Self healing automation: How to use Healenium?

If you’ve ever worked on an automated testing project, you know how frustrating it can be when a test case fails due to a change in the UI that was not anticipated. This is where Healenium comes in. Healenium is a library that allows you to create “auto-healing” test cases, which automatically identify and fix broken elements in a webpage.

Healenium works by taking a snapshot of the expected UI state before a test case is run. If the test case fails, Healenium will compare the current UI state with the snapshot and identify the elements that have changed. It then uses machine learning algorithms to suggest fixes for these broken elements, which can be applied automatically to the test case.

In this blog post, we’ll walk through the process of setting up Healenium in your automated testing project and using it to create auto-healing test cases. We’ll also discuss some best practices for using Healenium to ensure that your test cases are as effective as possible.

Let’s start: How to use Healenium?

Before you can start using Healenium, you’ll need to install it and any required dependencies in your project. Healenium is available as a npm package, so you can install it using the following command:

npm install healenium

Once Healenium is installed, you’ll need to import it into your test file and configure it with your project’s API key. You can obtain an API key by signing up for a free Healenium account.

Here’s an example of how to configure Healenium in your test file:

import { configure, getSnapshot } from 'healenium';

configure({
  apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY_HERE',
});

describe('My test suite', () => {
  beforeAll(async () => {
    await getSnapshot('homepage');
  });

  // Test cases go here
});

In the example above, we used the getSnapshot function to take a snapshot of the homepage before the test suite is run. This snapshot will be used as the reference point for identifying and fixing broken elements during the test.

How to create auto-healing test cases with Healenium?

Now that you’ve set up Healenium in your project, you can start using it to create auto-healing test cases. The process for creating an auto-healing test case with Healenium is as follows:

1. Take a snapshot of the expected UI state before the test case is run.
2. Run the test case.
3. If the test case fails, use Healenium’s API to identify the broken elements in the UI.
4. Use Healenium’s machine learning algorithms to suggest fixes for the broken elements.
5. Apply the suggested fixes to the test case.
6. Run the test case again.

Here’s an example of how to use Healenium’s API to identify and fix broken elements in a test case:

import { findBrokenElements, applyFixes } from 'healenium';

it('should display the correct header text', async () => {
  const headerText = await page.evaluate(() => document.querySelector('h1').textContent);
  expect(headerText).toEqual('Welcome to our website!');

  try {
    await page.waitForSelector('h1');
  } catch (error) {
    // Test case has failed, so let's try to fix it with Healenium
    const brokenElements = await findBrokenElements();
    await applyFixes(brokenElements);

    // Run the test case again
    const fixedHeaderText = await page.evaluate(() => document.querySelector('h1').textContent);
    expect(fixedHeaderText).toEqual('Welcome to our website!');
  }
});

In the example above, we first tried to locate the h1 element and extract its text content. If the test case fails (e.g. because the h1 element is not found), we use the findBrokenElements function to identify the broken elements in the UI. We then pass these broken elements to the applyFixes function, which uses Healenium’s machine learning algorithms to suggest fixes. Finally, we run the test case again to see if the fixes were successful.

Healenium best practices

Here are some tips for writing effective auto-healing test cases with Healenium:

• Make sure to take a snapshot of the expected UI state before each test case, so that Healenium has a reference point for identifying and fixing broken elements.
• Use descriptive names for your snapshots, so it’s easy to understand which UI state they correspond to.
• Consider using multiple snapshots for a single test case, to provide more context for Healenium’s machine learning algorithms.
• Don’t rely on Healenium to fix every broken element in your UI. Some issues may require manual intervention to resolve.
• Use Healenium in conjunction with other testing tools and techniques, such as visual regression testing and accessibility testing.

Conclusion and next steps

Healenium is a powerful tool for creating auto-healing test cases that can adapt to changes in the UI. By setting up Healenium in your project and using its API to identify and fix broken elements, you can save time and effort in maintaining your automated tests.

If you’re interested in learning more about Healenium, be sure to check out the official documentation and resources on the Healenium website. You can also join the Healenium community on GitHub to get support and share your experiences with other users.

Happy testing!