Automation Framework

What do you understand by automation framework?
What are the driving parameters for automation framework?
Platform independence and access



A test automation framework is a set of assumptions, concepts and tools that provide support for automated software testing. The main advantage of such a framework is the low cost for maintenance. If there is change to any test case then only the test case file needs to be updated and the Driver Script and Startup script will remain the same. Ideally, there is no need to update the scripts in case of changes to the application.
Choosing the right framework/scripting technique helps in maintaining lower costs. The costs associated with test scripting are due to development and maintenance efforts. The approach of scripting used during test automation has effect on costs.
Various framework/scripting techniques are generally used:

1. Linear (procedural code, possibly generated by tools like those that use record and playback)
2. Structured (uses control structures - typically ‘if-else’, ‘switch’, ‘for’, ‘while’ conditions/ statements)
3. Data-driven (data is persisted outside of tests in a database, spreadsheet, or other mechanism)
4. Keyword-driven
5. Hybrid (two or more of the patterns above are used)

The Testing framework is responsible for:^[1]

1. defining the format in which to express expectations
2. creating a mechanism to hook into or drive the application under test
3. executing the tests
4. reporting results

Another view Automation Framework is not a tool to perform some specific task, but is an infrastructure that provides a complete solution where different tools work together in an unified manner hence providing a common platform to the automation engineer using them.