Build your own Goldberd machine: Selenium via SoapUI

NOTE: The code examples I refer to in this blog are no longer available, but you can still read the text

Hello, friends. Here is how you can have Selenium run from SoapUi Groovy script step. This solution was created and tested with:

• SoapUI 5.X
• Selenium 3.X

In brief, you need to

• upgrade the libs under $SOAPUI_HOME/lib (! not bin/ext)
• use a custom java library (goes under $SOAPUI_HOME/bin/ext)

Auxiliary materials.

Code examples can be found here. An example of a project with a Groovy script is inside the project under auxmaterials folder.

SoapUi, Groovy and the meaning of life

SoapUi is generally known as a tool for testing web services. Opinion divides on whether to call working with it a pleasure or a torture due to certain differences in professional background of those who gives that opinion. Personally, I believe that is it is a really good tool, but, unlike a washing machine, it needs its fantastic manual to be looked though at the very least: http://www.soapui.org/

Like many other IT tools SoapUi comes in two variants: paid and free of charge community edition. And on top of these two there are two ways of using it (which one you chose depends on your level of expertise). They are:
-- using it as any other UI-based tool
-- use it as extendible multi-purpose multi-tool with some UI for backward compatibility with the brains of normal users.
The latter will be discussed as a remedi against professional midlife crisis and the like.

Why meaning of life though? The thing is I see SoapUi and testing of web services as a great opportunity for those people who crave technical tasks, but can not get them either due to a limited skill with Java or because of all the tasty vacancies being filled in already. Practice proves that dissatisfaction with your job does not always result from shortcomings of your profession but from your lack of understanding what would make up for them. In other words, because you failed to identify the root cause of your dissatisfaction. Please note that it is assumed that the root cause is purely professional and not psychological (as psychological issues are out of scope for this post).