Can we use Selenium for Salesforce testing?

Selenium testing is a widely used framework for automating web browsers. It helps with test scripts and execute tests for web applications, allowing developers and testers to automate repetitive tasks, such as clicking buttons, filling out forms, and navigating a website. Selenium testing supports multiple programming languages, and it is particularly popular for testing web applications across various browsers and operating systems.

Automating Salesforce application testing is not limited to stabilizing business-critical processes alone. It should also verify integrations between product websites and Salesforce applications, etc. The scope should further include the smooth running of tests so that testing teams can easily manage, maintain, and troubleshoot any failed tests without glitches.

Selenium is a simple testing framework that only allows a browser to perform specific tasks. For larger businesses and enterprises that use the Salesforce platform, which involves more tests with teams with excellent business understanding but low coding skills and where security and collaboration are highly critical, Selenium won't suffice. Let us consider the following first.

How to use Selenium in Salesforce test automation?

Setup Development Environment:

Configure Salesforce for Testing:

Begin writing Test Cases:

Interact with Salesforce Elements:

Data Handling:

Implement Assertions:

Run and Debug Tests:

Continuous Integration and Testing:

Maintain and Update Tests:

Using Selenium for Salesforce test automation requires a good understanding of Selenium and the Salesforce UI structure. Regular updates to Salesforce may require adjustments in your test scripts, so ongoing maintenance is crucial for long-term success. Despite that-

Should you choose Selenium in Salesforce test automation? Challenges

Scenario 1: Choosing from various programming languages

Say the testing team has a mixed set of coding skills and chooses to shift from manual to automated testing and choose Selenium. The team resources are diverse in their skill set, and each one chooses between Python and C#. Say the most experienced resource shifts to another team over time; challenges emerge.

Scenario 2: Searching for broken codes

Imagine a scenario where the rest of the team is testing with one individual's scripted tests. It might keep working well till one day, a test breaks. Troubleshooting this code involves checking lines of lengthy codes, and finding one minor issue gets cumbersome and time-consuming. Updates in the Salesforce application may make this more complicated.

Scenario 3: Handling maintenance.

Say different resources are assigned the task of setting a new series of tests with Selenium, each adopting a different approach. Over time, these tests form an overall test architecture, but due to the differences in the combined tests, testing can become a mess and challenging to maintain.

Further, here are more Salesforce testing challenges with Selenium.

1. Navigating through Salesforce frames (which have dynamic frames in the front end), which are primarily used to load content in HTML, is an issue. Selenium cannot handle content directly, and hence, it needs the help of the Selenium WebDriver to frame and use additional attributes. Selenium takes a lot of effort to find the right qualities and script accordingly, and it can get further complicated with nested or hidden frames.

2. Executing dynamic content with Salesforce is also difficult as it does not have a fixed ID, name, class, or CSS attribute. It is, therefore, not possible to hard code the locator of the element, and it is not straightforward. Minor UI changes can make the tests flaky, and Selenium could also encounter synchronization issues with element loading.

3. Handling different database-driven tables in Salesforce is another challenge, as the rows are created dynamically and can be controlled by different tabs. Even actions like ticking a checkbox with Selenium get complicated and prone to errors. Selecting the active tab can also be an issue. Further commands such as driver.switch_to.window and send keys may not work reliably.

Salesforce applications can have complexities like Shadow DOM and pop-up windows that cannot be tested with Selenium directly. They demand additional codes. Though most of the challenges of testing Salesforce with Selenium can be handled, scripting consumes a lot of time. This can impact your continuous testing goals for the Salesforce stack.

Conclusion

ACCELQ is a codeless test automation platform that allows testers to generate test cases for Salesforce easily. It is cloud-based and enhances the power of Selenium, making it reliable, scalable, and cost-effective.ACCELQ helps overcome the challenges mentioned above without the need for additional programming. Reach out to us to learn more about our Salesforce test automation solution.