This course introduces the principles and practical skills needed to automate web application testing with Selenium WebDriver. Participants progress from configuring an automation environment and creating basic browser tests to building a maintainable test suite with reusable components, reliable synchronization, and data-driven testing.

The course uses Java, Maven, and TestNG as a consistent foundation. It covers browser interactions, test organization, failure investigation, cross-browser execution, and introductory continuous integration. A capstone project brings these skills together in a small web application automation suite.

 

Duration 6 Days – 42 hrs.

 

Objectives

• Explain the purpose, benefits, limitations, and appropriate use of test automation.
• Identify suitable web application scenarios for automation.
• Configure a Selenium WebDriver project using Java, Maven, and TestNG.
• Locate web elements using stable locator strategies.
• Automate common browser actions and web application workflows.
• Apply appropriate waiting strategies to handle dynamic content.
• Create independent tests with clear assertions and reliable setup and cleanup.
• Organize reusable automation code using the Page Object Model.
• Execute data-driven tests using controlled test data.
• Investigate failures using test results, screenshots, and diagnostic information.
• Run tests across browsers and understand remote execution with Selenium Grid.
• Build a foundational automation suite suitable for integration into a continuous integration workflow.

 

Target Audience 

• Manual software testers transitioning to test automation.
• Quality assurance analysts and engineers.
• Junior automation engineers.
• Software developers responsible for automated web application testing.
• Test engineers seeking a structured introduction to Selenium.
• Technical professionals with basic programming knowledge who support software quality.

 

Prerequisites 

• Basic understanding of software testing, test cases, and defect reporting.
• Basic Java programming skills, including variables, conditions, loops, methods, classes, and exceptions.
• Familiarity with web browsers and web application navigation.
• Basic understanding of HTML elements and attributes.
• Ability to install software and manage files on a computer.
• Access to a computer with a supported Java Development Kit, an IDE, Maven, and supported web browsers.
• Internet access and permission to download required dependencies and browser drivers.

 

 

 

Course Outline 

Day 1: Test Automation Foundations and Environment Setup

Module 1: Introduction to Test Automation

• Purpose and value of test automation.
• Manual testing and automated testing within the development lifecycle.
• Selecting appropriate scenarios for automation.
• Smoke, regression, and functional test coverage.
• Automation limitations and maintenance considerations.

 Module 2: Selenium Fundamentals and Project Setup

• Selenium components and the role of WebDriver.
• Browser sessions, drivers, and Selenium Manager.
• Configuring Java, an IDE, Maven, and project dependencies.
• Establishing a basic automation project structure.
• Creating and running an initial browser automation script.
• Opening pages, navigating, and closing browser sessions.

  

Day 2: Locators and Core Web Interactions

Module 3: Understanding Web Elements and Locator Strategies

• Inspecting the document structure using browser developer tools.
• Locating elements by ID, name, class name, and link text.
• Creating CSS selectors and XPath expressions.
• Choosing stable and maintainable locators.
• Finding individual elements and collections of elements.
• Reading element text, attributes, and state.

 Module 4: Automating Common Web Controls

• Working with text fields, buttons, and links.
• Handling checkboxes and radio buttons.
• Interacting with standard dropdown lists.
• Working with custom dropdowns.
• Automating form submission and validation workflows.
• Checking visibility, enabled state, and selected state.

  

Day 3: Synchronization and Advanced Browser Interactions

Module 5: Reliable Synchronization

• Understanding dynamic page behavior.
• Implicit and explicit waits.
• Waiting for visibility, clickability, and other relevant conditions.
• Avoiding fixed delays and mixed waiting strategies.
• Handling stale element references.
• Diagnosing timing-related failures.

 Module 6: Handling Complex Web Interactions

• Working with alerts and confirmation dialogs.
• Switching between frames, windows, and tabs.
• Using the Actions API for mouse and keyboard interactions.
• Handling hover actions and drag-and-drop scenarios.
• Uploading files through file input elements.
• Managing browser options, cookies, and screenshots.

  

Day 4: Test Structure and Maintainable Automation

Module 7: Organizing Tests with TestNG

• Creating test classes and test methods.
• Configuring setup and cleanup.
• Writing assertions for expected outcomes.
• Organizing smoke and regression test groups.
• Configuring test suites and execution parameters.
• Keeping tests independent and repeatable.

 Module 8: Page Object Model and Reusable Components

• Separating test intent from page interaction code.
• Creating page classes and reusable page components.
• Encapsulating locators and page actions.
• Organizing shared configuration and browser initialization.
• Applying clear naming and focused utility methods.
• Refactoring basic scripts into maintainable tests.

  

Day 5: Test Data, Diagnostics, and Execution

Module 9: Data-Driven Testing and Failure Investigation

• Parameterizing tests with TestNG data providers.
• Managing valid, invalid, and boundary test data.
• Loading simple external test datasets.
• Controlling test state and cleanup.
• Capturing screenshots and relevant failure details.
• Distinguishing application defects from automation failures.
• Reviewing execution results and resolving flaky tests.

 Module 10: Cross-Browser and Continuous Integration Foundations

• Configuring tests for different browsers.
• Running tests in headless mode.
• Introduction to remote WebDriver and Selenium Grid.
• Understanding parallel execution and isolated browser sessions.
• Running automation suites through Maven.
• Introducing continuous integration triggers and test result artifacts.
• Managing environment configuration and keeping credentials out of source code.

  

Day 6: Capstone Project and Suite Refinement

Module 11: Capstone—Build a Web Application Automation Suite

• Select representative workflows from a sample web application.
• Define positive and negative scenarios for login, search, and form submission.
• Create page objects and reusable interaction components.
• Implement independent tests with assertions and explicit waits.
• Add data-driven coverage for selected scenarios.
• Configure browser selection and smoke or regression groups.
• Capture diagnostic artifacts when tests fail.

 Module 12: Capstone Integration and Maintenance

• Execute the complete suite and investigate failures.
• Verify selected workflows across two supported browsers.
• Refine locators, synchronization, and test data handling.
• Remove duplicated code and improve readability.
• Prepare the suite for continuous integration execution.
• Document setup, execution steps, configuration, and known limitations.
• Identify practical next steps for expanding automation coverage.