my solution to tackle this was to use business components. Lets use the 2 textboxs(text1, text2) and submit(btnsearch) button search example. Instead of a Search function that took 2 parameters populated the textboxes and clicked submit, I created a Settextbox(id, value) and Click(objid) component. I then created a test plan that called Settextbox("text1","string"), Settextbox("text2","string"), click("btnsearch"). this allows me to create any populate, click, set scenario I can think of. So far, after 3 complete site rewrites, the only issues I have with the framework is when the developers add critieria like a 3rd textbox or if they change the button name or text. After some consolidation in a framework, I have about 20 components, using descriptive programming, that I can test 30 websites with and rarely encounter a scenario i can't test. Even when a new scenario occurs, my BCs and framework have still worked, I just have to rearrange the order or use a better DP description to get the test to work.
PS: We are using Quality Center to drive all this, but I did once use the framework and a "Driver" script to call the functions manually. this option does create a little more work than the QC option, but is still doable.
PS: We are using Quality Center to drive all this, but I did once use the framework and a "Driver" script to call the functions manually. this option does create a little more work than the QC option, but is still doable.