5 ways MaxTAF’s IDE beats a local IDE

In 2021, there are a wide number of competing Cloud tools which provide online development environments. Take Replit, JSFiddle or Codenvy or many other examples. The choice can often be dizzying, but they all have a unifying value to bring to the table - they offer an environment for conveniently creating code straight from the browser without having to go through the gritty IDE set-up process, and often they have utilities for collaboration and better teamwork. 

MaxTAF is one such platform, but uniquely it specifically caters to SDETs using Selenium to run their automation testing. Here are some advantages of using MaxTAF’s IDE over a local IDE.

1. Designed for testers

MaxTAF is entirely built around Selenium Webdriver, and with Selenium testers in mind. Many different features and utilities contribute to this. The script editor and workspace are designed to fully replicate the experience of using a local IDE, but with the ability to quickly run tests straight from the script editor, have in-browser live views of what the test is doing, and users are able to look-up code examples side-by-side (+lots of micro features to aid in test development)

2. Selenium straight out of the box

Unlike with local IDEs, the start-up and go process with MaxTAF is as simple as creating an account and getting on with scripting. Selenium is immediately installed, and users can script in Java, Python, Javascript and C#, as well as MaxTAF supporting Robot Framework. This is great for established teams starting new test projects, as well lowering the effort required to get into Selenium for beginners. 

3. Integration with other test tools

MaxTAF’s main advantage is that it is excellently integrated together. MaxTAF’s IDE is intrinsically linked with all the other areas of the platform, including the extensive Selenium grid for running tests on, the suites system, the workspace (file-system) and it’s graphical reporting tool, built using Allure.

4. Upgrades, Maintenance and Support

Upgrades are rolled out on a continuous basis and require no input from the user to benefit from the latest and greatest improvements. Additionally, support from the MaxTAF team is always available and very responsive, so users aren’t left to their own devices if they hit upon a stumbling block. 

5. Multi-user projects

Finally, one of the large benefits of using a browser accessed platform is that many users can all contribute to the same project at the same time. This collaborative angle far trumps that which local IDEs can offer, where complex code management workflows are required to ensure a healthy testing regime is maintained. 

Ultimately, the same benefits from any SaaS application - better accessibility, better support and a better overall experience.