The use of a Mendix specific testing tool such as MTA is sometimes associated with the need to build the Mendix app in a specific way to make it suitable for automated testing. Restructuring an existing app to make it more testable could be challenging and this might lead to the conclusion that applying test automation with MTA to unstructured Mendix apps is not possible or very hard at the least.
While it is true that testing a testable app is easier and faster (see the Menditect Testability Framework), any Mendix app can be tested with MTA, regardless how it is built. In this blog we explain what benefits MTA brings for any Mendix app.
Consider this analogy of testing a Mendix app with testing a toy that is built with LEGO. Testing an unstructured app is like trying to inspect a pre-built, glued-together LEGO model: you can only see the outside, and if you want to check a piece in the middle, you might break the whole thing.
A testable app is like a box of individual LEGO bricks. Because each brick is separate and has a clear shape, you can test every single one individually before snapping them together, ensuring the final structure is solid from the bottom up. Although the structured app is better testable, the unstructured app can still be tested from the outside.
Menditect Test Automation (MTA) is designed to facilitate automated testing of any Mendix app across all test levels, providing technical capabilities that allow for the verification of logic even when an application lacks the inherent benefits of being structured by the Menditect Testability Framework.
Menditect Test Automation (MTA) supports functional testing by enabling “black-box” verification of the application through the User Interface (UI) and APIs. Functional testing at this level focuses on what the system does from an end-user perspective to ensure it meets requirements
MTA allows for the execution of UI tests that simulate an end-user interacting directly with the application in a browser. This is the only method to verify specific user experience aspects, including Conditional Visibility (confirming that elements like buttons or fields are shown or hidden based on user roles, data states, or object status), User Flow (testing the sequential navigation from one page to another), and Client-Side Behavior (verifying the execution of logic that happens directly in the browser, such as Nanoflows or custom JavaScript widgets).
To make stable and scalable frontend tests, MTA utilizes a locator strategy to create a direct link between test scripts and specific elements in the Mendix application. Testers can then add assertions to verify that the results of these UI actions match expected outcomes.
For processes that bypass the UI, Menditect Test Automation (MTA) supports API testing to verify the business logic and data layer. This is essential for several reasons: it allows for Back-end Processes, such as testing scheduled events or logic driven by external API calls that cannot be triggered via a browser interface; it enables Request/Response Validation by sending requests to API endpoints and validating the responses against expected functionality, reliability, and security requirements; and it provides Efficiency, as API tests are often faster and less brittle than UI tests because they do not rely on the visual layer of the application.
While traditional functional testing often focuses on the UI, MTA allows for the validation of back-end processes that cannot be triggered through a browser. Specifically, it supports testing Backend logic directly via microflows without API, meaning MTA can be used to test processes or scheduled events, verifying functionality, reliability, and security at the functional level without needing a User Interface or API.
Even in unstructured applications where microflows are large and complex, MTA can verify internal logic sequences using the TestLogger helper component. This process is accomplished through Path Recording, where MTA uses the TestLogger to record a “footprint” or TestPath of which microflows were executed in what order. For Stable Assertions, testers can retrieve this recorded path after a successful run and paste it into MTA as an assertion. In subsequent runs, MTA verifies that this internal execution sequence has not changed, ensuring that restructuring or changes to the app do not destabilize underlying behavior.
Regardless of whether the automated tests are executed via UI, API or direct microflow execution, MTA provides technical features that enhance the reliability and controllability of all tests.
These include Direct Data Manipulation, where MTA can create, modify, and remove test data directly in the database, allowing the test script to set up a specific environment before the test runs and clean it up afterward, ensuring tests are repeatable and independent of the database state.
Another feature is Bypassing Security for data preparation or cleanup, allowing MTA to bypass applied domain model access rights for precise data handling that might otherwise be restricted for a standard user.
Also, MTA supports direct execution of microflows on behalf of a specific user, allowing to test user (role) specific behavior of the backend logic. Lastly, MTA allows for the rollback of each test case, making it easier to create repeatable test cases.
In summary, while applying the Testability Framework makes testing easier by making the app more modular and structured, MTA provides the heavy-lifting tools—such as functional testing via the UI or API’s, direct microflow execution, direct database access, security bypassing, and execution path recording—needed to gain confidence in the quality of any Mendix application. Therefore, any Mendix app can be tested with MTA at all levels.
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