(v1) Web Elements

Web Element Inspector for Internet Explorer: In Qualitia Automation Studios (QAS), the WebElement Inspector is a plugin for Internet Explorer (IE) that is integrated at the bottom of the IE browser window. It permits you to add web elements to your repository for the creation of test cases or tasks. If the document structure changes, you can adjust the web elements, while concurrently validating modifications to these elements.

The WebElement Inspector allows you to create, view/read, update, and delete (CRUD) operations for managing web elements. An automation tool is expected to mimic the manual user actions necessary for testing a case. That is, the automation tool needs to interact with web elements, which are the initial entry points in functional test automation.

This section explains the concept of a web element, the types of web elements used in web-based applications, how to correctly identify web elements, and circumstances where web element identification can be difficult.

Web Elements and their Properties

Web elements are crucial for understanding Test Automation. They are the controls or components used in the application. For instance, Password is an element referred to as Label.The input box underneath Password is another element known as TextBox or WebInput. Similarly, you will see other elements, such as radio button and button (For example, Log In).

Each type of web element has a distinct function and is classified into various categories based on this function.

The following are some commonly used web elements:

Properties: A property is a characteristic or attribute. For example, size is a property of your laptop. In the application being tested, a property is a characteristic of a component that can be assigned different values.

Real-world examples of elements include a smartphone, a bicycle, a book, or a coffee cup. These elements share characteristics. A smartphone has properties like brand, model, color, and screen size. Similarly, software application elements also have properties. It's important to understand the properties of a web element and its role in test automation.

Commonly referred properties in functional test automation include:

1. Name

2. ID

3. Class

Consider this example: “Log in” is a web element of type button and it has the following properties with their respective values:

• Name: Log in

• Color: Green

Choosing the Right Properties: A web element may have multiple properties. Identifying a unique set of properties and their corresponding values is crucial for your test automation tool to recognize a specific web element uniquely each time during test automation.

For example, consider a web page with two identical input boxes. If your test automation needs to interact with only the first input box, you should choose a specific property that has a unique value, allowing your automation tool to pinpoint this specific web element.

In this case, the first input box has a value property = val1. You could use the value property here. However, this may not always be straightforward if the value properties change for some reason during subsequent rounds of testing.