Summary

Software test tools and automation can work for any type of software. Most examples presented in this chapter dealt with graphical user interface testing but the same techniques can apply to testing compilers to networks to web servers. Just think about the testing tasks you need to perform and how you could use software to make it easier and fasterthose are the areas to automate.

Sometimes you use your bare hand, sometimes you use a flyswatter, sometimes you (maybe inappropriately) use a hammer. Knowing when to use a test tool and which one to use is an important skill for a software tester. Creating and using tools and test automation can be a fun job. It's very cool to see your computer running on its own, cursor flying around, characters being entered automatically. You'll get lots of satisfaction while you're home in bed or out sipping a latté that your automation is chugging along at work, finding bugs.