***This is the introduction only, the full "Mendix introduction for testers" can be read via this link***
Why introduce Mendix to testers?
Mendix provides a low code platform to build apps, based on visual models. The resulting app that is generated from these models is a web application. Therefore, Mendix apps cán be tested as a black box, using generic test automation tools for UI and API testing.
However, one of the benefits of low code platforms - Mendix included - is the speed of development. This results in challenges when it comes to testing: how can testing keep up with the speed of development if you use the generic approach stated above?
The answer is: ’You can’t’. The solution is: ‘Know your platform’.
By having knowledge of the Mendix platform and the way apps are built, you can gain the benefits that are needed to keep up with the pace of development. Key approaches are:
Shift left
By testing earlier in the life cycle, short feedback loops can be created. Bugs, omissions and risks can be identified in an early stage, resulting in lower costs and faster solutions. Short feedback loops in Mendix can be achieved in multiple ways. Examples are:
To make these sorts of testing accessible for testers, it is necessary to understand how the internals of a Mendix app work.
Test the right things
It may sound like common sense: an efficient approach means testing the right things. With a low code tool like Mendix, a large part of ‘knowing what to test’ means ‘knowing what not to test’. This can only be achieved by having knowledge of how a Mendix application is built and what has already been tested by the white box testing tools.
About this document
Although the Mendix platform is well documented, freely accessible and relatively easy to learn for non technical developers, most existing documentation is aimed at developers and not at testers. This document provides an introduction to Mendix for testers to make the structure of the Mendix models more accessible for them so that they can increase the efficiency of their test approach.We cover aspects like the UI, data and application logic and we focus on the specific aspects of a Mendix model that are relevant for a tester. The full documentation of the Mendix platform for understanding app models can be found in the Mendix documentation pages.
Preconditions
We assume that the reader has Mendix Studio Pro IDE available and that you have downloaded the app model that you need to test. Mendix Studio Pro can be downloaded for free from the Mendix marketplace, Access to the app can be requested to the development team. To download Studio Pro and get access to an app mode you can create a Mendix account for free.
Studio Pro elements that we often refer to in this introduction are:
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NOTE:
We also advise the reader to follow the Mendix Rapid Developer Course. This course not only gives a first hands-on experience on building Mendix applications, it also gives an insight on the way-of-working with Mendix.
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The full "Mendix introduction for testers" can be read via this link