Test Accessibility Event, Playwright Github Actions, Performance Testing LLM and More

Test Accessibility Event, Playwright Github Actions, Performance Testing LLM and More

Have you seen the virtual event dedicated to Digital accessibility for QA and testers?

How do you run only the Playwright tests that have changed in a GitHub Actions workflow

Why should you care about Risk Management as a software Tester?

Find out in this edition of the Test Guild New Shows Newsletter for the week of of Sep 29. So, grab your favorite cup of coffee or tea, and let's do this.

Quality Forge 2024: Digital Accessibility Conference

Digital accessibility is a critical yet often overlooked aspect of software development. With 1.3 billion people worldwide living with disabilities and a market worth $13 trillion in annual disposable income, failing to prioritize accessibility excludes a large segment of users and results in missed revenue opportunities.

 Quality Forge 2024, taking place on October 10, aims to address this gap. The conference will provide insights from QA engineers, executives, and industry leaders on the importance of creating accessible digital solutions. Attendees will gain practical tips, hear real-world stories, and understand how improving accessibility isn't just about compliance but about making technology inclusive and usable for everyone.

Digital accessibility isn't optional—it's a business necessity. As testers, ensuring that your applications are accessible to all users can significantly impact user experience and revenue. And why you should 👉👉👉 register now for this must attend event.

Cypress accessibility plugin wick-a11y v1.2.2.

Speaking of accessibility Sebastian Clavijo Suero announced on LinkedIn the release of his Cypress accessibility plugin wick-a11y v1.2.2.

Includes: - Fix issue in creating HTML reports caused by isNodeList() left behind in the refactor into multiple source files

If you don’t know this is an openspurce 👉 Cypress plugin for performing configurable Accessibility tests using AXE. Flawless integration in Cypress with violations shown graphically on the web page and the Cypress log, and generating HTML document with violations details and screenshot.

Risk Management and a Tester's Role

Another overlooked area in testing is Risk management. So I was excited to see this next article form testing expert Jean Ann Harrison on LinkedIn about an article she wrote that delves into the significant role that software testers play in the arena of 👉 risk management. With an emphasis on identifying both potential and actual issues within a software system, Jean Ann outlines how testers are increasingly pivotal in managing and mitigating risks. By executing comprehensive testing processes, testers not only ensure the quality and reliability of software but also anticipate possible failures and vulnerabilities that could jeopardize a project's success.

Key elements highlighted include the necessity for testers to comprehend industry-specific risks, the utilization of robust testing strategies, and the coordination with other stakeholders to maintain vigilance over emerging threats.

Jean Ann accentuates that testers act as the guardians of software integrity, aiming to preempt setbacks that could lead to costly delays or malfunctions.

 Playwright GitHub Actions

In a recent blog post by Butch Mayhew the spotlight is on the 👉 latest feature introduced in Playwright version 1.46. The update brings an enhancement that is set to streamline the testing process significantly. The new feature allows developers to run only the Playwright tests that have changed in a GitHub Actions workflow when submitting a pull request. This innovation promises to save both time and resources by targeting only the modified code for testing, rather than executing the entire test suite.

 The blog explains how developers often face time-consuming processes when tests run on unchanged code during pull requests. However, with the new Playwright v1.46, developers can now focus on just the relevant tests, thus optimizing the continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. The feature works by detecting changes between the current branch and the target branch, including alterations in test files and dependencies in source code files.

Also, the post runs through a comprehensive guide on how to configure this feature in a GitHub Actions setup. It involves steps such as setting up a basic configuration and using specific Playwright commands to identify and run only the changed tests. This can enhance the overall productivity by significantly reducing the time taken for feedback

RobotFramework Ride

The Robot Framework community has announced the release of 👉 RIDE 2.1b1, a beta version of the popular Robot Framework Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The announcement, made via the Robot Framework Forum, highlights several improvements and new features that aim to enhance the productivity of users.

