Mendix solutions supports the rapid development and release of applications for citizen developers and expert developers alike. However, with sound testing practices and tools, the value of your Mendix applications could be at grave risk. So, testing is crucial when developing Mendix applications to ensure efficiency, security, and compliance with the industry’s best standards and practices.
Testing Mendix applications enables you to identify and fix bugs that may interfere with their functionality. If you’re new to or interested in testing Mendix apps, here is a comprehensive review of the best practices and tools to consider.
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Best Practices for Testing Mendix Applications
The following are some best practices for testing Mendix apps:
1. Plan and Prioritize Your Testing
Like any other process of application development, testing requires prior planning. Planning the testing of your Mendix apps helps you determine areas that need thorough testing or need testing the most. These areas may be highly vulnerable. So, by planning, you can prioritize your tests and build a testing plan that aligns with your specified development roadmap.
2. Use Automated Testing Tools
Gone are the days when manual testing of every element of your application was the norm. Mendix provides several built-in testing tools, including the UnitTesting module and automated acceptance testing. These testing tools can automate the testing process while improving the test coverage.
3. Test Your Mendix Apps in Different Environments
Mendix allows you to build cross-platform applications, implying that your applications can run on different environments. Therefore, testing your apps in different environments is crucial to identify potential problems, such as compatibility with several operating systems or browsers.
4. Monitor and Assess Test Results
Don’t just test your Mendix applications and relax. Instead, you should analyze the test result to discover key trends and patterns, such as the most common issues. Use the findings from your test result analysis to improve the resting process.
5. Use the Version Control Feature
Mendix offers a version control feature to help you manage application codebase changes. Using the version control system ensures proper tracking and documentation of all changes made to an application. This way, you can easily determine what components have been tested or the most recent changes that may need to be tested.
6. Test All External Interfaces
Mendix applications are often integrated with external systems, such as web and/or app services. These external systems may expose your app to integration vulnerabilities. Therefore, you should consider creating integration tests for testing all the integrations between your Mendix app and other external interfaces.
7. Collaborate with Your Development Team
Mendix supports collaborative development to enhance the overall customer experience. Therefore, testing should be a joint exercise that involves working closely with your development team. Doing so will ensure a thorough testing process to identify and resolve problems.
Tools for Testing Mendix Applications
It’s no secret that Mendix facilitates faster time-to-market. However, to maintain the speed to market without increasing the time spent on testing, you need to use the right testing tools. Here are three tools for testing Mendix applications:
1. SoapUI
SoapUI is an open-source testing tool that allows you to quickly test web services based on the Web Service Description Language (WSDL). This testing tool uses WSDL files to produce test requests, mock services, and assertions.
Web services are the favored way of integrating Mendix apps with external services and systems. Since these web services may expose your Mendix applications to vulnerabilities, you must create integration tests to test them. An integration test validates component integrations. Therefore, SoapUI is used for integration testing to assess Mendix web service integrations.
The SoapUI tool for testing Mendix applications has several benefits, including:
- It uses assertions to verify the message(s) received by the TestStep during the execution
- It allows you to create and manage all tests in a test suite
- It supports the creation of automatic sample requests that you can use for testing your applications.
2. Selenium IDE
Selenium Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a Firefox plug-in that lets you develop acceptance tests by navigating through your Mendix app while the plug-in records your actions. So, this tool specializes in acceptance testing.
Acceptance testing involves assessing whether your Mendix app conforms to the desired functionality and quality expected by clients. One great way of defining an acceptance test is by checking your project’s user stories. Usually, user stories are excellent input for determining which tests you should create.
Like SoapUI, Selenium IDE provides various benefits, such as:
- It is extendable with Mendix-specific extension
- You can export tests to multiple formats
- Recorded tests are easily editable
- It is easy to use, even for newbies
So, if you want to develop powerful, browser-based tests for your Mendix applications’ UI, Selenium IDE would be a great testing framework.
3. UnitTesting Module
Are you looking to test specific components of your Mendix application? UnitTesting Module is a robust testing tool that lets you test small sections of your app using test scripts. You can use this testing tool to:
- Define alternative configurations or mock existing dependencies and functionality (such as databases)
- To isolate the particular piece of code that you need to test
The UnitTesting module is available on the Mendix Marketplace. You can create unit tests to test whether your Mendix application’s microflows work as expected. Using this testing tool, you can quickly write, run, and manage unit tests for your Mendix application.
Tip: Don’t attempt to test everything – it would be time-consuming. Instead, focus on the commonly used and complex microflows.
Final Thoughts
The Mendix low-code solutions platform provides developers with tools to help them create apps faster and more efficiently. However, you must ensure these apps meet the desired quality standards and functionality. To validate your app’s functionality and quality standards, consider testing them. Follow the given best practices and use the tools to thoroughly test your Mendix applications. Doing so ensures your applications are secure, high-quality, efficient, and meet users’ expectations perfectly.
