Disadvantages of Keyword Driven framework

[monsuer15]

I've been reading lot of eulogies on the Keyword Driven framework but my experience has been that it really sucks. The project I am working on had a KWD framework that were created by some consultants and handed over to the client. With no expertise on-site and the scripts falling apart, I have been hired to see what I can do with the existing scripts.

All the coding is done outside QTP in functions. And this one .vbs file has several hundred functions for each functionality in the Application. The Driver script has to make a call to this external vbs file to execute any small functionality. So the performance is pathetically slow.

And also, functions have been written even for a CLICK and EXIST while these are provided within QTP itself. The DataSheet is over a thousand lines long and gong through it gives me a headache.

So for those with good experience with KWD framework, can you please let me know if this just a single case of a bad design of a good framework or this is how it works?

I have now split all the functions into smaller QTP scripts and running them in batch mode from QC. Makes the job so much easier!!

[Anshoo Arora]

The DataSheet is over a thousand lines long and gong through it gives me a headache.

Are these thousands of lines of keywords? If yes, then its a bad design to begin with. Keyword driven frameworks are generally quite easy to make, thus, automation developers should pay more attention to usability because keywords are generally created by users, not the automation developers. If you, being an automation developer yourself are having a tough time dealing with the way the code has been written, then I doubt the methodology is to be blamed. Its the design. Creating more functions does not make a framework more usable.

Have you had a chance to try any other keyword-driven frameworks? If not, you can give the below 2 a try:

FrameworkManager
Demo Framework: RelevantCodes[1]One

And this one .vbs file has several hundred functions for each functionality in the Application.

Sounds like an overkill to me, but because I haven't seen the library, its definitely a bold thing for me to say. To be able to understand everything though is a very common issue both on the Test Automation as well as the development side. Even with good documentation, it can become hard to follow the logic used by another person. If a test-suite contains tons of functions doesn't mean its necessary doing more work