Executing WebUI Feature Files across Multiple Browsers

Parallel testing and distributed testing techniques provide the ability to execute WebUI feature files across various browsers. In this article, we explore how to use these approaches with Karate and Zalenium.

Using Parallel Runner

The parallel runner in Karate allows you to execute each row of an Examples table in parallel. To leverage this for executing feature files against multiple browsers, move the driver configuration into the Feature. Consider the following example:

Scenario Outline: 
  * def webUrlBase = karate.properties['web.url.base']
  * configure driver = { type: '#(type)', showDriverLog: true }

  * driver webUrlBase   '/page-01'
  * match text('#placeholder') == 'Before'
  * click('{}Click Me')
  * match text('#placeholder') == 'After'

Examples:
  | type         |
  | chrome       |
  | geckodriver  |

By executing this Scenario Outline with the parallel runner, Karate will execute the tests in parallel against the specified browsers.

Another Scenario Outline Pattern

Alternatively, you can create a "special" feature that contains a Scenario Outline for parallelizing UI tests. This feature calls the main feature's scenarios. For instance, you could have the following in your special feature:

Scenario Outline: 
  * configure driver = config
  * call read('main.feature')

Examples:
  | config!                  |
  | { type: 'chromedriver' } | 
  | { type: 'geckodriver' }  | 
  | { type: 'safaridriver' } |

Additional Approaches

Beyond using the parallel runner, you can explore other techniques:

• Reusing the same browser instance for all tests (as is done in Karate CI's regression test)
• Utilizing services like LambdaTest or BrowserStack to run tests on their cloud infrastructure with multiple browsers

Conclusion

By employing parallel runner or distributed testing techniques, you can execute WebUI feature files against multiple browsers. Karate provides versatile capabilities to enable these approaches, empowering you to enhance the scope and efficiency of your UI testing efforts.