A Layman step by step approach to doing Selenium automated testing

Selenium comprises an exhaustive set of tools which renders support to test automation development with respect to web-based applications across a number of platforms. This lightweight and open source automation tool can be conveniently integrated into a diverse range of projects, backing up multiple programming languages like Python, Perl, .NET, Ruby and Java.

Selenium Testing for Ajax Application

Ajax and XML constitute a web development system for development of interactive web applications. One of the features of Ajax application is that it does not cause a complete page to get reloaded every time. The browser has an asynchronous call to the server for obtaining the data and then refreshing certain parts belonging to the current page. For enhancement of the web page's response speed, interactivity, and usability, certain changes are needed while testing Ajax applications.

First the web page is acted upon, and then one needs to wait till the asynchronous call is completed. Verification continues after completion of the same. During this time, the need for an appropriate waiting time is felt. You can opt for fixed time pause in the test application, which works successfully in the majority of cases. Under certain circumstances like reduced network throughput, the Ajax call does not get completed following a specific time pause and this leads to test case failure. Again, for an excessively long pause, the test may become unacceptably slow.

Selenium comes with increasingly efficient means to handle waiting. It is possible to use the com.thoughtworks.selenium.Wait class for waiting for a text or element to disappear from or appear in the page. In the until() function it is possible to define the break condition with respect to the wait, or the Wait class can be extended to implement.

Another option is to use the function waitForCondition in Selenium. A JavaScript snippet would be passed to the same as a parameter. Once detection is done by Selenium that the condition is true, it will cease to wait. Waiting can be continued for some text or element to disappear or be present. With the help of the function Selenium.browser.getCurrentWindow(), it is possible to run JavaScript in the application window.

Methods to render support to Dojo applications

Dojo is in fact a regularly utilized JavaScript tool kit for construction of dynamic web interfaces. A crucial aspect in leveraging Selenium for testing of Dojo applications is the recognition of Dojo widgets as well as recording of their actions. Those widgets which are author-defined tend to be in the abstract level. While running the page, widgets get converted to basic HTML code. In this case, auto-generation of HTML codes takes place, thus there can be some differences with conventional HTML widgets.

Actions performed in this case, including checkbox, text field, and radio button may behave in the same manner like HTML widgets. However, when it comes to the combo box, additional widgets including date selector may call for specific handling.

Support for HTTPS website testing

With information security becoming the main focus over the Internet, SSL authentication is being increasingly used by a number of web applications. By default, Selenium IDE renders support to HTTPS, but the same is not possible with Selenium RC. The solution varies according to whether it is Firefox or Internet Explorer.

Effective recognition of web elements with no ID property

Elements can be conveniently located by means of a meaningful name or ID. So far as test cases are concerned, this enhances the readability. Selenium comes up with manifold strategies like CSS, DOM and Xpath for recognition of the elements.

Selenium automated testing provides a lot of benefits to web applications developers. It also provides convenience in handling a pop-up window, download or upload file window or verification of confirmation, alerts or prompts. You can hire developers from top automation testing companies India who can help you accomplish testing with the selenium tools within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide selenium automation testing services. If you would like to discuss with certified software testers from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

How ASP.NET Web Development is Superior from Others?

As a successor to Active Server Pages (ASP) technology, ASP.NET was launched by Microsoft in 2001 along with the .NET Framework. Within a decade, the framework has become a widely used server-side web application development framework. The framework is popular among developers who are looking for faster and simpler options to build dynamic websites, web applications, and web services. As the technology is built on the Common Language Runtime (CLR), the programmers have option to write code using any of the .NET languages like C#, J#, VB.NET and Delphi.NET.

So a developer can write the code using a language that allows him to complete the coding quickly. Also, he can avoid writing lengthy code by availing the advantages provided by the Visual Studio integrated development environment. At the same time, they can use the ASP.NET SOAP extension framework to enable web components to process SOAP messages. Microsoft has further launched a number of extension frameworks to optimize the performance and functionality of websites and internet applications. There are also several factors that make the framework superior from others.

Why ASP.NET Development is Superior from Others?

Rapid Web Application Development

As web development has become competitive, each enterprise wants to build websites as early as possible. However, one also needs to concentrate on optimizing the performance and scalability of the internet application. ASP.NET enables programmers to build dynamic websites at a rapid pace using rich controls. For instance, some richer controls allow them to create grids, wizards, and calendars without writing longer lines of code. At the same time, a programmer can also avail the drag-and-drop server controls and WYSIWYG editing options by using the Visual Studio integrated development environment.

Visual Studio .NET IDE

Microsoft has designed Visual Studio .NET IDE as a comprehensive yet easy-to-use environment for web application development. It comes with a set of innovative tools to build dynamic, interactive and scalable internet application. Along with web design tools and database tools, the IDE also offer several debugging tools. So the developer can use a single IDE to build, test and debug web applications. Further, he has option to modify a web page when the same it being executed. In comparison to J2EE's Eclipse and PHP’s Zend Studio, Visual Studio .NET comes with a wider range of high quality tools. The tools allow programmers to avoid writing lengthy code, in addition to testing the performance and scalability the internet application on the fly.