Key Upgrades and Features

• Performance Boosts: Significant improvements in speed and responsiveness, making the IDE more efficient for large projects.
• User Interface (UI) Updates: A refreshed, more intuitive interface designed to improve user experience.
• Enhanced Code Completion: Advanced code completion capabilities that help users write test cases more quickly and accurately.
• Python 3.6+ Support: Full compatibility with recent versions of Python, ensuring better performance and future-proofing.
• Bug Fixes: Numerous bug fixes that increase the overall stability of the software.

Launch of Ultra Reporter

Wasiq Bhamla, a QA engineer and open-source advocate, has announced the launch of his new open-source project, 👉 Ultra Reporter. The tool simplifies the reporting process for TestNG users by converting TestNG results from XML files into detailed reports with a single click. This eliminates the need for writing report-specific boilerplate code, making it easier for testers to generate insights quickly.

The project is available on GitHub, providing the testing community with a convenient solution for generating test reports efficiently.

Ultra Reporter offers an efficient way to generate TestNG reports without manual coding, saving time and reducing errors in report generation. The unique insight for testers: Automating the reporting process allows more focus on analyzing test results and improving test coverage, enhancing overall productivity in the testing cycle.

 Performance engineering for LLMs

 In a recent blog post, Performetriks has shed light on the crucial role of 👉 performance engineering in improving the efficiency and scalability of large language models (LLMs). As the demand for advanced artificial intelligence continues to rise, optimizing these models has become paramount for developers and businesses alike.

 The article elaborates on the specific challenges posed by LLMs, including their complexity and resource-intensive nature. It discusses various performance engineering strategies such as efficient algorithm design, hardware optimization, and the implementation of distributed computing techniques. By applying these strategies, companies can enhance the performance of their AI models while also reducing operational costs.

Moreover, the post highlights the importance of continual monitoring and testing. This iterative process ensures that the models are not only efficient but also scalable to handle increasing amounts of data and more intricate tasks. Periodic evaluations and real-time adjustments are emphasized as key practices to maintain optimal performance.

 Software testers should note that performance engineering is essential for the sustainable deployment of large language models. Ensuring the efficiency and scalability of these models requires a multi-faceted approach involving algorithmic optimization, hardware improvements, and distributed computing strategies.

New jmeter plugin

A recent update to the JMeter project on GitHub Daburon Vincent introduces a new plugin called the "Pacing JMeter Plugin" developed by user vdaburon. This plugin allows testers to pace the execution of their test plans more effectively. The pacing feature helps simulate real-world user behavior by introducing delays between consecutive test iterations, ensuring that load tests better mimic real-world usage patterns.

The 👉 Pacing JMeter Plugin is designed to provide flexibility and precision in load testing scenarios. Users can configure delays based on fixed intervals, random distributions, or user-defined pacing strategies. This new feature promises to enhance the realism of performance testing by offering more accurate simulation of user behavior under different load conditions.

Harness Announces AI Agents for Software Delivery

Harness has unveiled 👉 new AI agents designed to enhance software delivery processes. These AI-driven innovations aim to streamline various stages of software development, including continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD), feature flagging, and cloud cost management. By leveraging AI, Harness hopes to significantly reduce the manual workloads for development teams and improve the efficiency and reliability of software releases.

Harness’s AI agents are expected to assist with error detection, security vulnerabilities, and other common issues that often delay software projects. With these tools, the company aims to allow developers to focus more on innovation and less on administrative tasks.

Follow the Money Segment

 DefectDojo, a company specializing in application security, recently announced that it has secured 👉 $7 million in Series A funding. The company plans to use the new funds to bolster its workforce, enhance its platform capabilities, and expand its market presence. DefectDojo aims to streamline security testing processes, making it easier for organizations to identify and address vulnerabilities in their software applications.

If you don’t know DefectDojo is an open-source application security management tool that helps teams streamline vulnerability management and improve security testing processes. It centralizes security findings from various tools, tracks vulnerabilities, and automates key aspects of security workflows, making it easier for developers and security teams to identify, track, and resolve security issues in their applications.

That's a Wrap

So that's it for this Test Guild News Show Newsletter edition.

Make sure to 👉 subscribe to never miss another episode.

I'm Joe Colantonio, and my mission is to help you succeed in creating end-to-end full-stack DevSecOps automation awesomeness.

As always, test everything and keep the good. Cheers!

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