Testing ASP.NET - Progressive.NET

@Ben_Hall
Ben@BenHall.me.uk
Blog.BenHall.me.uk

Aim to this talk
• Allow you to make an informed, educated
decision for your project.
• Know how to quickly get started if you want to
• Know alternative approaches if you don’t

Agenda
• UI Browser Automation
• Databases and Data Creation
• Below the UI Testing
• Group therapy

• Pain points, problems, concerns
• Best approaches to deal with these

What do I mean by
ASP.NET automated
acceptance testing?

Google Search

DEMO OF AUTOMATED TESTING

var driver = new FirefoxDriver(new FirefoxProfile());
driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("http://www.google.co.uk");
IWebElement searchbox = driver.FindElement(By.Name("q"));

searchbox.SendKeys("ASP.net");
searchbox.SendKeys(Keys.Enter);

var results = driver.FindElement(By.LinkText("Get Started with
ASP.NET & ASP.NET MVC : Official Microsoft Site"))
Assert.IsNotNull(results);

Testing pipeline
• Outside in, driven from requirements
• TDD to drive inside aspects once UI
automated

• Idealistic.. Doesn’t work. Expensive! (Will
define this later)

Real World...
• Bring flexible to change
• Regression testing
• Pushing forward, rapidly.
• Protecting your own arse

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6mzllgkJlM/Tm-yiM4fPEI/AAAAAAAAE34/7-BEetlvyHo/s1600/matrix1.jpg

Testing ASP.NET - Progressive.NET

• Focus on solving a pain you have.
• Automated UI Testing is one way, which
works, but it’s not the only way.
• Hire a manual tester? Short-term gain, long
term pain.

Pain you may have in the future

Depends on the system / scenario.
UI Tests may not be the best way

Spike and Stabilise

Get something out, get feedback,
make it right.

It’s not all about code quality!

Should not be the driving force

• Driving quality of your code via UI tests will kill
your motivation for the entire project.
• IT HURTS! Been there, done that!

• Focus on what will help you deliver value
• Automated tests are expensive.

• How do you define value?
• Justify cost by delivering faster? Less bugs?
Company loses less money?

Are “bugs” really bugs if they don’t
cost the company money nor annoy
users?

Developers love making things complex

http://xkcd.com/974/

Scenarios
• UI test should focus on scenarios
– Behaviour.
– Not actions.

A single test can save your career

Example of a 7digital career saver test
• 1) Can registered users add to basket and
checkout?
• 2) Can people register

• Everything else is null and void if those don’t
work

80/20 Rule

80% of the value comes from
20% of tests

Design UI for testability
• Good CSS
• Good UX
• A bad UX will be extremely difficult to test
– Code/Test smell!

<div>
<div>
<p>Some random text</p>
<div>
<p>Error Message</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Much easier to test!
<div>
<div>
<p>Some random text</p>
<div>
<p class=“error”>Error Message</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Safety net when refactoring
legacy code

• TDD Rules do apply – naming
• TDD doesn’t – single assertion

Automated tests against production
• Everything before (TDD, Staging etc) is just a
precaution
• If it goes live and it’s dead – it’s pointless.
• Focused smoke tests

WebDriver is AMAZING!!!

Google, Mozilla, Community

Creating a browser instance
new FirefoxDriver(new FirefoxProfile());

new InternetExplorerDriver();

new ChromeDriver(@".")

chromedriver.exe

Element Locator Strategies
Basically jQuery

driver.FindElement(By.Name("q"));
driver.FindElement(By.ClassName(“error-msg"))
driver.FindElement(By.Id("album-list"))

Page Interactions
Basically jQuery

.Text
.Click()
.Submit()
.SendKeys()  Used for inputing text

Executing JS
public static T ExecuteJS<T>(IWebDriver driver, string js) {
IJavaScriptExecutor jsExecute = driver as IJavaScriptExecutor;
return (T)jsExecute.ExecuteScript(js);
}

$(“.NewHeader.header .earn .dropdown-menu”).show();

Patiently Waiting
var time = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 30);
var timeouts = driver.Manage().Timeouts();
timeouts.ImplicitlyWait(time);

Patiently Waiting Longer
Use JS code / test hooks in application

window.SWAPP.isReady === true

[TestFixtureSetUp]
public void CreateDriver() {
_driver = new FirefoxDriver(new FirefoxProfile());
_driver.Manage().Timeouts().ImplicitlyWait(new TimeSpan(0, 0,
30));
}

[SetUp]
public void NavigateToWebpage() {
_driver.Navigate().GoToUrl(WebApp.URL);
}

[TestFixtureTearDown]
public void FixtureTearDown() {
if (_driver != null)
_driver.Close();
}

But I told everyone to use Ruby

When tests fail have good
debugging output

public static string TakeScreenshot(IWebDriver driver)
{
string file = Path.GetTempFileName() + ".png";
var s = ((ITakesScreenshot)driver);

s.GetScreenshot().SaveAsFile(file, ImageFormat.Png);

return file;
}

FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM

Websites change.
Or at least they should.

public class ItemListing
{
IWebDriver _driver;
public ItemListing(IWebDriver driver) {
_driver = driver;
}

public void AddToCart()
{
_driver.FindElement(By.Id("addToCart")).Click();
}
}

• http://www.github.com
• /BenHall/ProgNet2012

• HelloWorldExamples/
• Installers/
• MVCMusicStore/

1. Test that item appears on the homepage
2. Automate adding an item to the basket

• Pair – Great opportunity.