Higher Scalability and Performance

While building an internet application, programmers explore ways to improve its performance and scalability. Microsoft has designed ASP.NET with a set of innovative scalability features. For instance, the features are effective in balancing multi-processor load and maintaining session state across multiple servers. Further, the web server constantly monitors the application, web pages and components running on it. So it will restart the application automatically to overcome illegal activities like infinite loop and memory leaks. These features make it easier for programmers to develop interactive and scalable website at a rapid pace.

Several Extension Frameworks

The performance and functionality of an ASP.NET application can be further optimizes using extension frameworks launched by Microsoft. These frameworks can be simply plugged into the application to extend its functionality. For instance, the ASP.NET AJAX extension enables programmers to add AJAX functionality to the server-side and client-side components on a web page. Similarly, the ASP.NET MVC framework can be used to design applications in a model-view-controller (MVC) environment. Further, the programmers can easily build data-driven applications using the ASP.NET Dynamic Data extension.

Enhanced Authentication and Security

Along with improving the performance and scalability of the internet application, developers also need to enhance its security. The ASP.NET framework allows programmers to use several authentication and data-validation options. A programmer also has option to develop base classes using .NET inheritance feature. As the base class is customized according to the nature and requirements of the application, it will authenticate the information before displaying it to users. At the same time, the programmer can use the content encoding feature to secure the information, if there is not option to secure the data displayed to users. Thus, a developer has options to choose from different authentication and data-validation options to keep his application secure.

Microsoft is updating ASP.NET at regular intervals to target the latest trends in web development. Each updated version comes with a set of extended and innovative features to complement the needs of rapid web application development projects.

We provide .net application development services. If you would like to talk to one of our expert .net developers, please visit Mindfire Solutions.

Why choose ColdFusion over PHP or Any Other Web Language?

The choice of web programming language varies from one developer to another. As they have options to choose from a several web languages, programmers often choose the language that enables them to build dynamic and robust internet application at rapid pace. As a powerful web programming language, ColdFusion is being used widely by enterprises across the world. Adobe has further released ColdFusion 10 with a set of innovative and extended features to meet the latest trends in user choices and web application development.

If you are evaluating different programming languages, it is a good idea to choose the right option according to the nature and specific requirements of the internet application. However, you can always consider using ColdFusion to avail a number of advantages. Also, the programming language is powerful enough to create web pages on the fly using the information and content stored on various databases. Along with building the internet application at a rapid pace, the language will further contribute towards enhancing its performance, scalability and security.

Why Choose ColdFusion over Other Web Programming Languages?

Tag-Based Scripting Language: ColdFusion has evolved as a tag-based web programming language. So it does not required programmers to write longer lines of code, unlike other web programming languages. Instead of writing long code, a developer can simply use tags to add new features and functionality to the website. The feature further makes the scripting language both simple and easy-to-learn. A programmer familiar with HTML can learn ColdFusion without putting any extra time and effort. Also, the scripting language is designed based on Java. So the internet application becomes compatible with the operating systems and web browsers that support Java.

Support for HTML5: The popularity of a website, nowadays, depends on its compatibility with major operating systems and web browser. Also, an internet application must be accessible on both conventional and mobile devices to attract more users. So, programmers often look for easy ways to make the website compatible with major devices and operating systems. The developers use HTML5 to optimize the performance of their web application by suing syntactic tags like < video > and < audio >. The latest version of ColdFusion is designed with full support for HTML5. Some of the features like interactive HTML5 charting, webs sockets, video player and map functionality will allow you to build internet application to meet the latest technological trends.

Enhanced Web Services: Most new internet applications use web services to optimize user experience. So programmers often look for quick and simple ways to build robust web services. Unlike other web programming languages, ColdFusion is updated with support for Representational State Transfer (REST) web services. Also, the language supports all types of HTTP methods including XML serialization and JSON. The feature enables you to publish the ColdFusion Components as a RESTful web service. Adobe has further made it easier to build, publish and access the web services without writing long code. You can simply use the revamped engine that supports both SOAP 1.2 and WSDL 2.0 to optimize the usage of web services.

Content Driven Internet Application: Each user loves internet applications that use the most relevant and updated information. So the enterprises want their websites to be driven by dynamic data. Further, the information, content and files can be stored on several data sources. ColdFusion makes it easier for you to build on the fly webpages using the content stored on a database. You also have option to store several types of data and information as a single piece of content. So when a user types the URL, the webpage is created using dynamic data stored as pieces of content. The feature further enables you to optimize the performance of the website without regular content updates.

The updated version of ColdFusion also comes with a set of language enhancement features that help you in improving the quality and readability of the code. Also, you can optimize coding efficiency using features like CFC Method Chaining. If you are thinking of ColdFusion migration, please do ensure you do thorough research about the migration expertise of software development providers before you hand them the reign.

We provide Coldfusion development services. If you would like to speak to one of our certified coldfusion programmers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

What You Need To Know About CFHTTP, SSL and SNI?

Adobe has released ColdFusion 10 with a set of innovative features to complement the current trends in rapid web application development. The latest version of the rapid web application development framework comes with language, security and HTML5 enhancements. At the same time, it also supports some of the advanced communication protocols to optimize the user experience. ColdFusion supports some of the widely used technologies like CFHTTP (ColdFusion HTTP), Secure Socket Layer (SSL), and Server Name Indication (SNI). These technologies make it easier for programmers to optimize the performance, scalability and security of websites without writing lengthy code.

