The basic idea of Keyword Driven Test is to define reusable elements – keywords – that can then be used to create test cases. The set of keywords defines an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use language for testing in your domain. Using keywords facilitates communication between subject matter experts, testers, and automation engineers.
Keyword Driven Testing
Keyword Driven Testing
More than just a few Words
What is Keyword Driven Test?
Keyword Driven Test is an approach to applying modularization to software testing. In Keyword Driven Test, keywords are the building blocks from which you create your test cases. Well-described keywords are easy to understand, and therefore test cases created from known keywords are also easy to understand. If you are aiming for test automation, link each keyword to a small script in a test automation framework of your choice. This way you reduce the maintenance effort to a minimum.
Advantages of Keyword Driven Testing
Sustainable
Your test surface changes? Adjust a keyword. Done! The workflow changes? Adjust a few keywords. All tests are updated. Immediately.
Clarity
Very quickly, everyone knows exactly what each keyword means. You don't have to guess anymore: Did the test designer want me to do this or that? Is "user log in" the same as "user log in"?
Reusability
Each keyword can be used as many times as you want. If you spend some time to make it good, it is time well spent.
Efficiency
It is easy and fast to compile test cases from keywords. And it is easy to create keywords first.
Speed
You will be surprised how much faster you can create test cases from keywords. It's because of the clarity, the reusability, the efficiency - you get it!
When is Keyword Driven Testing recommended?
Keyword Driven Test works best at the system or acceptance test level. Use it to document your test cases. Use the terms that your subject matter experts use. They will be able to read your test cases.
Use it when you want to automate your test cases. There is no better way to stay in control.
Further Benefits
Keyword Driven Testing is independent of the industry or technical context and can utilise its advantages in all domains.
Similar to the composite keywords, you also have composite data types at your disposal with which you can similarly represent complex data sets as simple test elements.
Tests specified using the Keyword Driven and Data Driven Testing method therefore consist of a sequence of keywords with parameters and a table with specific values for the parameters.
The keyword sequence and parameter table together are referred to as a test case set. To add further specific test cases to test case sets, simply create another row in the parameter table. To extend the test logic of all test cases, keywords are added to the keyword sequence.
iTORX also provides the test designer with a convenient preview tool for the test specification. This allows the test designer to see how the test sequence is specified in detail at any time for multiple nested keyword sequences and data types.
Compound keywords in turn consist of a sequence of keywords. You can encapsulate the complexity of certain test sequences in composite keywords: you summarise a sequence of many test steps in an element with a descriptive name such as “Establish standard status”.
This makes your test specification much easier to read without having to sacrifice the level of detail. This combination of keywords can be nested to any depth, whereby the maximum added value is achieved with a nesting depth of 2-3 levels. This allows you to very simply describe a test sequence at the top level in functional terms, which in turn is based on technical keywords at the lower levels, which describe the elements of a user interface in more detail, for example.
Your questions - our answers
Do you have questions about Keyword Driven Testing or are you looking for support in optimizing your testing processes? Our experts will be happy to help you. Contact us and we will help you to design your test strategies efficiently and successfully