Test Automation Framework Skill

Test Automation Framework

Overview

A test automation framework provides structure, reusability, and maintainability for automated tests. It defines patterns for organizing tests, managing test data, handling dependencies, and generating reports. A well-designed framework reduces duplication, improves reliability, and accelerates test development.

When to Use

Setting up new test automation
Scaling existing test suites
Standardizing test practices across teams
Reducing test maintenance burden
Improving test reliability and speed
Organizing large test codebases
Implementing reusable test utilities
Creating consistent reporting

Framework Components

Test Organization: Structure and hierarchy
Page Objects: UI element abstraction
Test Data Management: Fixtures and factories
Configuration: Environment-specific settings
Utilities: Shared helpers and functions
Reporting: Test results and metrics
CI/CD Integration: Automated execution

Instructions

1. Page Object Model (Playwright/TypeScript)

// framework/pages/BasePage.ts
import { Page, Locator } from '@playwright/test';

export abstract class BasePage {
  constructor(protected page: Page) {}

  async goto(path: string) {
    await this.page.goto(path);
  }

  async waitForPageLoad() {
    await this.page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
  }

  async takeScreenshot(name: string) {
    await this.page.screenshot({ path: `screenshots/${name}.png` });
  }

  protected async clickAndWait(locator: Locator) {
    await Promise.all([
      this.page.waitForResponse(resp => resp.status() === 200),
      locator.click()
    ]);
  }
}

// framework/pages/LoginPage.ts
export class LoginPage extends BasePage {
  // Locators
  private readonly emailInput = this.page.locator('[name="email"]');
  private readonly passwordInput = this.page.locator('[name="password"]');
  private readonly submitButton = this.page.locator('button[type="submit"]');
  private readonly errorMessage = this.page.locator('.error-message');

  async goto() {
    await super.goto('/login');
  }

  async login(email: string, password: string) {
    await this.emailInput.fill(email);
    await this.passwordInput.fill(password);
    await this.submitButton.click();
  }

  async loginWithValidation(email: string, password: string) {
    await this.login(email, password);
    await this.page.waitForURL('/dashboard');
  }

  async getErrorMessage(): Promise<string> {
    return await this.errorMessage.textContent() || '';
  }

  async isLoggedIn(): Promise<boolean> {
    return this.page.url().includes('/dashboard');
  }
}

// framework/pages/ProductPage.ts
export class ProductPage extends BasePage {
  private readonly addToCartButton = this.page.locator('[data-testid="add-to-cart"]');
  private readonly quantityInput = this.page.locator('[name="quantity"]');
  private readonly priceLabel = this.page.locator('.price');

  async goto(productId: string) {
    await super.goto(`/products/${productId}`);
  }

  async addToCart(quantity: number = 1) {
    if (quantity > 1) {
      await this.quantityInput.fill(String(quantity));
    }
    await this.addToCartButton.click();
  }

  async getPrice(): Promise<number> {
    const priceText = await this.priceLabel.textContent();
    return parseFloat(priceText?.replace(/[^0-9.]/g, '') || '0');
  }
}

// tests/checkout.test.ts
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
import { LoginPage } from '../framework/pages/LoginPage';
import { ProductPage } from '../framework/pages/ProductPage';
import { CartPage } from '../framework/pages/CartPage';
import { CheckoutPage } from '../framework/pages/CheckoutPage';

test.describe('Checkout Flow', () => {
  let loginPage: LoginPage;
  let productPage: ProductPage;
  let cartPage: CartPage;
  let checkoutPage: CheckoutPage;

  test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
    loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
    productPage = new ProductPage(page);
    cartPage = new CartPage(page);
    checkoutPage = new CheckoutPage(page);

    await loginPage.goto();
    await loginPage.loginWithValidation('user@test.com', 'password123');
  });

  test('complete checkout process', async () => {
    // Add product to cart
    await productPage.goto('product-1');
    await productPage.addToCart(2);

    // Verify cart
    await cartPage.goto();
    expect(await cartPage.getItemCount()).toBe(2);

    // Checkout
    await checkoutPage.goto();
    await checkoutPage.fillShippingInfo({
      name: 'John Doe',
      address: '123 Main St',
      city: 'San Francisco',
      zip: '94105'
    });

    await checkoutPage.fillPaymentInfo({
      cardNumber: '4242424242424242',
      expiry: '12/25',
      cvc: '123'
    });

    await checkoutPage.placeOrder();

    expect(await checkoutPage.isOrderConfirmed()).toBe(true);
  });
});