CFHTTP

For improving user experience, coldfusion application development teams often design web applications with features to access an external web page, and display the content as part of its own website. The functionality becomes much simpler and easier through the CFHTTP tag provided by ColdFusion. The tag will be used initially to do an HTTP call. Once the connection is established, the content of the external web page will be stored in cfhttp.filecontent which is a string variable. As a string can be manipulated flexibly, the content can be displayed as part of the website without putting any extra effort. The CFHTTP tag is being used by developers to provide updated and relevant information to users related to weather, news and stock prices collected from third-party websites. Along with allowing developers to write less code, the ColdFusion tag further enables them to optimize user experience by providing the latest information collected from reliable sources.

SSL

A constant increase is noted in the number of people carrying out online financial transactions. However, each user wants to make payment through a web application only when he is sure that his sensitive financial information will remain secure. As the users have to submit details of their credit card, PayPal account or net banking, it has becomes essential for developers to use advanced encryption and security technologies. ColdFusion is designed with support for Secure Socket Layer (SSL). The standard security technology is used widely by developers to establish an encrypted link between the client and server. The technology can be used to encrypt the connection between a mail server and a mail client, or web server and a web browser. Also, SSL, as a security protocol, describes what algorithm needs to be used to encrypt the links and information during transmission. When a website is designed with SSL, it can convince users that their sensitive financial information will not be used for identity thefts and similar frauds.

SNI

While developing a website, no developer can predict how many users will access it at a time. So enterprises look for effective ways to optimize the performance and scalability of their websites. ColdFusion is also designed with Server Name Indication (SNI) protocol support. As an extension to Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, SNI decides the hostname the client is trying to access at the beginning of the communication. The protocol further makes it smoother for the web server to generate and issue multiple certifications on a single IP address and port number. Thus, multiple websites need not use a single certificate while several websites are being served from a single IP address. However, the SNI protocol, at present, is not supported by all web browsers. The users will receive certificate warning if they are using a web browser that does not support the SNI protocol.

Adobe is regularly updating ColdFusion to meet the latest trends in rapid web application development. The support for advanced protocols and technologies makes it easier for developers to optimize the performance, scalability and security of their web applications without putting any extra effort. ColdFusion 10 comes with both caching and language enhancements to enable programmers to build robust websites, web applications and web services at a rapid pace.

We provide coldfusion development services. If you would like to speak to one of our certified coldfusion programmers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

How Outsourcing PHP Developers Will Save Time and Value?

Considering all the different categories of marketing techniques, internet technology is taking the population towards a magnanimous growth which has not been realized by any other form of marketing. Leveraging online resources for establishment of businesses proves immensely beneficial to owners as well as users. For instance, there are a number of websites which have been developed to render an exceptional shopping experience with a user friendly viewpoint. Present day business websites need to get revamped as well as republished to keep in line with the latest internet trends and technologies. With respect to this, an informative, appealing web design which is done across PHP or HTML platforms is appropriate for profit generation through a strong online presence.

Importance

PHP is among the most sought after scripting languages which a majority of website developers prefer to adopt. With the help of this programming language, the navigation and layout part of the sites can be quite effectively augmented. If you are looking for a web page layout that is dynamic, then PHP remains a very good choice. For the creation of custom web design solutions, almost every programmer prefers to make use of this scripting language. This language consists of user friendly applications, techniques as well as formats; it is convenient for programmers to leverage the applications in an effortless manner.

Benefits

In order to go for efficient web design, PHP, Java and ASP.NET are regarded as appropriate and important programming languages. With regards to the use of PHP, there are some specific benefits such as the following:

• Usability: With the help of this programming language, the programmer is able to experience exceptional usability as well as come up with professional web design solutions.
• Quick data processing: When a programmer is working with PHP, it enables him or her to process data in a rapid manner.
• Appropriately matched: This language is very good at getting along with well-accepted operating systems such as UNIX, Windows, and so on.
• Compatible: One of the striking advantages of making use of PHP programming language is the adaptability towards the HTML version.
• Cost: PHP development services are quite affordable and can be conveniently availed.

The growth of PHP

So far as PHP programmers are concerned, the demand is always experiencing a rise. The convenience and adaptability of this programming language enables the programmers to come up with custom web designs for the website requirements of their clients. Owing to this, expert programmers are largely acclaimed across the globe. So, a number of companies look forward to outsource developers from other countries. India is one of the most recognized countries in the domain of software as well as programming languages. The educational system and infrastructure of this country has been laying considerable focus on the significance of computer education. The scope for expansion in the field of knowledge enhancement in computer programming languages and software is growing at an equal rate. As a consequence of this, it has indeed become very convenient to outsource developers from this country. In addition to this, PHP services come at a very cost-effective rate in India. Considering these factors, outsourcing developers with lead to unique results and would also bring down the cost of formation of a development infrastructure comprising expert professionals.

Along with the other benefits, outsourcing PHP application development services go a long way in saving considerable amount of time with respect to the development of the website. Hence, more focus can be directed towards the different other marketing areas of the services. A team of professional developers can be hired from India in order to render the website development process convenient and swift.

We provide php web development services. If you would like to speak to a certified php developer from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

How to determine approximate costs of Mobile App development

Within a very small time span, smartphones and tablets have become an inseparable part of modern lifestyle. Nowadays, it is hard to find a person who is not using mobile devices for both personal and professional purposes. The rapidly growing popularity of mobile computing have encouraged many enterprises to launch customized mobile applications to stay connected with both existing customers and prospects. But each company look for inexpensive ways to build customized mobile apps that are effective in meeting the immediate and future trends in consumer demand.

