Using YAML Files in Java Selenium Automation

It is common to have configuration files that store various settings and data in test automation. One popular format for such configuration files is YAML (YAML Ain’t Markup Language). YAML provides a human-readable and easy-to-write syntax, making it an ideal choice for storing test data and settings. In this article, we will explore how to use a YAML file in Java Selenium automation.

YAML Dependency

To start using YAML files in your Java Selenium project, you will need to add the appropriate dependency to your build configuration. You can use libraries such as SnakeYAML or Jackson YAML. For this example, let’s use SnakeYAML.

Loading YAML File

Once you have added the dependency, you can start loading YAML files in your Java code. Here’s an example of how to load a YAML file using SnakeYAML:

In this example, we use the Yaml class from SnakeYAML to load a YAML file named "config.yml". We then access the values from the YAML file using the get method on the loaded Map object.

YAML File Example

Let’s assume our “config.yml” file looks like this:

The Java code snippet shown earlier will load this YAML file and extract the values for “username” and “password” fields.

Complex scenario

Above one is very basic example of using .yml file but imagine you need to test an e-commerce website which needs to be running on lots of different markets like (Amazon ,ebay ,Avon…) , for sure you need a complex one like below sample

Here you can add tons of data for each different martkes easily

And definitely Using YAML files in Java Selenium automation helps in creating more maintainable and scalable test automation frameworks.

Benefits of Using YAML Files

Using YAML files in Java Selenium automation offers several benefits:

• Readable Syntax: YAML provides a human-readable and intuitive syntax, making it easy to write and understand test data and configuration settings.
• Separation of Concerns: Storing test data and configuration settings in a separate YAML file promotes separation of concerns. Test code can focus on test logic, while YAML files handle data and configuration.
• Flexibility: YAML supports nested structures, arrays, and key-value pairs, providing flexibility in structuring and organizing test data.
• Easy Maintenance: With YAML files, it is straightforward to update and modify test data and configuration settings without changing the test code.