Programming Projects

To deepen my knowledge in whatever test automation toolset I am learning on-the-job, especially when starting a new position, I always have a few side projects going, dabbling in it during the weekends and off-hours, practicing what I am learning. It's how I hit the ground running when I start a new position. 

More can be found on my GitHub site. To see general blog entries on building automated test frameworks, go to the Table of Contents.

Claude Sonnet Over-Engineered My Playwright Login!
March 2026

Does an automation framework for a Playwright Login page need to dive into Martin Fowler's concepts of Dependency Injection, Singleton, TestDouble patterns along with the standard Page Object patterns? Standards set by ISTQB and OWASP? Documentation from the Refactoring Guru, The Gang of Four? Claude Sonnet 4 thinks so!

Playwright Generate Plans: Playwright + TypeScript:
February 2026

Testing out how Playwright-Test-Planner and Playwright-Test-Generator, two plugins for GitHub Copilot, can create a test plan in Markdown, then write an automated test framework in Playwright + TypeScript against it, adding in page objects and reporting just by prompting. 

Cursor Creates: Playwright + C-Sharp:
February 2026 

It's a head-to-head matchup! Cursor AI versus VS Code + GitHub Copilot battling to create automated test frameworks using MS Playwright + C#. Who creates the best tests for The-Internet / Login? The best GitHub Actions Workflow? The best README docs? And can it be created only using prompts?

Login C Sharp: 
February 2026

The test: Given a website, such as https://the-internet.herokuapp.com/login, can GitHub Copilot examine the website, and create through only prompting an automated test framework using C#, NUnit, and Playwright? Can it set up a GitHub Actions Workflow and produce detailed documentations once a list of requirements are given? How much steering is needed? And how badly will it go off the rails? 

DetoxDemo: Testing a React Native mobile app with Detox + TypeScript
January 2026

Based on my work building from scratch a React Native mobile automation framework using Wix's Detox + TypeScript + GitHub Action workflows + Allure Reports at SELF ID. Tested against my first GitHub CoPilot "vibe coded" React Native application I've ever coded, based on Dave Haefner's The-Internet. 

The Cheezy Internet: Creating a Ruby + Watir + Cucumber automation framework with Jeff Morgan's Page-Object gem:
November 2021

How I practiced using MassMutual's test Ruby + Watir + Cucumber automation toolsets. 

Are you sure the buses are still listed?
Data-driven API tests with Ruby + NET::HTTP + ThoughtWorks Gauge

Created a course on Capybara + Ruby for Test Automation University based on my work building a test automation framework from scratch at Threat Stack. Visual testing using Capybara + Ruby + Headless Chrome + Applitools. 

Basic Capybara-Gauge 
December 2018

Based on my work at Threat Stack building a test automation framework for their security application. Threat Stack required it be written in Ruby + Gauge + Gitlab, a toolset I was of yet unfamiliar with. Capybara + Ruby + Headless Chrome + Rubocop.

Discovering Docker
Spring & Summer 2018

First exposure to Amazon AWS, I started studying it in order to build a virtual machine for a test automation framework I was building for Threat Stack. 

Tinkering with Twitter
October 2017

Didn't get the job at Twitter, but I did do well on the take-home coding test! Uses Twitter4J Java library. Thank you, Angie Jones for referring me! 

While working as a manual tester on a contact at Ahold, the parent company of Stop & Shop supermarkets, I designed a proof-of-concept that I demoed for them, trying to convince them to hire me as an automation developer creating a brand new mobile automation framework. They asked how I was thinking of constructing it, so I showed them these blog posts. 
Learning Appium Desktop
April 2017

While working as a manual tester on a contact at Ahold, the parent company of Stop & Shop supermarkets, I decided I wanted to create a proof-of-concept of a mobile automation framework. They wanted to see what toolsets I could use. These are my research notes. 
Learning Serenity BDD
March 2017

Starting a new QA Contract at Ahold, the parent company of Stop & Shop supermarkets, I was investigating how I wanted to write automated tests for their mobile apps. 
Are You Sure the Bus Line is Listed? Gathering data using REST APIs and REST Assured:
February 2017


Building a Geb + Groovy + Spock project with Yeoman:
November 2016

New job at Good Start Genetics? New automation toolsets to learn, using Geb + Groovy + Spock. 


SDET Prepwork:

I have shifted from being an automation engineer to being a Software Developer in Test. In order to keep up, I have written a few blogs entries about what I need to learn:


 Playing with Protractor:
September 2016

A company gave me a take-home test for a job interview. Didn't get the job, but I did experiment for the first time writing a test framework with Protractor + JavaScript + Jasmine, the toolsets at their company.  


RESTful API Testing with Postman and Newman:
July 2016

Fitbit Boston was investigating new ways to write API tests, using Postman, a toolset I was unfamiliar with at the time. Article covers "What is an API?" and gives sample APIs on the web. Also shows


Configuring Build.Gradle Environments:
June 2016

A fun Memorial Day project: Experiment with the new way Fitbit Boston was writing tests, using Gradle + JUnit + Hamcrest instead of Maven + TestNG + JUnit. 


The Builder Pattern:
April 2016 - May 2016

A Senior Developer at Fitbit walked me through a new way to store data, so of course I had to practice using it during my off-hours. 
RESTful Testing with Stripe and Apache HttpComponents:
Feb 2016 - March 2016

Selenium WebDriver + Java + Apache HTTP Components. This was an experimental proof-of-concept that I demoed to stakeholders to prove to Fitbit Boston that we could add tests to our infrastructure for the Stripe API payment processor. They asked for documentation on what I was planning, so I showed them these blog posts I had just written. 

Automate Amazon 
Dec 2015 - Jan 2016

How to develop a rudimentary framework to create automated tests for Amazon. Selenium WebDriver + Java + TestNG, based on work doing at Fitbit Boston. 

Testing The-Internet
June - July 2015

Selenium WebDriver + Java demonstrating refactoring out common utilities such as logging and error handling, getting page titles, getting URLs, and sending keys, similar to what we were using at Fitbit Boston. Web locators stored in Page Objects. 

Writing automated tests versus Dave Haeffner's Login page on his test site, The-Internet. 
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