Test script

A test script is a short program written in a programming language used to test part of the functionality of a software System. A written set of steps that should be performed manually can also be called a test script, however this is more correctly called a test case.

Any test that is written as a short program is regarded as an automated test. Test scripts written as a short program can either be written using a special automated functional GUI test tool or in a well know programming language i.e. C plus plus, Java programming language, Perl, Python programming language, or more recently Ruby programming language. Automated test tools can test many areas of system functionality such as the user interface, performance of the system, the system code and the requirements.

Automated testing has the advantage over manual testing in that it is easily repeatable, and thus is favoured when doing regression testing. This however is not always the case as automated tests are usually very poorly written and break during play back. Since most systems are designed with human interaction in mind, it is good practice that a human tests the system at some point.

For additional information about written test scripts, please see the test case article.

=See also=

*Software testing *Unit test *Test plan *Test Suite *Scenario testing *Session-based testing