YOUR TURN
http://www.github.com
/BenHall/ProgNet2012

public int HeaderCount(string cartCount) {
var regex = new Regex(@"^Cart ((d+))$");
var match = regex.Match(cartCount);
var i = match.Groups[1].Captures[0].Value;
return Convert.ToInt32(i);
}

SLOW!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57734740@N00/184375292/

Internet Explorer
SetUp : System.InvalidOperationException :
Unexpected error launching Internet Explorer.
Protected Mode must be set to the same
value (enabled or disabled) for all zones.
(NoSuchDriver)

Complex Xpath / CSS Selectors

table[@id='foo2']/tbody/tr/td/a[contains(text(),'whatever')]

Don’t care about the minor details
• CSS downloading correctly...
• Other ways to solve that problem without UI
testing

Form validation
• Could it be a unit test?
• Do you need to run it every time if it hasn’t
changed?
• It’s a risk – how calculated is it?

CACHING

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gagilas/2659695352/

LEGACY DATABASE SCHEMA

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gagilas/2659695352/

Highly Coupled workflow
• UI Tests become highly coupled to the UI and
existing workflow

• UI changes – or at least should. Tests will
break, need maintenance etc - BAD

Data Builders
• Be able to test website against a clean empty
database
• Build only the data your tests need
• REALLY hard with a legacy system
– Focus on long term and take small steps to get
there

Example
var u =new UserCreator(“Name”, 13)
.WithOptionalValue(“Of Something”)
.WithCart(p1, p2, p3)
.Build();

UserDeleter.Delete(u)

Simple.Data / Lightweight ORM
db.Users.Insert(Name: "steve", Age: 50)

https://github.com/markrendle/Simple.Data/wiki/Inserting-and-updating-
data

Shared database
• Be careful
• Tests clash
• Use random keys when inserting (not 1-10)
• Delete only the data you insert

MVC Test Automation
Framework
Hosts ASP.NET in it’s own AppDomain
Didn’t work for me.

CassiniDevServer server = new CassiniDevServer();
server.StartServer(Path.Combine(Environment.Curre
ntDirectory,
@"......CassiniDevHostingExample"));
string url = server.NormalizeUrl("/");

EasyHTTP – Get / Dynamic
var http = new HttpClient();
http.Request.Accept =
HttpContentTypes.ApplicationJson;
var response = http.Get("url");
var customer = response.DynamicBody;
Console.WriteLine("Name {0}", customer.Name);

EasyHTTP - Post
var customer = new Customer();
customer.Name = "Joe";
customer.Email = "joe@smith.com";
var http = new HttpClient();
http.Post("url", customer,
HttpContentTypes.ApplicationJson);

CSQuery
var sel = dom.Select("a");

var id = dom[0].id;
var href = dom[0]["href"];

dom.Each((i,e) => {
if (e.id == "remove-this-id") {
e.Parent().RemoveChild(e);
}
});

var url = "http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-
alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Testing+ASP.net&x=0&y=0"

var httpClient = new HttpClient();
var response = httpClient.Get(url);
var dom = CsQuery.CQ.Create(response.RawText);
StringAssert.Contains("Ben Hall", dom.Find(".ptBrand").Text());

var url = "
http://search.twitter.com/search.json?q=prognet&&rpp=5&includ
e_entities=true&result_type=mixed "

var httpClient = new HttpClient();
var response = httpClient.Get(url);
Assert.That(response.DynamicBody.results.Length > 0);

1. Host MVCMusicStore using CassiniDev
2. Test that item appears on the homepage

• Feel free to download completed solution

http://www.flickr.com/photos/buro9/298994863/

VSTest & Record / Playback
• Record / Playback
• VSTest

• Not every tool helps!

• Chrome Dev Tool + Console - AMAZING

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leon_homan/2856628778/

Before you write a test think

what would happen if this failed in production
for 30 minutes? 4 hours? 3 days?
Would anyone care?
Would something else catch it?

• Mix different approaches – Hezies 57

http://www.gourmetsteaks.com/wp-content/uploads/steak-sauce-heinz-57.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/philliecasablanca/245684098
6/

@Ben_Hall
Ben@BenHall.me.uk
Blog.BenHall.me.uk

Testing ASP.NET - Progressive.NET

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