A survey of 300 CIOs in the USA and UK conducted by Mobile Helix, recently highlighted how the high cost of mobile business app development is having a negative impact on companies in. According to the published report, “Eighty-one percent of the CIOs in the survey reported that the cost of developing or re-engineering enterprise apps for use on mobile devices is currently too high because the mobile market is so fragmented. Sixty-five percent said they believed that mobilization of legacy applications -- enabling touch and swipe capabilities, for example -- is simply too complex. And yet 87 percent of the CIOs reported that their employees want more access to enterprise data and applications on their mobile devices.”

The survey results also emphasize on the growing demand for inexpensive custom mobile business app developers. If you are planning to launch an enterprise application, it is important to decide the budget for the development project. Similar to other projects, you have to thoroughly evaluate various components of the mobile app development cost. Along with identifying the expenditures that cannot be controlled, you also need to identify the costs that can be avoided. However, you must not compromise on the features, functionalities and performance of the app while exploring options to reduce the development cost.

Factors that Have Huge Impact on Custom Mobile App Development Cost

Features and Functionality: The cost of a development project is determined based in what you want the mobile app to do. If the application helps users in doing something simple like arranging their schedules or track appointments, it can be build without investing a lot of money. On the other hand, you have to invest a substantial amount of resources to build an app that is interactive and fully featured. However, the advanced and extended feature cannot guarantee that your business application will become hugely popular. So you must evaluate the features and functionality that are essential to make the app viral. Once you decide want you want the app to do, it will be easier to determine the development cost.

Target Devices: As the choice of mobile devices vary from one user to another, most enterprise launch different versions of the same app to target different mobile operating systems. As the code needs to be customized according to the requirements of individual mobile operating system, you have to invest a huge amount of funds to develop different versions of the same app. You can always decide the target audience by keeping in mind the usage of the application. For instance, if you are planning to develop a clinical mobile app, it will be used by the users through the iPhones provided by the hospital. So you can develop the app by targeting the iOS devices. However, it is not always easy to determine the target devices and users for a generic app. You must carry out some initial research to determine the relevant target audience for your business app.

Development Timeline: With companies launching and updating mobile applications on a regular basis, the development has become competitive. Each company wants to launch the app at the earliest to capture a large market share. While deciding the timeline for the mobile business application development project, you must remember that it will have a direct impact on the project cost. Normally, the app developers allow you to choose from a variety of plans. If you want the application to be launched within a shorter timeframe, the developer will charge you more. Further, you have to invest in testing the apps thoroughly, as the rush delivery can have a negative impact on your app’s performance.

Price of Coding: Most app developers in the USA charge at an hourly rate. So the amount of time required by the programmer to write the code will also affect the overall project cost. According to an article posted on AppMuse.com, “If you consider that the average app developer in the US charges around $100 per hour, the time required to code even a “simple” app quickly pushes the cost up. Could you go offshore and get a developer for a much lower hourly rate? Sure. The problem is, like most things in life, you get what you pay for.” The report also estimated that a company has to spend $3,000 to $8,000 to develop a small mobile app, whereas the cost of building a more complex app will range from $50,000 to $150,000.

Along with the cost of developing the custom mobile business app, you also need to consider the advertisement and promotional expenses. Despite coming with a set of innovative and advanced features, the mobile app must be promoted thoroughly to grab the attention of your existing customers and prospects. In such a scenario, choosing the perfect app development company from thousands of sprouting mobile app development companies becomes critical.

We provide mobile app development services. If you would have a need for mobile app development or would like to speak to one of our expert mobile app developers, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

8 Rocking Tips for Scaling PHP to 25000 Concurrent Users Per Server

Scalability is the ability of a system, network or process to get enlarged or handle huge amounts of work in an effective manner. Web platforms or languages like PHP become scalable when it manages growing traffic with additional resources and without any software changes.

With the growing preference for PHP as the language used in web development, it would be rather necessary to look into few tips on scaling PHP to allow it serve large numbers of concurrent users per server. Things as these below would exponentially increase confidence in php development.

1. Clustering the Web Servers

The very first step towards scaling PHP needs to be taken in the form of moving the database to a separate server, configuration syncing (rysync, rmp/deb, svn), deploying application code and ZSCM.

2. Using the APC Feature of PHP

Enabling the APC feature is an essential way of boosting the performance of any particular website. This feature, therefore, plays an important role in scaling PHP as well as enabling it serve huge number of users.

3. Placing Things which are not PHP Requests on a CDN

Gone are the days when one would be required to get stuck at the origin server with static file requests. Serving the static files from the web server is no longer a necessity. Instead, everything is put on S3 while CloudFront is used as the CDN. However, the recent problems in CloudFront often make it a more feasible option to serve directly from S3.

4. Avoiding Connection to Other Servers in the PHP Code

Other servers such as the database or memcache servers should not be connected to unless it is either a dire necessity or there is no other way. A clear majority of the PHP web apps use the MySQL database for managing the backend session and the memcache tool for caching. During the flow of the execution, connecting to other servers lowers the efficiency quotient. For instance, it blocks and runs up the CPU apart from holding up the line often. It is here that using the APC is more recommended for storing data in PHP.

