Stop 06 · Programming Fundamentals for AutomationTopics · 3/10

Functions & Object-Oriented Basics

In short

Your first script works. Your tenth script has the same login steps copied ten times, and one change breaks all of them. Functions and classes fix that mess.

Organizing code into reusable functions, and understanding classes and objects — essential for building maintainable automation frameworks rather than one giant, unstructured script.

The purple blob lifts an idli mould tray out of a steaming pot, with idlis and chutneys on a plate.

Think of it like this

The idli mould

The mould tray is the design: round, this size, this deep. Every idli that comes out is its own idli, with its own chutney. A class is the mould, each object is an idli, and a method is something every idli can do.

Watch it happen

Inside a TestUser class

class TestUser

Attributes

Methods

name

role

can_delete()

1/4A class is a blueprint. It describes what every test user looks like and can do.

The big ideas

What you need to know

Functions bundle steps

def login(user, pwd) wraps five lines into one name. Call it from every test that needs a login.

Inputs and outputs

Parameters go in, a return value comes out. Same input should give the same output.

Class vs object

A class is the design. An object is one real thing made from it, with its own values.

One place to fix

When the login flow changes, you edit one function, not forty tests.

See it in code

Walk through the code

python

1class TestUser:2    def __init__(self, name, role):3        self.name = name4        self.role = role5 6    def can_delete(self):7        return self.role == "admin"8 9 10admin = TestUser("Asha", "admin")11viewer = TestUser("Ravi", "viewer")12 13print(admin.name, admin.can_delete())    # Asha True14print(viewer.name, viewer.can_delete())  # Ravi False

1/4__init__ runs when you create an object and stores its name and role.

One class, two objects with different data. The same method gives different answers for each.

Save yourself the pain

Common mistakes

Oops

Writing one giant 300-line script with no functions.

Do this instead

Split repeated steps into small functions with clear names like add_to_cart().

Oops

Forgetting self in Python methods, then getting confusing errors.

Do this instead

Every method's first parameter is self. Use self.name, not just name, inside it.

Your mission

Build a tiny Product class

~30 min

Quick check

You create two objects from the same class. What do they share?

Go deeper

1Refactor a script into reusable functions instead of repeated inline code.
2Learn the basics of defining a class and creating an object from it.
3Understand why object-oriented structure matters specifically for the Page Object Model (Phase 7).