MagicPod: Advanced Batch Testing, Zero Coding Required

Batch testing is an essential part of your testing arsenal, letting you automatically run groups of tests on a schedule. The tricky part is getting the details right. It's hard to test exactly what you want and not all testing software lets you create tests that fully reflect the way a user interacts with an app. 

In this article, you'll learn about how you can get more out of batch testing. I'll discuss why you should use batch tests, potential issues that may arise, and how you can solve those problems with the right software. I'll also go over how to set up MagicPod - a test automation tool that makes running batch tests easy. 

Benefits of Test Automation

Testing manually is slow and potentially unreliable, so test automation is a better solution. Automated tests can be executed together in groups, or batches.

Batch tests allow you to write your tests and forget about them, getting alerts on conditions that you set. You can get regular messages to let you know that everything is working fine, or alert you when there's a problem. 

You can also log the data you collect and track changes. For example, you could track call response times or CPU usage, which could degrade as your app gets more popular or at specific times of the day. 

Issues with Test Automation

The purpose of automating tests is to detect problems with your site and ensure everything is running smoothly. There are all kinds of tests you can run, ranging from checking if calls respond, to measuring load or render times, to checking if interactive elements work in different browsers and with different settings.

One way to test is with code-driven scripts. This approach can be powerful, but is challenging to implement, requiring expertise to set up and maintain. You can get useful data from script-driven tests, but it doesn't always capture how real users behave, so the data won't be reflective of real-world use. Also, it can be difficult to figure out how to "translate" every type of interaction, depending on your scripting tool and its capabilities.

Visual systems are easier to use, but these can also be limited. Often, they'll promise much when you sign up for them, but you'll discover limitations when you try to use them. Some interactions won't be recordable, or they cannot sufficiently tune the interactions they do allow. 

Things to Consider When Choosing Test Automation Software

Your automation software needs to be able to recreate every situation you want to test. It's important to find software flexible enough to interact with a UI in a way that captures all possible user actions. 

You also need to think about the costs to your team. Code-driven tools require time to set up and maintain, and are difficult to use. Some team members (ex. front-end developers) who are unfamiliar with the scripting language won't be able to add test scenarios themselves. Visual tools are easier to get to grips with, but you need to choose one that can handle your needs. Your choice needs to cover each user interaction you need to test. That can include things you click on, form entries, and scrolling user elements, among many other things. You may also want the ability to duplicate and modify your tests, as well as adjust them as your product evolves. Another consideration is the ability to capture and analyze the data that tests produce. 

How MagicPod Can Help 

Let's look at MagicPod, a no-code testing tool designed to make testing easier, and evaluate how it can help. 

MagicPod's minimal interface keeps things simple. Though powerful, it's easy to use and its simplicity makes it accessible for less technical users. You can perform different sequences of actions and MagicPod will record them. You can then run them on a regular schedule and set pass conditions for tests.

MagicPod has several advantages when compared to other testing tools. As a no-code tool, it allows you to create tests by directly interacting with a website or application and recording your actions. It also has over 160 utility commands, letting you recreate complex functionality. That way, you can create highly specific tests, capturing interactions that most no-code tools would miss. 

MagicPod uses element detection to identify what actions you can take. It keeps track of which elements you've interacted with, and can even retain that information when the UI changes, meaning you don't need to update your tests as often. 

As well as letting you run through testing steps easily by browsing the app you're testing and taking the same actions you would take in the real app, you can also fine-tune the details with various parameters that MagicPod presents to you. 

You can move and delete steps as required, as well as duplicate tests if you want to change a small detail on one without having to reenter all of the other steps. 

Let's take a closer look at how we can use MagicPod to create a few simple batch tests. 

How to Create Batch Tests with MagicPod

To get started with MagicPod, navigate to the website and set up an account. Creating a MagicPod account is simple. You can sign up for a trial without a credit card, giving you 14 days to test it out.

Setting Up the Test Environment

Once you’ve signed up, create an organization. Then, click on your organization’s description to reach your organization screen. Then click to add a project.

On the project screen, you can add a new test case via the green button on the right.

Give your test case a name and description.

Launching the Browser

Next, click "Edit test case" to add the interactions you want to test. When you do this for the first time, a video window will pop up, explaining how MagicPod works. 

Once your test case is open, launch the browser. To do this, click the "Launch" button, then enter a URL for the site you want to test. You can use a URL of your choice or this sandbox. 

Adding Steps

Now, add steps to your test. Click the "Select" button on the right to scan the UI for elements. You can add steps by interacting with the elements in the cloud browser as if you were interacting with the site normally. Your interactions are recorded in the panel on the left.

Fine-tune the details of this interaction by editing in the left side panel. You can also change the flow by moving, deleting, or copying and pasting steps.

When you're ready, click the "Run" button. If the steps are completed successfully, the test will pass. You can repeat the process to create multiple tests. Try copying tests and making minor changes to each one, or just create a series of different tests.

Batching Tests

The next step is to batch tests. Click "Batch runs" on the project screen. You can run your tests as a batch by clicking the "Run new batch" button. 

The real power is in setting up scheduled tests. To do that, click "Details." On the batch run settings screen, you can add a schedule as well as change various settings like the browser type.

There are also advanced settings that allow you to add geolocation data, different browser extensions, and various other options. 

Once tests are scheduled, they'll run continually without any further action from you. You can sit back and watch the results roll in!

If you set up email or Slack notifications, you'll receive regular emails or messages letting you know whether tests have passed or failed. You can set up tests or groups of tests for different scenarios, and then get alerted when they fail. You can focus on other things, confident that your site is working, and that you'll be notified when it isn't. 

Conclusion

There's much to think about when setting up batch tests. You need to get the details right to make sure you're covering as much as possible, and getting all the information you need to spot issues and make improvements. 

Using the right tool is key. If you're looking for a simple but powerful solution, MagicPod is an excellent choice. It makes setting up batch testing easy and provides you with regular alerts so that you can respond to any outages or problems. 

Try it for free for two weeks, no credit card information necessary. Click here to get started.