5. Using Varnish

Varnish is actually the Memcache/ModRewrite of web server caching. A majority of the pages on the website do not change. Putting Varnish on the web server makes a huge difference to the web app and this is quite visible right at the time of load testing.

6. Using a c1.xlarge

Upgrading to a c1.xlarge version is a welcome option as the m1.medium has a single CPU to handle all the requests. The c1.xlarge version had 8 CPU’s and even during the app test, one would get an apt-get install nmon, run nmon and at the same time, monitor the CPU. The server actually uses all the 8 cores to churn out the pages.

7. Using the Right Techniques

Whenever it comes to scaling PHP, the appropriate techniques must be implemented for the best results. These techniques include replication, functional separation as well as sharding. Other ways in which the scaling can be done effectively encompass using of schemaless databases such as MongoDB. Considering a column-oriented database like Infobright is more preferred for the analytics.

8. Optimizing Applications with the Desired Tools

Application optimization is intricately linked to the scaling of PHP and selecting the right tools is necessary for this. The tools that are generally used are Xdebug, Zend Server Code tracing and Profiling. Other efficient ways of optimization are monitoring the execution time, memory usage, designing intelligently and being aware of the respective hardware and its operation. The higher the knowledge, the better is the app created.

Once the scaling is carried out using the above- mentioned tips and techniques, the effectiveness of the app can be judged. Google Analytics helps in showing the numbers of seconds an average user spends on an average page.

We provide php application development services. If you would like to discuss with an certified php developer from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Benefits of Offshore .Net Application Development

Since its initial launch in 2001, Microsoft .NET is being used widely by developers to build a variety of applications. Along with websites, web applications and web services, the framework also enables programmers to develop several types of desktop applications. But the ongoing recessional phase of the global economy has made it essential for enterprises to curtail software development cost. So, most companies, nowadays, look for cost-efficient ways to build dynamic and robust applications. A gradual increase is also noted in the number of enterprises hiring offshore .NET development companies to keep the software development cost under control.

Each business also has option to hire an offshore software development company according to the nature and specific requirements of the project. As it can choose from several reputable offshore .NET application developers, a company can always negotiate for a better deal without compromising on the quality and timeline of the project. Along with keeping the project overheads under control, the offshore .NET application development can further get a business several benefits. However, an enterprise must do a thorough cost and benefit analysis before opting for offshore .NET application development.

Why Many Enterprises Opt for Offshore .NET Application Development?

Reduced Project Cost: The constant changes in technology have made it a daunting challenge for companies to find technical skills and expertise. In addition to hiring experienced .NET developers, an organization has to invest in updating their knowledge. But when a company outsources the project, it can avoid expensive new recruitment. Further, it can concentrate on its core business processes, and optimize profits. At the same time, an enterprise avails the services of offshore .NET developers whose education, training and skills are on par with the local programmers.

Rapid Application Development: As software development has become competitive, each company wants to impress clients by completing the project at a rapid pace. In addition to saving the time required to recruit skilled developers, the offshore software development can further contributes toward reducing the project duration. The combination of skilled .NET developers and round the clock output makes it much easier to conceptualize and implement the idea. Many companies even outsource .NET application development projects to impress clients by releasing the product quickly.

Easy to Incorporate Changes: The frequent changes in user demand has made it essential for businesses to build the .NET application with extended and innovative features. At the same time, the application must be tested thoroughly to determine its performance and scalability. So there are always chances that a client has to incorporate changes. Most offshore .NET developers deploy highly skilled and experienced developers. So they can easily incorporate the innovations and technological solutions without extending the project timeline. Also, they can conceptualize and implement the ideas by keeping in mind the latest trends in user choice.

Adopting Agile Development: Each company wants to adopt agile methodologies to overcome of the limitations of conventional project management. But it has to invest some amount of time, efforts and resources to adopt the innovative methods. When an enterprise outsources the .NET application development project, it can adopt agile techniques in a quick and hassle-free way. A business also has option to hire an offshore company that follows the agile methodology. The adoption of agile methods will further contribute towards reducing the overall project cost.

Extended Support: Along with developing the .NET application, you will need constant support for its maintenance and upkeep. The offshore companies, normally, offer extended support to maintain the software once the project is over. However, the period of extended support may vary from six months to one year based on the terms of your outsourcing contract. You must ask specifically for extended support to boost the overall efficiency of the .NET application through quick bug fixes and effective maintenance.

Each offshore .NET application developer wants to impress and retain clients by developing high quality applications. So the companies often manage the project through high-quality procedures and well-defined processes. The process and procedures further add value to the project, while conceptualizing the initial idea in a more innovative way.

We provide asp.net web development services. If you would like to hire asp.net developers from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Manual v. Automated Testing: How to Achieve Consistency

Software testing refers to the process of verifying as well as validating the successful functioning of a particular software application/program/product. It ensures that the ultimate product/application/program caters to the technical as well as the business requirements, which guide the entire design and development procedure at best. This particular process of testing is implemented in a number of software enterprises to assure that the product that is being launched in the market is safe, standard, and effective.

Presently, two major approaches of software testing exist in the market that can be zeroed down to manual and automatic. The procedure of manual testing refers to the idea of hiring a professional tester to try or execute the product/program/application in different possible approaches of customer use. On the other hand, the automated procedure is all about acquiring a third party or external tool that is designed to execute a pre-set of scenarios along with steps that a customer might use.

