Automated Web Testing against Sharepoint solutions in a windows development house

Question

I'm researching which web browser automation tools is most suited to running functional user tests against SharePoint based solutions and potentially MVC based custom web parts at a later date. We are a windows based software house so I need a tool that runs on windows and specifically against Internet Explorer. In addition the tool needs to allow recording and play back of automation tests (again in I.E.) as not all the testing team have script writing experience in the first instance. (although editing of scripts further down the line will occur I'm sure).

If the tool can integrate with Team Foundation Server and Visual Studio 2010/2012 this would be an advantage with integrating with our existing web load tests.

Are there any web browser automation tools out there that specifically support SharePoint solutions as a 'primary' feature?

Answer 1

There are 2 tools I would suggest. The first is Selenium, mostly because it is a great tool and used so widely in the industry. Even if you're only talking about IE, it would still be a good choice and can integrate with TFS and Visual Studio 2010 and 2012 by using MSTEST as the test harness.

The second suggestion would be Microsoft's automation tool CUIT (Coded UI Tests). It supports both application as well as web page automation.

Neither has specific support for Sharepoint, but you don't need that since Sharepoint like any other web site is just HTML underneath and both tools fully support HTML.

Both tools allow you to record and playback as well as modify those recordings after the fact, however I would very strongly suggest reconsidering this. Recording and playback is a great way to get started and understand how to create basic tests, it is often the first thing I will do if I am working with a new tool that supports it, but that is only as a way to familiarize myself with the tool, and not more than that. Record and playback is essentially a marketing gimmick for UI automation, plan and simple. It is literally impossible to maintain that approach even on a small product with little churn without a lot of labor cost and is usually so unreliable that it is hardly worth creating and using the tests.

This post can give you some guidance on how to increase reliability and maintainability of your automation, however it does require some knowledge of scripting or programming: Good resources/tutorials/tips for beginner doing automation?