SDET Interview Question: Explain the Page Object Model (POM) in Test Automation

 

🚀 SDET Interview Question: Explain the Page Object Model (POM) in Test Automation

✅ What is POM?

The Page Object Model (POM) is a design pattern in test automation that provides an abstraction layer between test scripts and web pages, enhancing code readability, reusability, and maintainability.

Key Concepts:
1. Page Object: Each page/component of a web application is represented as a separate class.
2. Separation of Concerns: Separates test logic from page structure.
3. Reusable Components: Page Objects allow code to be reused across tests.
4. Maintenance: Updates are needed only in the affected Page Object if the UI changes.

OOP Concepts in POM:

1. Encapsulation: Web elements and interactions are encapsulated in Page Objects.
2. Inheritance: Common functions are inherited from base classes.
3. Abstraction: Only relevant methods (keywords) are exposed for testing.
4. Polymorphism: Allows methods to be overridden for different behaviors, such as clicks with JavaScript.

Key Components

1. /pages: Contains Page Object classes for each web page (e.g., `LoginPage.java`).
2. /utils: Contains utility classes (e.g., `WebDriverFactory.java` for driver initialization).
3. /tests: Contains test classes for specific scenarios (e.g., `LoginTest.java`).
4. /reports: Manages reporting setup, such as `ExtentReportListener` for detailed test reports.
5. /logs: Stores logging configurations and files (e.g., `Log4jConfig.xml`).
6. /screenshots: Saves screenshots taken during test execution, especially on failures.
7. /keywords: Contains reusable keyword-driven methods for actions across tests.
8. /resources/testng.xml: The TestNG configuration file, defining test suites and settings.

This structure centralizes common components, allowing for scalable, maintainable automation testing.