Questions from Trending in Testing -- Part 1

 

This series of blog posts was supposed to be an article for a testing community.  I'm sharing it here on my blog as I could not finish it on time and respond to the moderator of the community.

On reading these questions, I wrote a draft for it.  I saw what I wrote could not fit into one post.  I tried to make it into one post.  But, doing so, I felt, I'm not doing justice to myself, to Treding in Testing for asking me to write, and to the reader who will be reading it.

As a writer or author of an article or blog, for first I have to enjoy my writing and its content, right?  I have to feel it.  Only then, the readers might feel what I write.  I did not get this feeling when I tried to fit it into one post.  Because, the questions were so contentful in itself. How to bring the value for those good questions?

I decided, I should be giving the credits to Trending in Testing and to make these each questions into a blog post, so that I do justice for the questions, to Trending in Testing, and to myself.

Search for Trending in Testing and read the interview of other practicing Software Test Engineers. Thank you, Trending in Testing for asking me these questions and any credits for this will be to you.

I was asked the below questions and I'm making each question as one blog post.

1. Could you please share your story about how you paved your path into Software Testing?
• Blog: How I Paved my Path into Software Testing! -- Part 2
2. Who is your inspiration or mentor to guide you towards your journey?
• Blog: Inspiration and the Mentor Who Guided Me -- Part 3
3. What are the common challenges that you face as a Software Tester? How do you overcome them?
• Blog: Common Challenges as a Software Tester; How I Overcome it -- Part 4
• Blog: Practice: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Today -- Part 4A
• Blog: Business: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Tdoay -- Part 4B
• Blog: Project: The Top 5 Challenges I See For Today -- Part 4C
4. What can people in the same role do to upskill themselves so that they can keep pace with the changing trends?
• Blog: To Be Contemporary in Software Testing & Engineering -- Part 5
5. According to you, what are the important factors to consider for becoming successful in Software Testing?
• Blog: What is Success to me in Software Testing? -- Part 6
6. What are the upcoming trends in Software Testing that our audience should know about?
• Blog: Difference between Software Testing and Upcoming Trends in Software Test Engineering -- Part 7
7. What advice would you like to give to aspiring testing enthusiasts regarding how they can pave their way in the industry and be successful?
• Blog: The Advice to Test Engineer in Me -- Part 8

HTTP Request Methods - DOT 3P HCG

 

Today, in the morning session with a mentee, she asked, "I have difficulty in remembering all the HTTP request methods and what it does. How can I make it simple?"  

I had the same question in the end of 2009 when I started testing the applications built using the HTTP.

Learning, and Registering the Learning

When I read, I forget it, because it is not yet registered in me consciously.  How to learn in a way so that it registers in me? I had this question.  Especially, when I started my career, I had this challenge.

In the college days, I had formed a tricks and hacks to remember and the mnemonic was one of them.  In 2008, I came across mnemonics in Software Testing.  I saw the mnemonic used by practitioners in Software Testing as one of the learning techniques and to register and retrieve the learning.

I repeat my learning in multiple approaches until I understand a concept. Then I form a layer where I make it simple for me to register it, in me, and to retrieve.

I applied the same with the HTTP request methods.  It became simple to me to recall and use it in my test designs when needed.

DOT 3P HCG

I helped myself by framing the mnemonic DOT 3P HCG in 2010.  I had difficulty in recalling the HGC part. For this, I said to myself -- head, chest, and gut.  That HCG became smooth in registering.  Finally, I could recall all the HTTP request methods with this mnemonic.

DOT 3P HCG stands for:

• D: DELETE
• to delete the resource specified
• O: OPTIONS
• describes the communication options for the targeted source
• T: TRACE
• used for diagnostic purpose and does a loop-back test along the path to target resource

• P: POST
• to submit an entity to specified resource
• P: PUT
• to upload/update an entity that is saved on server at a specified endpoint
• P: PATCH
• to do a partial modification to a resource

• H: HEAD
• Ask for a response which is identical to GET but without a response body
• For example, fetching the expiry date in a header as a response so that it can be used in the next request's header or a payload
• C: CONNECT
• To establish a tunnel with a endpoint or server for communication
• G: GET
• To request a representation (an information copy) of specified resource

As the HTTP request methods name are verbal, I can recall easily the purpose of each method.  I shared the same today with a mentee.  She could register it in a minute and recall these HTTP request methods and its purpose.

She is happy and says it is so simple now to recall the HTTP methods and its purpose.