Automated Testing

Among the most important functional aspects of an Enterprise Web Content Management System such as TYPO3 are its connectivity with the client’s existing software architecture and the ease with which it integrates into business-critical processes.

Automated Testing is designed to ensure that complete websites and their on-board or connected applications work smoothly and consistently. Since there are many opportunities for potential gremlins to strike in a complex web CMS, rigorous testing is essential. The business logic must be reviewed in the Backend and reusable components identified. Meanwhile, in the Frontend, the processing of forms data, visual presentation of templates, feeds, web services or Ajax must function perfectly. Alongside the testing of individual components, a complete System Test must also be carried out to evaluate the CMS as a whole with regard to performance requirements.

At AOE media we systematically apply two important test methods within our overall quality assurance review.

To test the visualization of business logic processes we use PHPUnit and to test Frontend functions – those that appear in the Browser – we use Selenium.

At AOE media we already apply both of these test methods at the development stage. Thus our Selenium-based Frontend tests are automatically carried out by unit tests, in order to have the latest test data flow regularly integrated into the development process.

In addition the test cases thus drawn up help ensure the quality of newly created releases in the context of so-called regression-tests. Regression testing involves the repeating of test cases, in order to identify the effects of program code changes in already tested software application components. This test method enables AOE media to keep its release cycles short and deliver a fast Time-to-Market.

Backend testing with PHPUnit

Automated testing, using the test framework PHPUnit, is carried out in accordance with pre-defined rules.

This involves sequential testing of implementable code fragments, so-called Units, for error-free function. The once-tested code is then augmented with further implementable unit elements before being tested again. This ensures that the developers always have ready-tested and positively evaluated code available for every new phase of programming. thanks to a specially developed extension, all these test phases can be directly run from TYPO3, thus enabling not only a control of the programming, but also, for example, the immediate correction  of any erroneous code found in an embedded application.

More information on AOE media’s use of automated unit tests and so-called “Red-Green” testing with PHPUnit can be found here:

Browser testing with Selenium

Selenium is an effective, HTML and JavaScript-based, test framework for the swift and efficient proofing of website content. Selenium enables the automated proofing and dry-running of any web application through a variety of tests. To this end, not only individual tests, but also entire test suites can be drawn up. Thus the behavior of a particular integrated application, such as an online form, can be tested, for example, with regard to different types of web-browser. In addition, via the Firefox add-in “Selenium IDE”, such tests can be directly carried out and viewed within a Firefox-Browser.

The new TYPO3 extension, "selenium"

AOE media’s newly developed TYPO3 extension “selenium” lets developers easily carry out entire Selenium Test Suites in the Backend. This extension also enables the problem-free writing of automated, PHPUnit-based, Selenium-Tests.

This Backend module is published as a freeware extension and can thus be downloaded from the TYPO3 Online Repository (TER).