Now, when it comes to manual vs. automation testing services, it is safe to say that the key to software testing rests with automation. The first question that an enterprise or tester should ask oneself when conducting manual tests is that ‘is it at all possible to make the process automatic?’ If yes, then it is always wise to think of the ways to automation.

How does Manual Testing Occur?

Let us take this as an instance: you are a member of a Quality Assurance team that is responsible for conducting web application tests and you find out there is no automated process written for the same. The outcome: every time, you think of testing apps, you need to click all the links/buttons manually, enter data into input fields, as well as verify proper handling of input and output fields. After the completion of the method, you document the errors that have been encountered and notify the developers to fix the errors accordingly. Now, all these steps enable the functioning of a single application. You need to repeat the entire process for all the applications/programs.

What’s the problem here?

First of all, this process is not just cumbersome, but also inconsistent. If there is a team conducting software tests, the process completely turns out to be relative in respect to the individual conducting the test of a particular application/program. On the other hand, even if you are single-handedly taking care of the entire process, the approach is most likely to change, every time you take up the same. Well, a probable solution to this situation rests with the idea of creating a set standard that everyone needs to follow while testing application. However, it is hard to determine that the standard is being followed by everyone.

Secondly, even if everybody is keen on following the set standard, the method does not guarantee complete efficiency. The reason is simple; it takes too much time to ensure proper functioning of a web application or a program. Moreover, it also turns out to be boring. After all, all you need to do is follow instructions like ‘press this button’, ‘type this’, ‘click here’, etc and that too repeatedly. Moreover, when you have the choice of implementing alternate ways of software testing, the entire manual procedure seems to be disinteresting.

How to solve the problem? The solution to efficient testing

If you feel like being turned to a machine while conducting manual tests, it is time that the machine takes up the job. It is always wiser to invest the time in something better like implementing an automated test process, which can be run quickly as well as efficiency without any hitch.

The process of automated testing offers an enterprise reliability, consistency, as well as speed alongside making way for better time allocation. If programmed properly, the tasks can be easily performed consistently in an identical approach. Automation definitely enables fast run of the tasks at specific occurrences, which as a result saves maximum effort, time and money.

We provide software testing services. If you would like to talk to one of our certified software testers, please visit Mindfire Solutions.

Migrate a SharePoint Team Wiki to an Enterprise Wiki

An Enterprise Wiki (EW) refers to a publishing site that offers updating and sharing huge volumes of information within an organization. In case an organization requires a centralized, large knowledge repository which is designed to both share as well as store information over an organizational scale, the use of EW can be considered. They make use of the Enterprise Wiki site template, developed over the publishing infrastructure of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. This particular infrastructure makes room for a number of means for controlling content. For instance, permissions can be assigned or workflows may be used for establishment of an approval procedure.

The EW Site template can be leveraged for the creation of sub-sites or site collections. The site created through this template is focused on the content. The “Pages” Library is the main component of the site. Again, there is the “Wiki Page Library” list template. It has the potential to host wiki pages and can be utilized to create various kinds of sites. In fact, Wiki Library list template serves as the default pages library for the “Team Site” template.

Planning for an Enterprise Wiki

Before implementation of an EW, the concerned organization must determine whether it is the right solution. It is a perfect solution when the business is in need of manifold users for contribution to the knowledge repository. But in case a means to establish one-to-many communication regarding an area of interest or a project is required, a Team Site should be preferably used.

While deciding whether to go for it, the following things should be considered: 

• Purpose to be served: It should have a clear-cut purpose. For instance, a particular business goal can be addressed or it can be a centralized knowledge body regarding particular business problems, processes or topics. The aim is to offer a space wherein members belonging to a virtual community can remove, change or create content, including content created by previous authors. However, in case you need to have a knowledge exchange means that is more structured where one-to-many communication is mostly used, a blog or a team site comprising Web Edit facility can be used.
• Number of users who would be contributing: A number of factors influence this decision. These are- whether there is potential to support enhanced growth coupled with the need for enhanced server and network capacity, whether legal consideration regarding contribution are there, whether key contributors from each business area should be determined.
• Control of EW access: Ideally, each member of the organization should have access to update, edit or contribute content. In case there is the need for information separation with respect to groups, blog or team site with Web edit can be used.
• Implementation of control over content: Blogs are designed in order to provide structured knowledge exchange while a wiki makes room for informal contributions. However, there are requirements and guidelines with respect to an organization for handling of particular content regarding specific subjects. Addressing inaccurate or inappropriate entries can also be considered.

Before creation of an Enterprise Wiki, the following tasks must be completed: 

• In order to provide storage for notes and social tags, a Managed Metadata serve application should be created.
• For the management of the site collection wherein the EW is located, administrator permission pertaining to site collections must be there.
• A User Profile Service Application must be developed in case the EW is intended to be used with My Sites.

Migration of Wiki Library

The following methods may be followed for migration: 

• The Enterprise Wiki may be linked to the existing Wiki library without moving the same. In this case, navigation must be well structured.
• This involves linking to the existing Wiki Library. Here, the entire library is moved or copied to the EW site. This facilitates links to other pages and lists because they belong to the same site always.
• Old wiki pages can be migrated into new EW Pages. This implies copying the wiki page content within the “Page Content” field. This can be manually done but may take a long period of time.
• Migrating to Enterprise Wiki may indeed prove beneficial for your organization. The steps should be carefully followed and it should be properly done to ensure maximum success.