2. Test Fixtures and Factories

// framework/fixtures/database.ts
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';
import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';

export const test = base.extend<{
  db: PrismaClient;
  testUser: User;
  cleanupData: () => Promise<void>;
}>({
  db: async ({}, use) => {
    const db = new PrismaClient();
    await use(db);
    await db.$disconnect();
  },

  testUser: async ({ db }, use) => {
    const user = await db.user.create({
      data: {
        email: `test-${Date.now()}@example.com`,
        name: 'Test User',
        password: await hashPassword('password123'),
      },
    });
    await use(user);
    await db.user.delete({ where: { id: user.id } });
  },

  cleanupData: async ({ db }, use) => {
    const cleanup = async () => {
      await db.order.deleteMany({});
      await db.product.deleteMany({});
    };
    await use(cleanup);
  },
});

export { expect } from '@playwright/test';

// Usage in tests
import { test, expect } from '../framework/fixtures/database';

test('user can create order', async ({ db, testUser }) => {
  const product = await db.product.create({
    data: { name: 'Test Product', price: 99.99 }
  });

  const order = await db.order.create({
    data: {
      userId: testUser.id,
      items: {
        create: [{ productId: product.id, quantity: 1 }]
      }
    }
  });

  expect(order.userId).toBe(testUser.id);
});

3. Custom Test Utilities

// framework/utils/helpers.ts
import { Page, expect } from '@playwright/test';

export class TestHelpers {
  static async waitForAPIResponse(
    page: Page,
    urlPattern: string | RegExp,
    action: () => Promise<void>
  ) {
    const responsePromise = page.waitForResponse(urlPattern);
    await action();
    return await responsePromise;
  }

  static async mockAPIResponse(
    page: Page,
    url: string | RegExp,
    response: any,
    status: number = 200
  ) {
    await page.route(url, route => {
      route.fulfill({
        status,
        contentType: 'application/json',
        body: JSON.stringify(response),
      });
    });
  }

  static async fillForm(page: Page, formData: Record<string, string>) {
    for (const [name, value] of Object.entries(formData)) {
      await page.fill(`[name="${name}"]`, value);
    }
  }

  static generateTestEmail(): string {
    return `test-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36)}@example.com`;
  }

  static async verifyToastMessage(page: Page, message: string) {
    const toast = page.locator('.toast-message');
    await expect(toast).toContainText(message);
    await expect(toast).toBeVisible();
  }
}

// Usage
import { TestHelpers } from '../framework/utils/helpers';

test('form submission', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/contact');

  await TestHelpers.fillForm(page, {
    name: 'John Doe',
    email: TestHelpers.generateTestEmail(),
    message: 'Test message'
  });

  await page.click('button[type="submit"]');

  await TestHelpers.verifyToastMessage(page, 'Message sent successfully');
});

4. Configuration Management

// framework/config/config.ts
import * as dotenv from 'dotenv';

dotenv.config();

export interface TestConfig {
  baseUrl: string;
  apiUrl: string;
  timeout: number;
  headless: boolean;
  slowMo: number;
  screenshots: boolean;
  video: boolean;
  testUser: {
    email: string;
    password: string;
  };
}

const environments: Record<string, TestConfig> = {
  development: {
    baseUrl: 'http://localhost:3000',
    apiUrl: 'http://localhost:3001',
    timeout: 30000,
    headless: false,
    slowMo: 0,
    screenshots: true,
    video: false,
    testUser: {
      email: 'dev@test.com',
      password: 'devpass123',
    },
  },
  staging: {
    baseUrl: 'https://staging.example.com',
    apiUrl: 'https://api-staging.example.com',
    timeout: 60000,
    headless: true,
    slowMo: 0,
    screenshots: true,
    video: true,
    testUser: {
      email: process.env.STAGING_USER_EMAIL!,
      password: process.env.STAGING_USER_PASSWORD!,
    },
  },
  production: {
    baseUrl: 'https://example.com',
    apiUrl: 'https://api.example.com',
    timeout: 60000,
    headless: true,
    slowMo: 100,
    screenshots: true,
    video: true,
    testUser: {
      email: process.env.PROD_USER_EMAIL!,
      password: process.env.PROD_USER_PASSWORD!,
    },
  },
};

export const config: TestConfig =
  environments[process.env.TEST_ENV || 'development'];

