Use Low Code as a springboard for learning

I have been using Ghost Inspector to automate tests that run through the UI for a few years. It is an automation tool which says “No coding required”. If you are not a programmer you can use Ghost Inspector to automate tests. You can also use Ghost Inspector to learn about development practices and coding.

Tests can be created using Ghost Inspector’s UI, you can insert a css selector or xpath next to “click” or “element is present”, so you do not need to be able to code.You can also create tests by importing other tests into your test. This means that, instead of creating the log in steps each time your tests log in to the app, you can create a test that logs in, and import this login test wherever you need to login. Creating a module like a “login test” means that if the login changes you only need to update the login test and not the steps wherever the tests login to the app. This really reduces the costs of maintaining your tests. It also makes it easier to create new tests as you can use the modules you have created to build new tests. If your tests are built from modules you have learned to use modularisation.

Variables can be used to hold values that you use in your tests, for example a variable could hold the value for a commonly used css selector. Variables can be used throughout your tests. If you do this and the selector changes, instead of having to update the selector wherever it occurs in your tests you only need to update the value held in the variable. This will reduce the cost of  maintaining your tests. Variables can be scoped for the test, the test suite or for all your tests. Using variables can help you create test suites more quickly too as you can use the variable rather than having to find the css selector or xpath. Learning to use variables is a programming skill.

Ghost Inspector is a test tool that has a JavaScript sandbox and you can use this to learn JavaScript. JavaScript can be used to enhance your tests and there are lots of free resources that you can use to learn JavaScript.You can learn at your own pace and add JavaScript steps to your tests as you learn.

Test automation tools like Ghost Inspector do not require you to be able to write code and you can use it to learn development skills such as how to use modularisation and variables and to start writing JavaScript.