The application development market has reached such a point where it is almost impossible to conduct the test cases manually. This is because modern applications consist of thousands of different elements that need to be verified individually. So, it will take several months to complete these test cases with the help of manual practices. On the other hand, with the implementation of automation testing, the developers can complete all of these steps in only a few days. When it comes to application testing, debugging and troubleshooting play a critical role in improving the accuracy and dependability of the test reports. On the other hand, this is one of the popular names in the segment of automation testing frameworks. So, the application developers need to have proper debugging and troubleshooting knowledge in Jest.
So, with this article, we are going to understand some of the best practices that can help to efficiently debug and troubleshoot modern Jest-based automation test cases. We’ll also understand the role of various tools and platforms in simplifying the debugging process.
Understanding Automation Testing
To properly understand the current status of the automation testing market, app developers must develop a clear idea of test automation. in simple terms, we can define automation testing as an efficient effort toward the removal of human involvement in the testing process. As a substitute, the system will use a text file consisting of various parameters, data, and efficient statistics that will help it to emulate user interactions. based on these interactions and communications the system can analyze the usability, stability, and functionality of the app undergoing the development process. Later the app developers and testers can go through the test report to understand whether the application is fit for the real world.
It is also possible to make significant changes in the test data to ensure that the reports are customized according to the requirements of the application undergoing the development process. The app developers can also store huge segments of the existing automation test data and reuse them in future app development projects. However, test automation has a high investment as the testers have to integrate various tools, plugins, and libraries that are critical for the stability and dependability of the test reports. So, the application development companies must have enough revenue resources and investment to justify this transition.
Role of Jest in Automation Test Cases
Jest is a popular JavaScript testing framework that helps application developers to verify the performance of applications that are based on many well-known programming languages. Application developers often consider Jest as the best possible way to verify the performance of React applications. On the other hand, Jest is also a great app for initiating and running Selenium testing on modern web applications. This application testing framework is based on Jasmine and is currently maintained by Meta which was formally known as Facebook. So, Meta’s support ensures that Jest continues to receive stable updates that can crucially boost the usability and simplicity of this framework. While using Jest, application developers can integrate several projects like Angular, React, TypeScript, node.JS, and many others.
It is also possible to integrate this with CI/CD pipeline for introducing Agile Methodologies and improving the coordination between the testing and development teams of the company. The primary goal of Agile methodologies is to ensure that the development and testing process of the web application takes place simultaneously. Many market experts firmly believe that Agile Methodologies help to create proper synchronization between the testing, development, business, and production teams of an app development company.
Troubleshooting and Debugging with Jest
When conducted properly, the process of troubleshooting and debugging is quite simple with the Jest automation framework. However, for the simplicity and ease of the new developers and testers, we have divided this complete process into several segments and steps. They are as follows:
- Utilise Jest’s test.only() and test.skip(): This is of method that is highly useful when the application developers are suspecting a specific test or error is causing malfunction of the entire web application. With this feature, the application developers can ensure that the system executes the test case on only the target function. Moreover, the skip functionality allows the application developers to exclude specific tests from the execution process. So, the primary motive of this entire process is to narrow down the problem areas and specifically focus on troubleshooting specific test cases.
- Inspection of Test SnapShots: While using Jest, the application developers can access several snapshots of the test cases. These snapshots capture the rendered output of all the web component elements. In case the snapshots are failing or not matching with the expected values, the application developers can analyze the web application to identify any discrepancies, errors, or bugs.
- Remove Configuration Issues: The application developers must ensure that they have configured the Jest testing framework accordingly. This is because proper configuration plays a critical role in utilizing the full potential of the automation testaments. It is also important to integrate various necessary plugins, transformers, and other dependencies for the specific use case of the application undergoing the development process.
- Review the Error Messages: In most scenarios, the error messages provide vital information or can massively help the application developers to select or remove critical bugs and errors in the core framework of the application. So, it is very important for the application developers to properly review these messages when they’re executing their debugging or troubleshooting processes on the web application. It is also important to identify specific information or error codes. So, we recommend all the application developers possess enough information regarding the error codes used by Jest.
- Use Browser DevTools: When the application developers are executing the automation test cases in the browser environment using various tools like Puppeteer or Jest, it is very important to use the browser DevTools for debugging the automation test scripts. With the help of these tools, it is possible to inspect DOM elements, analyze network requests or step through the JavaScript code. These are some of the most important processes that massively push the debugging process for automation developers and testers.
- Analyze the Jest and Related Libraries Documentation: In case the application developers encounter specific issues or error messages during the debugging process, they can refer to the documentation of Jest or any other related libraries that they are using in the test environment. These resources will provide access to various troubleshooting guides, known issues, and workarounds for common problems that might arise with the Jest automation testing framework. Moreover, the app developers can also consult the huge community of Jest whenever they’re stuck with any test case debugging process. This community consists of multiple technology enthusiasts who are always ready to help newcomers.
All the debugging and troubleshooting steps that we mentioned above will help the application developers to identify and resolve common issues that might arise with Jest scripts effectively. However, it is also important to remember that certain issues or errors might be specific to the app undergoing the development process. So, we advise the app developers to constantly update their knowledge regarding the specific requirements of the app. In this regard, it’s also very important to understand that production and business teams must also have at least basic knowledge about the current status of the app. This will help improve the synchronization in the company.
We also advise the application developers to name the test cases according to their target elements. This is one of the most important practices that can help avoid any confusion related to the target debugging process. This is because modern web applications consist of thousands of elements that work simultaneously and can lead to confusion based on naming errors.
Integration of Platforms and Tools with Jest
Jest is one of the new additions to the automation testing industry so there are a lot of features that are still unknown, especially to the new application testers and developers. However, there are multiple tools and platforms easily available in the market which aim at improving the simplicity of Jest automation testing. These platforms also integrate additional features that play a critical role in improving the quality of the app underpinning the development process. For instance, cloud platforms allow the execution of automation test cases on remote servers. These servers provide access to hundreds of real devices on the Internet. In the contemporary world, app developers have to set up physical device labs for achieving similar test results.
So, we can easily say their cloud platforms have a critical role in decreasing the expense of the application development market. Moreover, cloud platforms help application developers to eliminate geolocation barriers and enable access to legacy devices that are critical for audience reach. We can further improve our knowledge about the influence of cloud platforms in the modern application development industry with the help of LambdaTest as our benchmark discussion point:
For the initial introduction, we can say that LambdaTest is an digital experience testing platform that conducts all the test cases on cloud platforms. LambdaTest offers various unique features like parallel test execution to massively uplift the reliability of the test cases by several times. While using this platform, the application developers can initiate automated test cases from various popular suits and frameworks like Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium. It is noteworthy that LambdaTest allows the execution of Selenium-based automation test cases on more than 3000+ environments inculding real devices.
This platform is also a great choice for testing web apps that have local host servers. Finally, the integration of thousands of evolution software with hundreds of real devices massively boosts the dependability of the test reports.
The Conclusion
With this article, we tried to elaborate on some other critical concepts related to debugging and troubleshooting Jest automation test cases. This is a very important practice as we’re slowly moving towards an app market that will rely on automation testing practices to a great extent. So, app developers should understand the revolutionary nature of this market and continue to update themselves regarding all the new automation testing trends and practices. To simplify this process, the app companies can also conduct several awareness campaigns and seminars for spreading the required information. It is also very important to gather adequate information regarding the requirements of the target audience. This data will allow the developers and testers to customize the test cases accordingly. It is one of those practices that help to maintain a positive image for the brand.
