Shared steps allow you to define common processes that can be reused across multiple test cases. This not only saves time during test creation but also simplifies maintenance, as you only need to update the shared step once for changes to take effect in all test cases using it.
Consider using shared steps for recurring processes such as logging in or setting up a test environment. You can also use this feature for parameterization, when the same steps are used with different data, such as different user credentials (see 4. Shared step variables (Connecting connectors).
Table of contents
- Create a shared step
- Use shared steps
- Edit shared steps
- Shared step variables (Connecting connectors)
1. Create a shared step
On the test case edit page, click Create a shared step in the menu.
Select the steps you would like to include in the shared step, and click Done.
In order to use the shared step feature, the UIs used in the selected steps must be shared so they can be used in all of the tests in a project. When you click OK, you changed these UIs to Shared UIs.
Now, you can proceed with creating a shared steps. Name your shared step and click Create.
The selected steps will now be grouped as a shared step. We recommend keeping each shared step under 600 steps.
2. Use shared steps
Created shared steps appear in the command selection pop-up. Select the shared step you want to use to add it to your test script.
You can nest shared steps within other shared steps.
The levels of nesting have an upper limit, which is set for each project and can be configured from the project’s settings screen. By default, an upper limit of 2 is set, and it can be increased up to 5.
However, once you increase the upper limit, you cannot lower it afterward. Additionally, if you increase the upper limit, operations such as editing test cases, executing tests, deleting test cases, and restoring from history may take longer. As the levels of nesting become deeper, dependencies between test cases and shared steps become more complex, which may make project maintenance and management more difficult. Please make sure to understand the above before setting the upper limit.
If you have mistakenly increased the upper limit, please contact us via the inquiry form.
3. Edit shared steps
You can edit your shared step from the test case edit page. Click Edit shared step.
Alternatively, you can access your shared steps from the Shared steps tab of the project page. Click ︙ > Edit.
Make necessary changes in the shared steps edit page.
Note: Although you can correct the content of a shared step on the edit screen, you cannot upload a screen capture.
4. Shared step variables (Using connectors)
When using shared steps, you may want to specify parameters externally. For example, in the "Register test user" shared step, you might want to call this step with different usernames for each test.
To achieve this, use the shared step variables feature.
In the edit page of the shared step, connect the input column to the variable definition list for the command. Note that value input column without a connect button cannot be used with this feature.
After connecting, specify the appropriate parameter name corresponding to the value (in this example, "User name"). The default value is initially set when the shared step is used and can be left blank.
Continue with other variables.
You can also modify these parameters when you first create a shared step from the "Create shared step" popup window, or from the shared step edit page.
Shared step variables can include UI elements, such as buttons, as well as input strings. This is useful, for example, if you want to tap all screen menus in order to check that transitions work properly.
As with value input columns, connect the UI element to the variable and give the variable an appropriate name.
You can connect one variable to either a string or a UI element, but not both.
By using shared step variables, you can specify variable clues based on the test cases used, allowing for flexible and dynamic shared steps in your testing process.