Framework Design

Utilities & Config Management

Learning Outcome

4

Implement configuration files (e.g., properties, JSON) for flexibility

3

Manage test data and configuration separately from test scripts

2

Learn how to create reusable utility functions for common tasks

1

Understand the role of utilities in automation frameworks

5

Improve code reusability and reduce duplication in frameworks

Recall

To understand Utilities & Config Management, you need to revise the topics like

 

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts (reusability, classes, methods)

Basics of Selenium WebDriver (common actions and driver handling)

File handling concepts (reading/writing files)

Test automation framework basics

Understanding of different environments (QA, UAT, Production)

Basics of configuration files (properties, JSON, YAML)

Code reusability and modular design principles

Think of an automation framework like running a hotel:

 

Utilities = Hotel Staff Tools

Utilities are like helpers used by staff for repeated tasks:

 

Housekeeping tools → cleaning rooms (like reusable functions)

Reception desk support → check-in/check-out handling

Billing calculator → payment calculations

Staff don’t create new tools every time—they reuse the same ones.
Similarly, utilities are common reusable methods used across tests.

Config Management = Hotel Settings Book

 

Configuration files are like a hotel rule/settings book:

 

Instead of changing everything manually, staff just refer to the book.

  • Room prices (test data)

  • Wi-Fi settings (URLs)

  • Staff rules for different branches (QA, UAT, Prod environments)

Similarly, config files store environment-specific settings outside the code.

 

  • Utilities = reusable helpers (tools)

  • Config = centralized settings (rule book)

Why are Utilities and Configuration Management important?

 

To avoid code duplication by creating reusable utility functions

To keep test scripts clean, simple, and focused on test logic

To separate test data and configuration from automation code

To enable easy maintenance when application or environment changes

To support multiple environments like QA, UAT, and Production

To improve framework flexibility and scalability

To make updates faster by changing values in one central place

To build a structured and professional automation framework

What are Utilities ?

 

 

Examples:

 

  • Browser setup and teardown

  • Wait handling

  • Screenshot capture

  • Reading/writing Excel or JSON data

Purpose: To avoid repetition and keep test scripts clean.

 

Utilities are reusable helper functions or classes in an automation framework that perform common operations across test scripts.

Utilities in Project Setup (utils package)

 

Location:  src/test/java/utils

 Purpose:
           To store reusable common functions used across the framework.

 

 Common Utility Classes:

 

✔️WebDriverUtility

  • Browser setup & teardown

  • Window maximize

  • Implicit/explicit waits

✔️ ScreenshotUtility

  • Capture screenshots on failure

  • Save in reports folder

What is Configuration Management?

 

Configuration Management is the process of storing and managing environment settings and test data externally instead of hardcoding them in scripts.

 

Examples:

 

  • URL of application

  • Browser type

  • Username/password

  • Environment details (QA, UAT, Prod)

Usually stored in files like:

 

  • config.properties

  • JSON

  • YAML

 Purpose:
           To make the framework flexible and easy to maintain.

 

Configuration Management Project Setup

 

Location:

 

src/main/resources/config.properties

 

Example config.properties:

 

 

browser=chrome

url=https://example.com

username=admin

password=admin123

timeout=10

 

Purpose:

        Stores environment and application settings outside code

 

Config Reader Utility

 

Example:

 

public class ConfigReader 
{
 Properties prop;
public ConfigReader() {
       FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream("config.properties");
       prop = new Properties();
       prop.load(fis);
   }
   public String getBrowser() {
       return prop.getProperty("browser");
   }
   public String getUrl() {
       return prop.getProperty("url");
   }
}

Config Reader Utility

 

Usage in Test:

 

ConfigReader config = new ConfigReader();
driver.get(config.getUrl());

 Benefits:

 

 

  • No hardcoding in scripts

  • Easy environment switching (QA/UAT/Prod)

  • Centralized configuration control

  • Flexible framework

AutomationFramework/

 

 

│

├── src/test/java

│   ├── tests/

│   ├── pages/

│   └── utils/

│

├── src/main/resources

│   ├── config.properties

│   ├── testdata.json

│

├── drivers/

├── reports/

└── pom.xml


 

 Real Project Flow

 

 

Step 1:

Read config → browser + URL

 

Step 2 :

Launch browser using WebDriverUtility

 

Step 3:

Execute test using Page Objects

 

Use utilities for waits, screenshots, etc.

 

Step 5:

Generate reports

 

Step 4 :

Summary

4

3

2

1

WebElements represent HTML elements on a web page in Selenium.

5

Check element states: displayed, enabled, selected.

 

Perform actions: click, type, clear, submit.

1

Utilities provide reusable functions for common automation tasks.

2

They handle actions like waits, screenshots, and browser setup efficiently.

3

Test data and configuration are managed separately from test scripts.

4

Configuration files (properties/JSON) improve flexibility of the framework.

This approach reduces duplication and enhances reusability, maintainability, and scalability.

Quiz

What is stored in Configuration Management files?

A. Only test scripts

B. UI locators only

C. Environment settings like URL and browser

D. Only test reports

 

Quiz - Answer

What is stored in Configuration Management files?

A. Only test scripts

B. UI locators only

D. Only test reports

 

C. Environment settings like URL and browser

Framework Design (Utilities & Config Management)

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Framework Design (Utilities & Config Management)

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