My Innovative Solution to Test Automation: Keep the Browser Open after Executing an Individual Test

Two Execution modes: an individual test → keep the browser open; all tests in one test script file → close the browser as normal

This is included in my “My Innovative Solution to Test Automation and Continuous Testing” series.

Table of Contents:
· Background
· The Problem
· First Solution
· Improvement
· Three Important Lessons I learned
· FAQ

Background

I started Automated UI Testing with JWebUnit in 2005 (learned from a world-renown programmer). I used IntellijIDEA, my favourite Java IDE, to develop and run tests. The automated functional tests were very similar to unit tests in many ways:

• Headless, unable to view actual test execution in browser
  (it is actually simulation, not real browser rendering)
• In the JUnit syntax framework

As a programmer, I took it for granted. One day, I showed (with pride) the execution of one test to a manual tester; the poor tester was confused. He asked: “Where is the execution?” At that moment, I realized that headless testing was not good simply because it was not convincing to everyone.