We provide custom sharepoint development services. In addition we can assist you in migration to and from Sharepoint. If you would like to speak to one of our certified sharepoint programmers, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

What you should know about Hypernext Android Creator (HAC)?

Android is the buzz word in the Mobile sector with the share of 42% across various devices globally. With the growing usage of Android Smartphones new development tools are made available for users to create smart Android applications using Windows PC and Mac. There are various Android tools that can be used to develop amazing android applications. These customized tools make it easier for android mobile app development even without the knowledge of Java or the Android SDK and is called HyperNext Android Creator (HAC).

This tool is available in english format syntax which is made easier to read for beginners who are new to the development world. And provides a visual designer for laying out screens. It can run most of the programs within its graphical user interface and upload them onto an Android Emulator or Android device via wireless. In order to develop with HAC, Java JDK, Android SDK and Apple Quicktime must be installed. These are free to download and use. Applications that are developed on HAC gives support on different devices amazingly. HyperNext is major programming language and easy-to-use, learn and implement. It operates based on HyperCard that takes software as a heap of cards.

It is worth mentioning that the app developers always face challenges associated with Java standards since no set standard is used for developing them. For this issue, many tools have been developed which has help in Android conversion activities. The HyperNext interface has just one design window and simple toolbar and creates highly interactive apps. There are three modes: Design, Preview and Run. Controls such as buttons can be rapidly placed and their English-like scripts edited with its easy to use Script Editor.

Eclipse and Netbeans are east to use in HAC. It is a self contained software application basically designs flawless android applications with much ease. It shares many general features such as it can save, load, and create new projects. HAC has loaded it will display two main windows, the Design window and the Tool Bar which together allow cards to be created and controls placed upon them. A third global window called the Mode Switcher will also appear and shows three buttons that allow quick movement between the Design, Preview and Run modes. When switching from Design to Run mode the project is automatically saved and when switching back the saved project is reloaded.

Android emulators are virtual android devices check the applications developed in HAC. HyperNext is a programming language. Its out-of-the features are unique and easy to understand. They are as follows: 

• English-like statements.
• Software generally has a card based organization.
• Variables are type-less and are all stored as strings(text).
• Variables are either Global or Local.
• Global procedures are declared in the MainCode section.
• Control handlers and their procedures are local and hence protected.
• Created with the Standard Edition of HelpNDoc:
• Easily create HTML Help documents
• Each control can have many local procedures.
• Specific commands for numeric and string processing.
• Variables can be single line, multi-line or array-like.
• Runtime error reporting can be dynamically switched on or off

The Android OS is especially designed to run on Mobile phones and to take care of the life-cycle of an app so that several apps could simultaneously co-exist in memory together, with only the front app being fully active. Furthermore the Android OS is supposed to be responsible for quitting apps when it feels they are no longer needed so the Android app guidelines. However many users want a Quit button and so HAC apps have one by default.

A HAC application runs in memory all the time and even if the user presses the Back Button or another app takes control, the HAC app will remain in the background and active, so it can play music, communicate with the web or number crunch etc. All HAC apps show an icon in the Status Bar so users know their HAC built app is still running.

Although background apps are not supposed to take resources it’s clear that they do and having several apps in the background can noticeably slow down the system response to such an extent that the user must restart their device. As many apps have no way to quit them "App Killer" programs have become some of the most popular downloads.

With HAC apps the background task is set to idle unless the code is actually doing something so a typical HAC app should have little resource overhead. If sent to the background it can easily be made foreground again by pressing and holding the Home button down, then choosing the HAC app icon.

HAC currently only works reliably with English keyboards as at this time the Android OS is still not fully compatible with other character sets. It supports GPS location functionality that can run in the background and continuously log readings. In the near future this will be enabled as it is especially useful on tablet devices that have much larger screen sizes than Smartphones.

HAC currently just supports the following 5 permissions but there are literally hundreds available within the Android OS.

1. Write External Storage: This is always enabled as application has to be installed to the SD card or external storage.

2. Internet: Used when app needs to access the internet such as when sending an email or requesting a web page.

3. Camera: Used when app needs to access the camera.

4. Location - Used to access the coarse location such as determining the cell on which device is connected.

5. Used to access GPS to return position coordinates etc.

HAC gives the exact blend of customized, highly interactive, user-friendly and efficient technologies integrated in Android app that is sure to deliver flexible, richer and greater operational control over the system. And needless to say, it does produce some of the most amazing applications that mobile users love to avail.

We provide android widget development services. If you would like to hire android app developer from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

How to build Richer ASP.NET Ajax apps faster?

Web applications being developed today appear smarter and customized compared to older apps. And this is because of the richer set of features they possess. The rich UI with animation, ability to drag and drop custom functionality with gradual introduction to technologies like scalable vector graphics are helping in this transition. One can add toolbar, icons, buttons, bookmarks, which changes the behavior of browsers instantly. Apps can constantly interact with the web server to manipulate data and create new web pages for the users.

With AJAX, developers have been giving their user's desktop-like functionality and behavior. As web applications are becoming more classic and sophisticated and even more data intensive, more and more web apps are embracing ASP.NET AJAX which helps making the application more and more intuitive and engaging.

