5.3 Release Highlights
Here’s a rundown of 5.3 release highlights including loops & conditionals, neural net, extension actions, SMS send, and element miner.
As we inch closer to the end of the year, we have exciting product updates to share with you. Here’s a recap of features and enhancements from recent releases. For more details, check out our release notes.
Release highlights include:
- Neural net: for deep learning, pushing the boundaries of AI-based testing
- Loops & conditionals: for improved test logic
- Extension actions: to validate responses from an external site
- SMS send: for multi-factor authentication and end-to-end testing
- Element miner: for more granular element selection
Neural Net for Deep Learning
Functionize now includes multiple layers of neural nets, extending the machine learning capabilities into deep learning territory. We are collecting such a large volume of data from applications under test. So, over time, the data is able to form connections with each other leading to continuous improvement. This deep learning ability means that our tests are able to perform at higher speed and accuracy than ever before. The speed and performance of our deep learning based tests will continue to increase as the machine learning algorithms improve over time.
Loops & Conditionals
Loops are valuable as logic statements so you can ensure that the necessary steps are completed before moving on to subsequent actions. These actions will be repeatedly run until certain conditions are met. To use loops, you select which actions should be grouped together. Then, you define the condition that must be fulfilled until the next action can be taken after the loop. Loops and Conditionals can be defined as your creating the test using Architect. They can also be modified or added to existing tests in the Test Detail and Slider View pages.
Extension Actions
Extension Actions are newly added to Architect so you can make calls out to an external site. This is useful so you can incorporate the external response into your test to verify it against the UI by using a curl command. You can build powerful end-to-end tests to do things like:
- Retrieve the latest credentials from an external source to login
- Verify that a backend database entry matches what is displayed in the UI
- Test APIs to make sure the JSON response has the expected keys and values
Unlike the existing Extensions feature, Extension Actions allows you to create a new action instead of having to add it to an existing action. This makes for a smoother UX and is a powerful alternative to the API Explorer to make calls to an external application for end-to-end testing.
SMS Send
SMS text messages can be sent to specific phone numbers, expanding the use case for multi-factor authentication related tests. Previously, you could only receive an SMS, so now you have a wide range of options. While creating your test in Architect, you can specify the following information:
- Phone number to send from
- Phone number to send to
- The body of content to include in the text message
Element Miner (BETA)
The Element Miner allows you to drill-down and find your element using a specialized syntax, a proprietary function-based language. One of the greatest benefits of using AI/ML is tracking millions of data points collected from your application to correctly identify elements. So, Functionize tests run with much higher accuracy than traditional selector-based approaches, which finds elements based on a single or handful of element attributes such as the Xpath or CSS selectors.
The Element Miner takes AI/ML-based element recognition to the next level as it allows you to select elements based on a more granular set of parameters. This is different than selector-based approaches which find elements based on unique attributes like the element ID. With the Element Miner, you can drill-down using attributes that result in multiple element options. Then, Functionize will layer AI/ML on top of the Element Miner to find the best matching element within the pool of possible elements. This allows you to be more specific with what you’re looking and be able to handle complex scenarios like these:
- Find an element based on its relative position in a group of similar elements such as looking for an element near certain text
- Find an element based on the page structure such as how many siblings or parents the element has
NOTE: Element Miner is a beta feature that is available to all users. You can find this in the Advanced tab of the action menu in the Test Detail and Slider View pages. Try it out and give us feedback at support@functionize.com