5. Custom Reporter

// framework/reporters/CustomReporter.ts
import { Reporter, TestCase, TestResult } from '@playwright/test/reporter';

class CustomReporter implements Reporter {
  private stats = {
    passed: 0,
    failed: 0,
    skipped: 0,
    total: 0,
  };

  onBegin() {
    console.log('Starting test run...');
  }

  onTestEnd(test: TestCase, result: TestResult) {
    this.stats.total++;

    if (result.status === 'passed') {
      this.stats.passed++;
      console.log(`✓ ${test.title}`);
    } else if (result.status === 'failed') {
      this.stats.failed++;
      console.log(`✗ ${test.title}`);
      console.log(`  Error: ${result.error?.message}`);
    } else if (result.status === 'skipped') {
      this.stats.skipped++;
      console.log(`⊘ ${test.title}`);
    }
  }

  onEnd() {
    console.log('\nTest Summary:');
    console.log(`  Total: ${this.stats.total}`);
    console.log(`  Passed: ${this.stats.passed}`);
    console.log(`  Failed: ${this.stats.failed}`);
    console.log(`  Skipped: ${this.stats.skipped}`);
  }
}

export default CustomReporter;

6. pytest Framework (Python)

# framework/pages/base_page.py
from selenium.webdriver.remote.webdriver import WebDriver
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

class BasePage:
    def __init__(self, driver: WebDriver):
        self.driver = driver
        self.wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10)

    def goto(self, path: str):
        self.driver.get(f"{self.base_url}{path}")

    def wait_for_element(self, locator):
        return self.wait.until(EC.presence_of_element_located(locator))

# framework/conftest.py
import pytest
from selenium import webdriver
from framework.config import config

@pytest.fixture(scope='session')
def browser():
    """Setup browser for test session."""
    driver = webdriver.Chrome()
    driver.implicitly_wait(10)
    yield driver
    driver.quit()

@pytest.fixture
def page(browser):
    """Provide clean page for each test."""
    browser.delete_all_cookies()
    return browser

@pytest.fixture
def test_user(db_session):
    """Create test user."""
    from framework.factories import UserFactory
    user = UserFactory.create()
    db_session.add(user)
    db_session.commit()
    yield user
    db_session.delete(user)
    db_session.commit()

# tests/test_login.py
from framework.pages.login_page import LoginPage

def test_login_success(page, test_user):
    """Test successful login."""
    login_page = LoginPage(page)
    login_page.goto()
    login_page.login(test_user.email, 'password123')

    assert login_page.is_logged_in()

7. Test Organization

test-automation/
├── framework/
│   ├── pages/
│   │   ├── BasePage.ts
│   │   ├── LoginPage.ts
│   │   ├── ProductPage.ts
│   │   └── CheckoutPage.ts
│   ├── fixtures/
│   │   ├── database.ts
│   │   └── api.ts
│   ├── utils/
│   │   ├── helpers.ts
│   │   ├── validators.ts
│   │   └── waiters.ts
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── config.ts
│   └── reporters/
│       └── CustomReporter.ts
├── tests/
│   ├── e2e/
│   │   ├── checkout.test.ts
│   │   └── search.test.ts
│   ├── integration/
│   │   └── api.test.ts
│   ├── visual/
│   │   └── components.test.ts
│   └── accessibility/
│       └── a11y.test.ts
├── data/
│   ├── fixtures/
│   └── test-data.json
├── playwright.config.ts
└── package.json

Framework Patterns

Singleton Pattern

class TestContext {
  private static instance: TestContext;
  private data: Map<string, any> = new Map();

  private constructor() {}

  static getInstance(): TestContext {
    if (!TestContext.instance) {
      TestContext.instance = new TestContext();
    }
    return TestContext.instance;
  }

  set(key: string, value: any): void {
    this.data.set(key, value);
  }

  get(key: string): any {
    return this.data.get(key);
  }
}

Builder Pattern

class TestDataBuilder {
  private data: Partial<User> = {};

  withEmail(email: string): this {
    this.data.email = email;
    return this;
  }

  withName(name: string): this {
    this.data.name = name;
    return this;
  }

  withRole(role: string): this {
    this.data.role = role;
    return this;
  }

  build(): User {
    return {
      email: this.data.email || 'test@example.com',
      name: this.data.name || 'Test User',
      role: this.data.role || 'user',
      ...this.data,
    } as User;
  }
}

Best Practices

✅ DO

Use Page Object Model for UI tests
Create reusable test utilities
Implement proper wait strategies
Use fixtures for test data
Configure for multiple environments
Generate readable test reports
Organize tests by feature/type
Version control test framework

❌ DON'T

Put test logic in page objects
Use hard-coded waits (sleep)
Duplicate test setup code
Mix test data with test logic
Skip error handling
Ignore test flakiness
Create overly complex abstractions
Hardcode environment URLs

Tools & Libraries

Playwright: Modern browser automation
Selenium: Cross-browser testing
Cypress: JavaScript E2E framework
pytest: Python testing framework
JUnit: Java testing framework
TestNG: Advanced Java framework
Robot Framework: Keyword-driven testing

Examples

See also: e2e-testing-automation, integration-testing, continuous-testing for implementing comprehensive test automation.

Agent Skills: Test Automation Framework

Skill Files