Case Study: User Sign up Automated Test in Selenium WebDriver

Using temporary mail services to support a typical user signup test scenario

A repost of my daughter’s article with permission. I added a few notes. This is also included in my “How to in Selenium WebDriver” series.

Table of Contents:
· Test Design
· Email checking with MailCatcher
· Email checking with TempMailO
  ∘ Complete Test Script (TempMailo)
· Another Temporary Free Email Provider, Temp-Mail
· Review By Zhimin

This article will show how to implement user-sign-up automated tests (in Selenium) using two Email Checking mechanisms:

• MailCatcher: fake SMTP server
• TempMailO: an online temporary email provider

Test Design

1. Create a new user via the sign up form
2. Try to login with the new account, expect “the user not activated yet” message
3. Wait for the activation email with the account activation link
4. Click the activation link in the email
5. Log in as the new user successfully

The key to this test is to receive and read the account activation email. But how do we handle emails as part of automated tests, given…