Hands-On Review: Use Katalon Studio 7 To Simplify Automation

In-Depth Overview of the Impressive Features of Katalon Studio 7:

Katalon Studio is a user-friendly and straightforward solution for automated testing of Web, API, Mobile, and Desktop applications.

Katalon Studio 7 (KS7), the latest version, introduces several significant changes and updates, including Smart execution, Desktop App Testing, Test Artifacts Sharing, Private Plugin Capabilities, and more.

Now let’s delve into these new features!

Katalon Studio 7: A Comprehensive Evaluation Of The Finest Codeless Automation Tool

This article aims to provide an overview of the outstanding features offered by Katalon Studio 7.

Before we begin, you can download the tool from the link provided below. It’s completely free.

=> Download Katalon Studio from the Official Website

Let’s get started!

Desktop App Testing

The latest release of KS7 introduces an exciting feature – automation of desktop apps.

KS7 supports Selenium-based automated testing of UI for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, including Universal Windows Platform (UWP), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Windows Forms (WinForms), and Classic Windows (Win32).

You can run tests locally (on macOS and Linux) or remotely to test the app from a different Windows device. If you are familiar with the Spy Tool or Recording and Playback capabilities for testing on the web or mobile, you can also apply them to desktop app testing using the features called Spy Windows Objects and Record Windows Action.

These functions simplify the configuration process, allowing your teams to focus more on inspecting locators, recording actions, and other essential tasks.

Moreover, KS7 provides a rich set of built-in Windows keywords to streamline test steps and expand testing capabilities. It covers the testing needs of various automation platforms, including web apps, APIs, mobile apps, and desktop apps.

Smart Waits And Execution

The majority of web applications nowadays utilize Ajax and JavaScript techniques. As a result, the page may load successfully, but the elements on the page might not be ready or loaded at different time intervals.

Automating such web apps can be challenging and may lead to timing issues. Typically, there are two types of waits used to handle this situation: Explicit waits and Implicit waits.

An explicit wait is a code that you define to wait for a specific condition before proceeding with further steps.

An implicit wait instructs the WebDriver to poll the DOM (Document Object Model) for a specified amount of time while trying to find web elements if they are not immediately available on the web pages.

However, even with explicit or implicit waits set, you may still encounter exceptions when attempting to use an element that hasn’t finished loading due to Ajax or JavaScript calls. Misuse or failure to follow best practices of explicit and implicit waits can result in unpredictable wait times.

Katalon Studio 7 addresses these issues with the introduction of Smart Waits. This feature helps detect unsuccessful element loadings on websites without the need for additional scripting.

Smart Waits instruct the WebDriver to wait for the page to complete loading before performing any operations. The mechanism ensures that all front-end processes, including JavaScript or Ajax, complete their tasks before moving on to the next automation step, thereby reducing the likelihood of failures.

You can enable Smart Waits for all web elements in a test project from the Project Settings or choose to apply it to specific test elements only.

Test Artifacts Sharing

Katalon Studio 7 allows you to export and import Test Artifacts across different projects using the Test Artifacts sharing feature. This feature is beneficial when working on multiple projects and aiming to enhance test reusability by sharing or reusing Test Artifacts.

Test Artifacts encompass test cases, test objects, profiles, and custom keywords. This feature saves time and eliminates the need to recreate existing assets.

Private Plugin And Offline Activation

In previous versions, plugins could only be downloaded from www.store.katalon.com. However, the latest version enables users to build private plugins and distribute them directly, without the need to upload them to the Katalon Store. Private plugins are exclusively utilized by authenticated organizational users and are not available for public use.

The three installation options provided are:

• Katalon Store and Local: Katalon Studio installs plugins from both the Katalon Store and the Plugins folder of each project.
• Katalon Store: Katalon Studio installs plugins from the Katalon Store only.
• Local: Katalon Studio installs plugins from the Plugins folder only.

The new version also incorporates enhanced privacy and security features to support offline activation mechanisms, catering to network security compliance requirements.

Cybersecurity is a major concern for enterprises due to the potential exposure of sensitive information online. If a tool cannot be used offline, additional measures must be taken to ensure security.

With local storage of projects and data, there is no risk of data breaches over the internet. Additionally, the Enterprise license allows disabling all internet connection mechanisms, such as version updates or usage statistics collection.

Custom Test Data Sources

Starting from version 7.0.0, Katalon Studio allows users to configure additional database sources using the supported JDBC Driver field. JDBC stands for Java Database Connectivity and is the Java API used for connecting to and executing queries with databases.

These settings enable you to establish a global database connection that can be utilized by other features of Katalon Studio. The supported databases include MySQL, SQLServer, Oracle, and Postgres.

Test Objects And Custom Keywords Refactoring

Test Object Refactoring allows you to view and manage unused Test Objects. This feature provides insights into which objects are useful and easy to organize, ensuring an up-to-date and organized object repository. For large and long-term projects, this feature is crucial in maintaining a clean and efficient object repository.

An unused Test Object refers to any web, web service, mobile, or Windows Test Object that is not referenced in any test case, test listener, or keyword. Removing such unused objects enhances project cleanliness.

Custom Keyword Refactoring is a new feature that enables you to move a Custom Keyword from one package to another. Katalon Studio automatically updates the new package and keyword identifier in the Test Scripts, eliminating manual updates.

In addition to the features mentioned above, Katalon Studio 7 offers various other functionalities, including manual uploading of Test Suite Collections’ results to Katalon TestOps, SSH connection to Git, Test Explorer customization, Custom Keywords refactoring, and more.

Conclusion

In summary, Katalon Studio 7 is a promising, comprehensive, and highly user-friendly tool for test automation, complementing its already impressive set of features.

Based on Selenium, the most popular open-source automation tool, Katalon Studio offers advanced features and reliable stability. If you are a Selenium enthusiast, you will undoubtedly appreciate Katalon Studio and its capabilities for your automation projects.

We hope this review has provided you with valuable insights into the new features of Katalon Studio 7. You can download Katalon Studio for free from the official Katalon website.

Have you tried Katalon Studio 7 yet? Feel free to share your experiences and queries in the comments below.