in reply to Re^2: Wisdom on how to build a "stressful simulation test" with Selenium & POE
in thread Wisdom on how to build a "stressful simulation test" with Selenium & POE
The approach is that you parse out all the possible actions on a page (links, forms, etc.), numbering them in order. The genetic part is just an array of numbers, with each entry being the number of the action to take on that page. Give it a goal to reach (like "put an item in the cart"), and pick the ones that reach that the best goal (by some measure of "best") and throw out the rest.
I didn't get too far with some of the details (like how to handle complex forms), but it was already clear that you couldn't do it with just a moderately powerful workstation.
It might work for stress tests rather than functional test.
If you're unfamiliar with genetic algorithms, don't worry, they're easy. Here's a good intro: A Beginning Guide To Evolutionary Algorithms
"There is no shame in being self-taught, only in not trying to learn in the first place." -- Atrus, Myst: The Book of D'ni.