AJAX approaches in ASP.NET web apps make use of the UpdatePanel and partial postbacks. Both of these functionalities offer rich features and easy implementation. It is ideal for smaller projects, both approaches transfer large amounts of data. It also has highly effective web service-approach called PageMethods. ASP.NET application development service attracts the world to use it to evolve dynamic and professional websites which will push the enterprise towards the peak level. With Richer ASP.NET Ajax, apps make web pages look and feel much more dynamic and perform faster, while providing a great user experience. AJAX framework plays a major role to get web pages interacting with the servers on other domains and this bridges cross-domain calls seamlessly.

ASP.NET data presentation server is powered by Microsoft AJAX offering control to the client, thus enhancing the power and responsiveness of controls such as the GridView and DetailsView. The data client controls create truly responsive web applications that interact seamlessly not just with servers and data, but also with other servers and other sources of data should one choose.

Features of ASP.NET Ajax

1. Complete cross-browser support

RadControls for ASP.NET AJAX provides a consistent experience across all major browsers such as Firefox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. To support new browsers and browser versions, Telerik ensures website performance is not interrupted by new browser releases.

2. Highly Accessible ASP.NET AJAX Editor

Telerik support various organizations that bridges the accessibility needs of people with disabilities. It brings innovative enhancements in the ASP.NET AJAX RadEditor and makes it one of the most accessible web-based rich text editors. It even enables new opportunities for sight-impaired users.

3. Tuned for exceptional performance

Achieving exceptional performance is one of the biggest challenges in web development and a key requirement for almost all web applications. With RadControls, one can deliver unrivaled performance even in the most demanding enterprise applications. It features numerous capabilities that help improve website performance, such as built-in AJAX, built-in support for JSON binding on the client. HTTP compression, automatic ViewState, efficient rendering with CSS sprites and semantic HTML and skin resource combining. Used in combination, one can effortlessly optimize websites for maximum performance without writing any complex code.

4. Support for ASP.NET MVC

ASP.NET MVC is a new alternative for building ASP.NET web applications. Alone ASP.NET MVC does not support time saving UI controls. Telerik AJAX UI controls provide support to Microsoft MVC and allow to begin using the emerging platform while still leveraging familiar rich UI controls from ASP.NET WebForms. Telerik also offers native ASP.NET MVC components that are built for this platform.

5. Testing ASP.NET AJAX

Telerik is developer-friendly automated testing tool which helps to test ASP.NET AJAX and functionality at client's end or bind test steps to a data source without leaving Visual Studio. It supports JavaScript function invocation and validation directly from .NET code.

From the above features things get sorted, while developing these customized applications for varied business users and they can be loaded much faster and deliver the best productive apps.

We provide .net application development services. If you would like to know more about the expertise of our expert .net developers, please visit Mindfire Solutions.

How to Perform Android Automated Testing

Android app testing is an essential part of the development process. Especially for Android OS, it is very important because the devices are very different from each other. They vary from each other in screen size and resolution, version, form factor, instruction set of the processor, front camera, NFC, external keyboard and so many other different factors. In such a scenario, automated Android testing provides an architecture and powerful tools that tests every aspect of android application at every level from unit to framework.

Many Android test suites are based on JUnit. The Android JUnit extensions provide component-specific test case classes. JUnit extensions test Android API. A functional test checks if the activity was correctly started. A unit test just tests the functionality of a certain component. These classes provide helper methods for creating mock objects and methods that help one control the lifecycle of a component.

Android SDK tools are available in plenty for building and testing such as Eclipse with ADT and also in command-line form for use with other IDEs. These tools gather data from the application under test and use this information to automatically create file, manifest both the file as well as directory structure for the test package. There are two utilities available in Android SDK to control Android devices: ADB (Android Debug Bridge) and Monkeyrunner. Monkeyrunner is an API used for testing devices with Python programs and its UI is a command-line tool for stress-testing. These two send pseudo-random events to a device.

The Android SDK provides the following tools to support automated, functional UI testing for its application:

• uiautomatorviewer - A GUI tool to scan and analyze the UI components of an Android application.
• uiautomator - A Java library containing APIs to create customized functional UI tests and an execution engine to automate and run the tests.
• InstrumentationTestRunner - A primary Android test runner class which extends JUnit test runner. framework.It runs any the test case classes provided by Android and supports all possible types of testing.

If one plans to test the application, the app must be installed first on a test device, analyzed UI components of the app and must be ensured that the application is accessible by the test automation framework.

1. Create automated tests to simulate specific user interactions on application.

2. Compile test cases into a JAR file and install it on test device along with your app.

3. Run the tests and view the test results.

4. Correct any bugs or defects discovered in testing.

Various Automated Testing methods used are:

• Testing with Monkey
• Testing with MonkeyRunner
• Testing with getevent and sendevent
• Testing with Robotium

These methods can work wonders testing the android apps. A properly constructed testing process that combines different testing methods including automated testing is an essential part of a high quality application development process.

Advantages of Android Automated Testing

• It brings flexibility to the application.
• Programming skills are not required to record event sequence.
• Actions are described at the application UI level.
• Script does not depend of the screen orientation and screen resolution.
• Automated scripts can check the state of an application only after an action.
• Avoids redundancy of effort in testing.

With the above advantages, developers can leverage automated android app testing methods and techniques to make their lives easier and mobile app development fun!

We provide android app development services. If you would like to hire android app programmers from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.