What is Regression Testing? Definition from WhatIs com

The testing team does not directly start with automation during the new build. There are manual and automation teams when the new version and modifications start. Regression testing (rarely, non-regression testing) is re-running functional and non-functional tests to ensure that previously developed and tested software still performs as expected after a change. https://globalcloudteam.com/ When several modules are affected by a code change and the influence of any one module’s modification on another is unclear, complete regression is performed. To see if the altered code has caused any modifications, the entire product is reverted. The majority of testing activities can be automated in the domain of automated regression testing services.

You have to successfully deal with the following challenges to smoothly proceed with regression tests. On the other hand, regression testing means rerunning the new or obsolete test cases to ensure that the new changes in the code have not affected the existing code. While re-testing means repeating the previously executed test cases only, regression testing may have new test cases along with the old ones.

Bug regression

Functional tests exercise the complete program with various inputs. Unit tests exercise individual functions, subroutines, or object methods. Both functional testing tools and unit-testing tools tend to be automated and are often third-party products that are not part of the compiler suite. A functional test may be a scripted series of program inputs, possibly even involving an automated mechanism for controlling mouse movements and clicks. A unit test may be a set of separate functions within the code itself or a driver layer that links to the code without altering the code being tested.

This testing is one of the mandatory steps performed before the release of the product. Also, user-facing functionalities and integral backend issues should be verified with regular regression tests. A collaborative approach to regression testing can be fruitful in helping developers combine the benefits of both testing approaches. Although this may be done through manual testing procedures using programming techniques, it is often done using automated testing tools.

Hybrid strategy

The other main types are functional testing, sanity testing, and smoke testing. Progressive regression testing is only used when development has uncovered problems and made changes to software specifications. Because of these new changes, testers have to create new test cases, leading to some obsolete test cases. This test is appropriate when development has made major or minor changes to selected modules within the software, what is regression testing and there’s no need to test modules that haven’t been changed. Developers have introduced new code, but they didn’t focus on ensuring that it’s compatible with the old code, so regression testing can help find any potential issues. Testing of a previously tested program following modification to ensure that defects have not been introduced or uncovered in unchanged areas of the software, as a result of the changes made.

Includes test cases that are not providing high project value but are crucial to avoid tech debt and complications for developers. Dividing manual and automated tests into two separate groups is the best way to avoid miscommunication within the team and keep reports in order. Maintaining a software product without regression testing will result in massive tech debt and a decrease in the level of user satisfaction. Regression testing is implemented to determine whether the addition of a new feature or the correction of an existing problem resulted in the creation of a new error. Regression testing for a mobile app and a web app doesn’t differ significantly from one another, except for the platform. Validates code functionality while ensuring its compatibility with the existing features.

Q1. Why is regression testing critical?

It’s only used when development has completely reworked the software. Testers run test execution on every old and new test case, most often through automated test scripts, to ensure everything is working well. Unit regression testing uses a more isolated approach to testing code changes. This type of test is best when a few modules have been changed, so testers run unit testing only on the changed code without considering any other dependencies on other code units. This type of testing is costly, which is why it’s used only when there are major changes in code or a big release.

• A unit test may be a set of separate functions within the code itself or a driver layer that links to the code without altering the code being tested.
• It supports various browsers and operating systems, making it a versatile option for regression testing.
• Regression tests can be run for weekly releases once Functional Testing for the modifications is complete.
• Regression testing is implemented to determine whether the addition of a new feature or the correction of an existing problem resulted in the creation of a new error.

The hybrid approach combines test case prioritization and regression test selection. Choose exactly the test cases that are repeated based on priority rather than choosing the whole test suite. Reusable regression testing suite and obsolete test cases are the two major categories into which test cases fall. While obsolete test cases cannot be used in expected regression cycles, reusable test scenarios can be used. To ensure that the code still functions properly after modifications have been made and the new unit merges with older or existing code, partial regression is used. To ensure that the original or unaltered code is not impacted, this is more like a quality control measure to see if the new code is compatible with the older code.

Regression test techniques

Most people believe that retesting and regression testing is the same. However, that is not true; both these terms have a separate meaning. For instance, you remove the remember password functionality on the login page which was applicable previously.

Instead of manually reviewing every single UI across hundreds of devices and browsers, QA professionals can simply execute a suite of automated regression tests to locate those visual bugs. Regression testing is a crucial aspect of software development that aims to ensure the stability and reliability of a software product after making changes or introducing new features. In such cases, you have to re-run the existing test cases and there is no need to write new ones. Regression testing is performed to ensure updated code has not caused any existing functionality to break.

How to perform Root Cause Analysis and Debugging in Visual Regression Tests

Till now, we have covered all the basics of regression testing, but the question is, how to implement this testing approach, in reality, irrespective of its challenges? A smoke test, which typically precedes a regression test, only determines if the basic functionality of an application works. If one is considering the introduction of regression testing into a mature project, one does not need to implement it for every element in the project from the beginning. Regression Testing should be done for small changes in the code because even a slight change in the code can create issues in the existing functionality. All in one regression test automation for desktop, web, and mobile apps with built-in Selenium Web Driver. Ranorex Studio includes full IDE plus tools for codeless automation.

Tablet users can tap icons “anywhere” on the screen, but if icon placement is not regression tested, users with remotes, who must navigate via arrow keys, may have a more awkward experience. When it comes to regression testing, Perfecto is your go-to partner. Know why tests failed and fix them quickly with Perfecto’s comprehensivetest reporting and analytics.

Types of Testing

Regression starts whenever a programmer patches a bug or introduces new code to the system to add new features. If test cases change periodically, the application scope expands, and automating the regression process becomes ineffective. This applies to exclusive occasions like when there is any change in the application/code. The overall structure of the system may be dictated by code, design, or anything else.