Testing From Trenches: Super Auto Refresh Plus Chrome Extension

This is example of resolving software testing problem using Super Auto Refresh Plus Chrome Extension.

Imagine internal application where every html button press triggers long transaction. Html is rendered using Angular JavaScript framework. During this long transaction triggered by Angular pop up window, javascript session expires. There is workaround, open second tab with same application, and hit page reload before you continue with following button in previous tab. Remember how humans are error machines? Yes, I often forgot to hit page reload in another tab.

It is not possible to resolve this issue in original code for some time, because author left the team, a feature of modern agile teams.

Lets call automation tool into rescue. I installed Super Auto Refresh Plus Chrome Extension. In second tab, I set page reload every 10 minutes.

Sometimes we can resolve software bug with workaround. Remember that humans are error machines by nature and that test automation does not require programming knowledge. By installing Auto Refresh Plus Chrome Extension and setting up page reload time interval to 10 minutes I did some kind of programming, but on much higher level.

Originally published at https://blog.tentamen.eu on March 27, 2019.