Automation V3: Managing Test Steps
Once you’ve created your test case you can start adding test steps to it. You can do this via the Salesforce UI with the Test Builder, or add a Salesforce API to set up some test data, or use one of Automation’s many test steps to perform other tasks.
In Automation, use the test case view to review all the test steps in your current test case. Click on any test step to see its Parameters and Settings. You can make changes and save your test case at any time.
Parameters
Parameters are containers of information relating to your test steps and to the overall test case. Each Parameter will have a defined format for entering the information, but these formats can often be amended by the tester depending on requirements. Most formats are readily intuitive as they have guided inputs.
Some common formats are as follows.
Expression: A common format that supports complex expressions, variables or text (see Writing Expressions section below for more information).
Choice: Another common format that supplies a picklist/dropdown of defined data options.
Date: Supports date values, entered using a calendar view.
Boolean: Supports boolean/checkbox values.
Number: Supports only numeric values.
Password: Accepts alphanumeric and special characters, values entered are obscured and stored in the project .secrets file.
UI Choice: Defines the screen and field options for UI testing (generally autopopulated through the Test Builder)
UI Action: Defines the actions available such as Click, Set or Hover (generally autopopulated).
Specific parameters will vary according to the Test Step, but refer to the common test step parameters below for information on generic parameters such as Test Scope and Screenshot Options.
Writing expressions
Any field type that allows you to enter any value will also allow you to pass in an expression. If you are unable to pass in an expression, you will need to change the editor to allow you to pass in expressions.
To update an editor, hover over the field, click the 
In Provar, expressions are declared inside curly braces {}. They can include functions and variables as well as static text. This gives the user great flexibility but it also presents the opportunity for errors.
Note: We recommend using Content Assist when building expressions to help prevent syntax issues. You can access Content Assist by choosing CTRL + spacebar. Provar will provide a list of possible options to choose from.
See below for some examples of using expressions to calculate values and access queried information. Refer to Using Functions for more information on the functions available in Automation.
Simple examples
{1+1} – Will perform simple addition e.g. 2.
{1/2} – Will perform simple division e.g. 0.5.
{itemvalue + total} – Will work with variables (where itemvalue and total are previously created variables).
My name is {name} – Combine strings and variables (where name is a variable set to “David”), e.g. “My name is David”.
{(item + total)>100} – Expressions, where Item and Total > 100 e.g. true.
{(item + total)>100 and (item + total) <200} – Supports and/or logic gates e.g. true.
Complex expressions
When testing with Salesforce we work with objects and fields. We can access these values in different ways.
In the examples below we have an Account object which has a FirstName and LastName from running a query. Using expressions, we can access these values in various ways:
{AccountRows.FirstName} – Select full stop to see a list of available child variables.
{AccountRows[LastName=”ReECA1″].FirstName} – Filter a list of values using inline criteria.
{AccountRows[1].FirstName} – Choose the first value.
Common test step parameters
There are certain test step parameters which you will see in many Test Steps.
Result scope
All values in Provar have a scope which determines how long they live for. This prevents long test runs from accumulating lots of values that are no longer needed, while allowing you to store important ones for the entire duration if you need to.
The following scope options are supported:
- Test Run: Values are retained for the entire duration of your test run
- Test Folder: Values are discarded when the folder they were created in finishes
- Test Case: Values are discarded at the end of the Test Case they were created in
- Group Step: Values are discarded at the end of the parent Group Step they belong to
- Test Step: Values are discarded at the end of the Test Step that created them
Wait
Wait indicates that Provar will wait after performing the current action and before executing the next step.
The Before Wait setting gives you the ability to set a wait time before the step executes.
The After Wait setting gives you the ability to set a wait time after the step executes.
Note: Before/After Wait settings are useful when dealing with unpredictable page load times.
The Auto Retry setting is selected by default, Provar will proceed right after the current operation is finished and will manage the sync automatically. Additionally, it automatically retries the operation if for any reason the field does not appear. For options other than Auto Retry, enter the timeout value in seconds. This defines a maximum amount of time that Provar should wait for the condition to be fulfilled before moving on to the next Test Step.
If the option For a Pop to Appear is chosen, the name of the pop-up window must also be specified.
Screenshot options
This section contains two options:
Screenshot Before: Take a screenshot prior to executing the test step.
Screenshot After: Take a screenshot once the test step is executed.
Each option has the following choices:
- No Screenshot: No screenshot is required. This is the default value
- Capture the Visible Area: A screenshot will be taken that consists of only the area currently visible around the active field
- Capture the Entire Page: A screenshot will be taken that consists of the entire page when scrolled from top to bottom
These screenshots are displayed in the Screenshots tab in Executions after the test case is executed. Screenshots will also appear on run reports.