Webinar: Clean Coding Practices for Test Automation

About the Webinar:

The webinar starts with Manoj asking our speakers a question: “What do they think about test automation code? Is it at the same level as development code?” Manoj shares how testers and QA tasks are not prioritized among companies and ask for their take on this as consultants.

Here is the video recording of our webinar to familiarize yourself with the powerful knowledge bombs it contains!

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Srinivasan agrees with Manoj on how QAs and tester’s tasks are considered unimportant and points out that while consulting, they always emphasize that quality is everyone’s responsibility. He adds that ensuring the quality of the code, whether production or development, is not just the QA’s job. As per him, this gives the team a sense of why testing code is crucial.

Sai adds to this that even time to market plays a significant role. He explains that if we are looking for a shorter time to market, our automated tests should have the right principles and practices to enhance the application code. He adds that the automation testing framework should be robust, and the production and test code should be equally treated.

Sai then takes the lead of the webinar by explaining what they will address in the webinar. He adds that for this session, they will explain code refactoring with a live WebDriver script, show how to eliminate code smell, and discuss the best practices for writing clean and effective test code.

Moving forward, Srinivasan explains what a clean code looks like. He adds that a clean code should eliminate code smells such as dispensable, code comments, duplicated code, and more. Srinivasan tells the audience they will look at bloaters such as large class, long method, and too many parameters.

Moving on, he informs the audience about the principles they will explain – The Single Responsibility Principle and the Open-closed Principle.

Sai then showcases the live code refactoring demo of a sample WebDriver script.

Following the Clean Code Principles:

Srinivasan goes on to explain the Single Responsibility Principle. As per him:

• Single Responsibility Principle states that every class, module, or function should have one and only one responsibility. He adds that a class should not be responsible for more than one task. As a commonly used definition, “every class should have only one reason to change.” Sai then explains the concept of SRP with the help of code.

Srinivasan also explains the open-closed principle. He says:

• Open-closed Principle is a central concept in object-oriented programming. He states that software entities should be open for extension but closed for modification or that such an entity can allow its behavior to be extended without modification of source code.

Best Practices for Writing Clean Code:

Moving forward, Sai highlights the best clean code practices. He highlights the following practices:

• Keep it Simple: Sai says that the best code is easy to read and understand. He suggests the audience write the least amount of code possible to solve any given problem and avoid duplicating code to make it easier to navigate and maintain. It’s also good manners to use reader-friendly formatting for your code so that future users can quickly understand how it works.
• Use Meaningful Names: Sai suggests that because your code will contain many variables and functions, you should choose clear, descriptive names for them. He adds that the names should reveal intent and be a verb or noun to be easy to pronounce and search for. He recommends not using any slang or offensive words and using one word per concept. Whenever possible, stick to conventional standards to make your code easier to read.
• Respect the Single Responsibility Principle: Sai suggests that to help you identify problems in your code, it is important that you know what every class, function, or method does. This will help you keep your functions small and ensure they are easy to test for errors. It will also make them easier for other developers to read and use.
• Use Comments: Comments are valuable for providing support and information to other developers who may use your code. But too many comments can confuse and make maintaining the code harder. Remember, the best code doesn’t need to be explained. He thinks that if you find yourself writing many comments, it’s better to rewrite the code.
• Striving for Improvement: As per Sai, the best way to improve the quality of your code is to practice writing it and learn from more experienced developers. He adds that with time, you’ll start finding ways to optimize your code that even experts don’t know about, giving you more personal satisfaction and making you a valuable member of any software development team.

Hope You Enjoyed The Webinar!

We hope you liked the webinar. In case you missed it, please find the webinar recording above. Make sure to share this webinar with anyone who wants to learn more about clean coding practices for test automation. Stay tuned for more exciting TestMu AI Webinars. You can also subscribe to our newsletter Coding Jag to stay on top of everything testing and more!

We’ve just released the second part of our series on Clean Coding Practices for Test Automation. Take a look !

That’s all for now, happy testing!