WebMate: Web Application Test Generation in the Real World

We present Web Mate, a tool for automatically generating test cases for Web applications. Given only the URL of the starting page, Web Mate automatically explores the functionality of a Web application, detecting differences across multiple browsers or operating systems, as well as across different revisions of the same Web application. Web Mate can handle full Web 2.0 functionality and explore sites as complex as Facebook. In addition to autonomously exploring the application, Web Mate can also leverage existing written or recorded test cases, and use these as an exploration base, this combination allows for quick expansion of the existing test base. Originating from research in generating test cases for specification mining, Web Mate is now the core product of a startup specializing in automated Web testing - a transfer that took us two years to complete. We report central lessons learned from this transfer, reflecting how robust, versatile, and pragmatic an innovative tool must be to be a success in the marketplace.