Transitioning from Selenium to Protractor for Angular Application Testing

Transitioning from Selenium to Protractor for Angular Application Testing

16 July 2024 Stephan Petzl Leave a comment QA

If you have been using Selenium with Java for functional automation testing and are now considering transitioning to Protractor due to its compatibility with Angular applications, you are not alone. This guide will help you understand the steps you need to follow to make this transition smooth and efficient.

Understanding Protractor

Protractor is an end-to-end test framework specifically designed for Angular and AngularJS applications. It is built on top of WebDriverJS, which means it uses Selenium WebDriver for interacting with the browser. However, Protractor provides additional features that make testing Angular applications easier, such as:

  • Angular-specific element locating strategies (e.g., by.model(), by.binding(), by.repeater())
  • Automatic synchronization between Protractor and Angular, minimizing the need for explicit waits
  • Built-in support for BrowserStack and SauceLabs
  • Test parallelization

Getting Started with Protractor

Prerequisites

Before you begin, it’s essential to have a basic understanding of JavaScript, Node.js, and asynchronous programming. Familiarity with Jasmine or Mocha as test frameworks will also be beneficial.

Installation and Setup

Follow these steps to set up Protractor:

  1. Download and install Node.js from the official website.
  2. Install Protractor globally using npm:
    npm install -g protractor
  3. Update the WebDriver manager:
    webdriver-manager update
  4. Start the WebDriver manager:
    webdriver-manager start

Writing and Running Tests

Create a simple test that navigates to the AngularJS homepage and adds a new todo item:

describe('angularjs homepage todo list', function() {
  it('should add a todo', function() {
    browser.get('https://angularjs.org');

    element(by.model('todoList.todoText')).sendKeys('write first protractor test');
    element(by.css('[value="add"]')).click();

    var todoList = element.all(by.repeater('todo in todoList.todos'));
    expect(todoList.count()).toEqual(3);
    expect(todoList.get(2).getText()).toEqual('write first protractor test');

    todoList.get(2).element(by.css('input')).click();
    var completedAmount = element.all(by.css('.done-true'));
    expect(completedAmount.count()).toEqual(2);
  });
});

The configuration file should look like this:

exports.config = {
  seleniumAddress: 'http://localhost:4444/wd/hub',
  specs: ['todo-spec.js']
};

Run the test with:

protractor conf.js

Common Challenges and Solutions

Transitioning from Selenium to Protractor can present several challenges, including:

  • Understanding asynchronous test execution
  • Managing promises and control flow
  • Designing and organizing test code
  • Tackling flaky end-to-end tests

To overcome these challenges, focus on learning the following:

  • Basic and advanced JavaScript concepts
  • Asynchronous programming and promises
  • Protractor API and its integration with Selenium WebDriver
  • Test frameworks like Jasmine or Mocha

Enhancing Your Testing with Repeato

While transitioning to Protractor can significantly improve your testing of Angular applications, using a no-code test automation tool like Repeato can further streamline the process. Repeato allows you to create, run, and maintain automated tests for your iOS and Android apps quickly and efficiently. Its computer vision and AI-based approach make it particularly fast to edit and run tests, ensuring a high level of quality assurance with minimal setup and usage complexity.

For more information on setting up and utilizing Repeato, visit our documentation page.

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