Skip to main content

Best Practices for Initial and Long-Term Project Structure

Setting up a well-organized structure is essential for maintainability and scalability when building a test automation project with Ranorex. Below, find some important guidelines to help you design an initial and long-term project structure. 

To start is important to take these initial considerations:

  • Keep tests simple and logical: Avoid overcomplicating test cases by breaking them down into small, manageable modules.
  • Reuse modules: Focus on building reusable modules that can be used across different tests, avoiding code duplication.
  • Design for flexibility: Use parameters and variables in modules to handle different inputs dynamically, allowing your tests to scale efficiently.
  • Organize and structure: Structure your project with clear, logical folders based on features or test areas.
  • Documentation: Complete documentation keeps your test suite organized, eases maintainability, and improves teamwork.

Project Folder Structure

A well-defined folder structure enhances collaboration, improves test suite readability, and ensures long-term scalability. Consider the following information when setting up your Ranorex project:

Folder Organization

  • Group by functionality: Create folders for different test categories. 
  • Use separate folders for different test types: Separate recorded modules and code modules to clarify their different roles.
  • Keep the structure flat: Avoid deep nesting of folders, which can complicate maintenance and readability. Limit nesting to 5-6 levels.

Further reading: Review Solution explorer for more information on how to add new items to your project and keep it organized.

Naming Conventions and Documentation

  • Use descriptive names for test cases, modules, and variables to ensure clarity and prevent confusion.
  • Give names to your test containers, modules, repository items, and data connectors using naming conventions. 
  • Add descriptions to the test suite itself, test containers, and modules. These descriptions are included in your report, making it easier to understand. Review more about test suite basics in this article.

Test Design Modules

Create Reusable Modules

  • Reuse based on common functionality: Reusable modules should perform specific actions that can be reused across multiple tests.
  • Keep modules simple: Aim for simple, focused modules that perform one action or a logical sequence of actions.

Use Variables and Parameters

  • Bind variables to test data: Bind variables to external data sources or parameters.
  • Make modules flexible: Use parameters for input values to use the same module in different contexts.

Further Reading: For more information on variables, managing and assigning data sources, and parameters. Review the articles under Ranorex Studio Advanced > Data-Driven Testing.

Setup and Teardown Modules

  • Use Smart Folders for setup/teardown: To avoid duplication, group setup and teardown operations (like opening/closing applications and logging in/out) in dedicated modules.

Further Reading: For more information on Smart Folders and Setup/teardown regions, review Test Suite Structure.

Long-Term Maintenance and Scalability

Keep Tests Independent

  • Design independent test cases: Avoid dependencies between tests. Each test should run on its own without relying on previous tests.
  • Use setup/teardown regions: Enclose test environment setup and teardown to ensure each test initializes and cleans up as needed.

Polish Regularly

  • Review and clean up: Review your test suite periodically to remove obsolete modules, repository items, or test cases.
  • Keep it simple: If tests become too complex or difficult to maintain, consider refactoring them into smaller, more focused tests.

Version Control and CI Integration

Version Control Integration

  • Use version control: Put your Ranorex project under version control (Git, Subversion, and TFVC) to track changes, collaborate with team members, and roll back changes when necessary. It is important to use version control from the start.
  • Commit frequently: Make small, frequent commits with meaningful messages to maintain a clear version history.

Further Reading: For more information on Version Control, review the articles under the Source Control and Revision Control.

Continuous Integration (CI)

  • Automate test execution: Integrate Ranorex tests into a Continuous Integration pipeline to run tests automatically on every code push or schedule.
  • Ensure environment compatibility: When using CI, ensure the test environment is correctly set up for UI testing (i.e., avoid headless modes unless explicitly supported).

Further Reading: Review more of Continuous Integration.

Test Results and Reporting

  • Generate detailed reports: Configure Ranorex to produce JUnit-compatible XML reports, which can be easily interpreted and integrated with CI tools.
  • Analyze reports: The reports can help you to identify test failures and potential issues with your application.

Following these best practices to build a Ranorex test automation framework that is scalable, maintainable, and efficient. Proper structure, modular design, and integration with CI tools will ensure that your test suite remains flexible and adaptable to changes in the application under test.

Was this article helpful?