Visual regression testing is like the superhero coming
to save the day in today's software development scenario. It all comes down to
ensuring that your app's appearance and experience remain flawless and
unchanged regardless of how many upgrades you provide. The point is that
angular visual regression testing goes above and beyond standard testing
techniques. This ensures that everything works as intended.
This kind of testing aids developers in maintaining
the slick, polished appearance of their product. So, let us discover the
various other perks these tests have to offer with the help of this
comprehensive guide.
What is visual regression testing?
Visual regression testing is a commonly used software
test to find inadvertent visual changes in a web application or user interface.
To find any visual differences, screenshots or photographs of the application
before and after a change or update are compared.
By automating this comparison process, developers and test companies may
swiftly find and address visual issues that may arise from code modifications,
browser updates, or other circumstances. Visual regression testing improves the
overall user experience and preserves the integrity of the application's design
by ensuring consistent visual appearance across various browsers, devices, and
screen sizes.
Top regression testing tools used by developers
A vital component of software development is
regression testing, which ensures that codebase modifications don't
unintentionally create new regressions or issues. Various tools can aid
regression testing, each with special features and functions.
Here are six tools for regression testing and a
thorough explanation of their salient characteristics:
Selenium
Mainly used for online application testing, Selenium
is a well-liked open-source automation tool. It supports several browsers,
including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, and enables testers to build test scripts
in various computer languages, including Java, Python, C#, and others.
The main component of Selenium, Selenium WebDriver,
allows for interaction with web elements, which makes it appropriate for
automated visual regression testing of applications.
JUnit
A popular framework for unit testing Java programs is
called JUnit. It is perfect for regression testing Java codebases since it
offers assertions and annotations to define and validate test cases.
Developers can automate the execution of test cases
with JUnit, which also offers comprehensive reporting on test results that
include coverage metrics and pass/fail status.
TestNG
TestNG is an additional Java-based testing framework
that provides sophisticated functionality for regression testing, outperforming
JUnit in certain areas. Testers can effectively plan and carry out tests thanks
to TestNG's support for parameterized testing, data-driven testing, and test
grouping. It has robust reporting features, such as HTML and XML reports, which
make a thorough examination of test findings possible.
Postman
Postman is a flexible API testing tool that makes
testing RESTful APIs easier. It is appropriate for regression testing of API
endpoints since it provides an easy-to-use interface for generating and
executing requests to the API.
Testers can specify variables and environments, group
requests into collections, and use scripts to automate test execution with
Postman. In order to guarantee the stability and dependability of backend
services, Postman facilitates extensive validation of API answers.
Ranorex
For regression testing of desktop, online, and mobile
apps, Ranorex is a commercial test automation tool. It offers a feature-rich
integrated development environment (IDE) for developing automated tests with a
graphical user interface and little programming experience.
Strong object recognition features provided by Ranorex
enable testers to interact with UI elements on various platforms and in various
technologies.
Apache JMeter
A popular open-source performance testing tool for web
applications and services regression testing is Apache JMeter. Although JMeter
is primarily designed for performance testing, functional regression testing
can also be conducted.
Testers can use it to assess application response
times under load, send HTTP queries, and mimic user interactions. JMeter is a
tool that can be used to create intricate test scenarios and validate both
functionality and performance.
Regression testing solutions come with various
features and functionalities to meet different testing needs in different
fields and technologies. The type of application, the testing goals, and the
testing team's experience all play a role in selecting the best tool.
Are visual regression testing beneficial?
Visual regression testing is a useful tool in software
development since it provides several benefits. Here are six specific benefits
in further detail:
Comprehensive UI Testing
Visual regression testing makes it possible to test
websites' or web applications' user interfaces (UI) thoroughly. It takes
screenshots of the complete interface or selected parts, compares them to a
baseline version, and looks for differences caused by updates or modifications
to the code, such as layout shifts, typeface changes, or color variances.
Automatic Visual Defect Detection
Visual regression testing automates comparing visual
aspects, in contrast to manual user interface testing, which can be laborious
and prone to human error. Because of this automation, visual faults may be
identified early on across various browsers, devices, and screen sizes,
resulting in consistent user experiences across platforms.
