Test groups in Selenium Java - Build an Automation Script

Verify login functionality with test groups

Preconditions (2)

Step 1: Open the login page

Step 2: Enter '[e-mail]' in the email field

Step 3: Enter 'Password123' in the password field

Step 4: Click the login button

Step 5: Verify that the user is redirected to the dashboard page

✅ Expected Result: User successfully logs in and dashboard page is displayed

Automation Requirements - TestNG with Selenium WebDriver

Assertions Needed:

Verify current URL is dashboard URL after login

Verify login button is clickable before clicking

Best Practices:

Use @Test(groups = {...}) annotation to assign tests to groups

Use explicit waits to wait for elements

Use Page Object Model to separate page actions

Use assertions from TestNG Assert class

Automated Solution

Selenium Java

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.ExpectedConditions;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.WebDriverWait;
import org.testng.Assert;
import org.testng.annotations.AfterClass;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeClass;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
import java.time.Duration;

public class LoginTest {
    WebDriver driver;
    WebDriverWait wait;

    @BeforeClass
    public void setUp() {
        driver = new ChromeDriver();
        wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
        driver.manage().window().maximize();
    }

    @Test(groups = {"smoke", "login"})
    public void testValidLogin() {
        driver.get("https://example.com/login");

        WebElement emailField = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("email")));
        emailField.sendKeys("[e-mail]");

        WebElement passwordField = driver.findElement(By.id("password"));
        passwordField.sendKeys("Password123");

        WebElement loginButton = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("loginBtn")));
        loginButton.click();

        wait.until(ExpectedConditions.urlContains("/dashboard"));
        String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl();
        Assert.assertTrue(currentUrl.contains("/dashboard"), "User is not redirected to dashboard after login");
    }

    @AfterClass
    public void tearDown() {
        if (driver != null) {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

This test uses TestNG with Selenium WebDriver to automate the login test case.

Setup: The @BeforeClass method initializes the ChromeDriver and WebDriverWait for explicit waits.

Test method: The @Test annotation includes groups = {"smoke", "login"} to assign this test to two groups. This allows running tests selectively by group.

We open the login page, wait for the email field to be visible, enter the email and password, then wait until the login button is clickable before clicking it.

After clicking, we wait until the URL contains '/dashboard' to confirm navigation, then assert that the current URL is correct.

Teardown: The @AfterClass method closes the browser.

This structure follows best practices: explicit waits avoid flaky tests, grouping allows flexible test runs, and assertions verify expected outcomes.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

Not using explicit waits before interacting with elements

Hardcoding URLs or credentials inside test methods

Not assigning tests to groups or using inconsistent group names

Using Thread.sleep() instead of explicit waits

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different sets of login credentials (valid and invalid)

Show Hint

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using groups in Selenium Java tests?

easy

A. To change the browser used in tests

B. To organize tests into categories for selective execution

C. To automatically generate test reports

D. To increase the speed of the WebDriver

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of test groups

   Test groups help organize tests into categories, making it easier to run specific sets of tests.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct purpose

   Groups do not affect WebDriver speed, report generation, or browser choice directly.

3. Final Answer:

   To organize tests into categories for selective execution -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Test groups = Organize tests [OK]

Hint: Groups categorize tests to run only what you need [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking groups speed up WebDriver
• Confusing groups with report generation
• Assuming groups change browser settings

2. Which is the correct syntax to assign a test method to groups "smoke" and "regression" in TestNG?

easy

A. @Test(groups = {"smoke", "regression"})

B. @Test(group = "smoke, regression")

C. @Test(groups = "smoke, regression")

D. @Test(groups = ["smoke", "regression"])

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall TestNG groups syntax

   The correct syntax uses groups = {"group1", "group2"} with curly braces and double quotes for each group.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   @Test(groups = {"smoke", "regression"}) matches the correct syntax. Options A, B, and D misuse quotes or attribute name. @Test(groups = ["smoke", "regression"]) uses square brackets which is invalid in Java annotations.

3. Final Answer:

   @Test(groups = {"smoke", "regression"}) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Groups use curly braces and quotes [OK]

Hint: Use curly braces and quotes for multiple groups [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'group' instead of 'groups'
• Passing groups as a single string
• Using square brackets instead of curly braces

3. Given the following TestNG test methods, which tests will run if you execute only the "fast" group?

@Test(groups = {"fast"})
public void testA() {}

@Test(groups = {"slow"})
public void testB() {}

@Test(groups = {"fast", "regression"})
public void testC() {}

medium

A. testA only

B. testB only

C. testA and testC

D. testB and testC

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify tests with group "fast"

   testA has group "fast"; testC has groups "fast" and "regression"; testB has "slow" only.

2. Step 2: Determine which tests run when "fast" group is executed

   Only tests assigned to "fast" group run, so testA and testC run; testB does not.

3. Final Answer:

   testA and testC -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Run group "fast" = testA, testC [OK]

Hint: Run group runs all tests tagged with it [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Running tests from other groups
• Ignoring tests with multiple groups
• Assuming only single-group tests run

4. What is wrong with this TestNG test method if the intention is to assign it to groups "ui" and "integration"?

@Test(groups = "ui, integration")
public void testUIIntegration() {}

medium

A. Groups should be passed as an array, not a single string

B. The method name is invalid

C. The annotation @Test is missing parentheses

D. Groups attribute is not supported in @Test

Solution

1. Step 1: Check groups attribute format

   Groups must be passed as an array of strings using curly braces, not a single comma-separated string.

2. Step 2: Identify the error in the code

   The code uses a single string "ui, integration" instead of {"ui", "integration"}.

3. Final Answer:

   Groups should be passed as an array, not a single string -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Groups need array syntax [OK]

Hint: Use curly braces for multiple groups [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Passing groups as one string with commas
• Forgetting curly braces for arrays
• Misunderstanding annotation syntax

5. You have three test methods:

@Test(groups = {"sanity"})
public void testLogin() {}

@Test(groups = {"regression", "sanity"})
public void testCheckout() {}

@Test(groups = {"regression"})
public void testSearch() {}

How would you run only the tests that belong exclusively to the "sanity" group, excluding those that also belong to "regression"?

hard

A. Run tests with groups "sanity" and "regression" together

B. Run all tests with group "sanity" only

C. Run tests with group "regression" only

D. Run tests with group "sanity" and exclude group "regression" in the TestNG XML

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify tests with only "sanity" group

   testLogin belongs only to "sanity"; testCheckout belongs to both "regression" and "sanity"; testSearch belongs only to "regression".

2. Step 2: Determine how to run only exclusive "sanity" tests

   Use TestNG XML to include "sanity" group and exclude "regression" group to run only testLogin.

3. Final Answer:

   Run tests with group "sanity" and exclude group "regression" in the TestNG XML -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Include "sanity" exclude "regression" = exclusive tests [OK]

Hint: Include one group, exclude others in XML to filter tests [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Running all tests with "sanity" ignoring exclusions
• Running "regression" group instead
• Running both groups together without filtering