Ensuring Reliable Element Verification in Katalon Studio

The information in this blog post is based on a real-life scenario shared by a user on our Katalon Community forum and is intended to inspire peer-to-peer discussion and collaboration. Please always test solutions thoroughly before implementing them in a production environment.

Feel free to continue the discussion here.

When automating web testing with Katalon Studio, it’s crucial to ensure that the elements you’re interacting with are both present and functioning as expected. A recent discussion on the Katalon Community forum highlighted common challenges testers face, such as verifying whether a textbox field is enabled or not. In this post, we’ll dive into best practices for element verification, including how to avoid common pitfalls like MissingMethodException errors.
 

The Importance of Element Verification

Element verification is essential in web automation to ensure that your test scripts interact with the correct web elements. A well-verified element reduces the chances of flaky tests and increases the reliability of your automation suite.

Common Pitfalls in Element Verification

One of the issues raised in the forum was the incorrect usage of the verifyElementClickable method, which led to a MissingMethodException error. This error typically occurs when the method is supplied with an incorrect number of parameters, often due to confusion between the need for a timeout value and the method’s default parameters.

Best Practices for Verifying Textbox Fields

1. Ensure Element Presence First

Before checking if an element is clickable, always verify its presence using WebUI.verifyElementPresent. This step ensures that the element exists in the DOM and is ready for further interaction.

2. Avoid Incorrect Method Usage

The verifyElementClickable method in Katalon Studio does not accept a timeout parameter by default. Instead, you should rely on WebUI.waitForElementVisible to ensure the element is visible before attempting to verify its clickability.

3. Utilize FailureHandling Options

For more streamlined code, consider using the FailureHandling option directly within the verifyElementClickable method. This allows the script to automatically stop execution if the element is not clickable, thereby reducing the need for extensive conditional logic.

WebUI.verifyElementClickable(Company_textField, FailureHandling.STOP_ON_FAILURE)

4. Handle Errors Gracefully

When a verification step fails, it’s important to handle the error in a way that provides clear feedback. Using KeywordUtil.markFailedAndStop ensures that any issues are immediately highlighted, making it easier to diagnose and fix problems.

Example Code Implementation

Here’s an example that incorporates these best practices:

TestObject Company_textField = findTestObject('CompanyTextBox')

// Step 1: Verify if the text-box field for Company is present
WebUI.waitForElementVisible(Company_textField, 10)

boolean isElementPresent = WebUI.verifyElementPresent(Company_textField, 10)
if (!isElementPresent) {
    KeywordUtil.markFailedAndStop("Company field was not found, terminating execution")
}

// Step 2: Verify if the text-box field for Company is clickable
WebUI.verifyElementClickable(Company_textField, FailureHandling.STOP_ON_FAILURE)

Conclusion

Verifying web elements effectively in Katalon Studio is key to creating robust automated tests. By following best practices, such as ensuring element presence and avoiding common mistakes, you can improve the reliability and maintainability of your test scripts.

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