Faster Feedback Loop
By promptly detecting visual regressions brought about
by code modifications, visual regression testing helps to accelerate the
feedback loop in the development lifecycle. Instant feedback on how changes
affect the user interface enables developers to quickly address problems and
stop regressions from going live.
Regression Prevention
Development teams can proactively stop regressions by
incorporating visual regression testing into the continuous
integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) process. It is helpful to do visual
regression tests in addition to functional and unit tests to preserve the integrity
of the user interface and avoid unintentional visual changes being released
into production.
Enhanced Collaboration
By giving developers, designers, and QA engineers a
visual depiction of UI changes, visual regression testing fosters collaboration
amongst these parties. Stakeholders readily review and approve visual
modifications, guaranteeing compliance with design guidelines and user
expectations. This cooperative strategy improves communication and lessens
misinterpretations about UI modifications.
Better User Experience
Ultimately, visual regression testing improves the user experience by ensuring visual correctness and consistency. Teams can
produce polished, end-user-friendly products that meet end-user expectations by
identifying and resolving visual faults early in the development process. A
consistent user interface (UI) across many platforms improves usability and
fosters audience trust.
If you are not keen on spending much on this, then you
can always opt for open source visual regression testing tools. But, may we say
that this investment can reap massive benefits, in-terms of loyalty, customer
satisfaction, increased customer retention, and more.
Types of visual regression testing
A vital component of software development is visual
regression testing, ensuring that a website's or web application's visual
design holds true during changes or iterations. The following list of six
visual regression testing techniques:
Screenshot Comparison
To do a screenshot comparison, you need to take a
snapshot of the user interface of an application or website both before and
after modifications are made. Next, pixel by pixel, these screenshots are
compared to find any discrepancies.
Automated technologies such as Puppeteer or Selenium
WebDriver can be used to compare and take screenshots, detecting even the
smallest visual anomalies.
DOM Comparison
This method compares the attributes and structure of
the HTML elements that make up a webpage. This approach compares the underlying
DOM structure before and after changes rather than images. You can use programs
such as Wraith or PhantomCSS to take DOM snapshots, examine them, and identify
any structural variations.
Layout testing
Layout testing analyzes how elements are positioned
and arranged on a webpage or in an application interface. It ensures that
components like buttons, text fields, and pictures are aligned properly and
that their widths and lengths remain constant across viewports and browsers.
Applitools Eyes and Galen Framework are two examples of tools that offer
functionality for layout testing.
Responsive testing
Responsive testing aims to evaluate how an application
interface or web page functions and looks on different screen sizes and
devices. It guarantees a consistent user experience across computers, tablets,
and smartphones by ensuring that the layout and design adjust fluidly to various
resolutions, aspect ratios, and orientations.
Responsive testing is made easier by programs like
CrossBrowserTesting and BrowserStack.
Visual AI Testing
This type of testing compares and analyzes how web
pages or application interfaces look visually using machine learning
algorithms. In contrast to conventional pixel-based comparison techniques,
visual AI testing can intelligently identify visual differences by considering
elements like layout modifications, font adjustments, and color variances.
Component-Based Testing
This type of testing concentrates on confirming that
distinct UI modules or components inside a web application are consistent and
functional. This method separates particular elements, like buttons, forms, or
navigation menus, and tests them separately to make sure they function as
intended in a variety of settings and scenarios, as opposed to testing entire
pages.
Teams may efficiently find and fix visual
discrepancies by integrating these different kinds of visual regression testing
techniques into the software development lifecycle. This ensures the general
quality and usability of their websites and online applications.
Conclusion
Visual regression testing is one of the most vital
parts of contemporary software development. The many advantage of visual
regression testing can help businesses to offer a seamless user experience to
its end-users. Hence, in this article, we learned how it helps teams to
identify inadvertent visual changes between iterations of a website or online
application.
Visual regression testing helps to preserve brand
integrity and user trust by automatically comparing screenshots of the
application's user interface (UI) between iterations. This assures consistency
in appearance and user experience.
