issues of test steps, data for test objects, and efforts on test steps for better understanding.

What is Keyword Driven Testing?

Keyword Driven Testing is a scripting strategy that utilizes data files to comprise the keywords concerned with the application being tested. These keywords illustrate the set of actions that are needed to perform a particular step. A keyword-driven test comprises both high and low-level keywords, involving the keyword assertions, which are formulated to define the action of a test case. It is also known as table-driven testing. In Keyword Driven Testing, you first recognize a set of keywords and then relate an action or function associated with these keywords. Here, every testing action like opening or closing of the browser, keystrokes, mouse click, etc. is interpreted by a keyword such as open browser, click, Typtext, etc.

To establish a Keyword driven framework, you require the following things:

1. Excel Sheet- to recognize the keywords and save them in an Excel sheet
2. Function Library- Function library comprises the function for the company flows like a login button for any website. So when the test is performed, it will read the keyword from the Excel sheet and do the tasks accordingly
3. Data Sheets- Datasheets is utilized to collect the test data that will be used in the application
4. Object Repository- founded on your keyword driven framework you can try an object repository
5. Test Scripts- Based on the design or layout of your framework, you can possess test scripts for each manual Test Case or an individual has driven script

Also Read: What Is A Keyword Driven Framework?

Why do Keyword Driven Testing?

In Software Engineering, Keyword Driven Testing is achieved due to the following reason:

1. Common elements dealt with by standard library
2. Obtaining this approach tests can be written in a more abstract manner
3. Increased degree of reusability
4. The fragment of the script is hidden from the users
5. Users don’t have to utilize the scripting languages
6. The test is concise, maintainable, and creative

How to Perform Keyword Driven Testing?

Keyword-based testing can be accomplished in both kinds, manually as well as automated. However, usually, it is utilized with automated testing.

The objective behind automating Keyword-based testing is:

1. It enables to reduce maintenance cost
2. Avoids duplicated specifications
3. Enormous reuse of function scripting
4. Better testing assistance and portability
5. Conform more testing with the less or same effort

With keyword-driven testing, you can develop easy functional tests in the initial stages of development, assessing the application piece-by-piece. The modest way to organize keyword-driven tests is to list them. After documenting, the test can be revised and customized as per the requirement. Each keyword requires to be associated with at least one command, test function, which executes the actions related to that keyword. When test cases are implemented, keywords are analyzed by a test library, which is called a test automation framework.

The crucial activities comprised of keyword-driven testing are:

Step 1. Recognizing the low level as well as high-level keywords

Step 2. Enforcing the keywords as executable

Step 3. Building test cases

Step 4. Developing the driver scripts

Step 5. Performing the automation test scripts

Now let’s look at the tools used for keyword-driven testing.

Tools Used for Keyword Driven Testing

These are the few tools that are largely used for Keyword-driven testing.

1. HP QTP
2. Selenium

The Objective Behind Automating Keyword-Based Testing 

1. Maximum Code Reuse – Keyword-driven testing enables one script to organize the whole implementation process, furnishing a high level of re-usability and helping in saving time.

2. Added Benefit of Data-Driven Approach– Since keyword test automation framework is an addition of data keyword-driven testing, it comprises the application of data-driven methods, i.e., authorizes its test scripts to read test data from sources of data such as ADO objects, CSV files, ODBC sources, etc. rather than hard-coding.

3. Testing Framework Extension – Any expansion of modern operations or improvement of existing operations into the system can be easily formulated.

4. Effortless Tool Switching – If it is essential to shift from one automation tool to another, you will have to converse with a minimum of code. As the keyword-driven testing framework comes with test cases that will last almost in the same aspect.

5. Simplistic View of Tests – This testing records all the operations in the aspect of a spreadsheet or other preferred format. Therefore, enabling users to take a glimpse of operations at once with a simple view option.

6. Easy Implementation – Creating keyword-driven tests is much simpler and quicker than writing test scripts. Not like scripts, this testing doesn’t need testers to have a documented knowledge of scripting languages. Thus, even an inexperienced tester can execute a test using keyword-driven testing.

7. Early Stage Testing – With keyword-driven testing, you can verify a system or application at every step and run functional tests during the initial stages of development. This will heighten the all-around automated testing success rate as well as decrease testing costs.

A detailed test design notifies readers about what activities require to be taken with the system and what behaviors and factors they should need to examine if the system is functioning appropriately. A test design is unique from the design work that should be performed in determining how to create your test performance. To conclude we can say that keyword-driven testing is a scripting strategy that utilizes data files to encompass the keywords related to the application being tested. It is usually conducted by automated testing. Tests can be formulated without programming knowledge. They are consistent with any automation tools that are accessible in the market.

Also Read: Key Differences Between Keyword-driven Testing And Data-driven Testing