I am a very novice user and would greatly appreciate any help or guidance.I have created a block of code that I will use for numerous test cases. I would like this block of code to pull in data, (last name, first name, address, city, state and zip), from an excel spreadsheet. Each time this block of code is used, the client data being pulled in needs to be unique. I can't figure out how to do this. I have watched the data-driven testing tutorial, which doesn't fit my case. Each time I use the block of code, I have mapped it back to a unique column on the spreadsheet, then pulled the keyword test into my test case. I did this repeatedly, for all test cases that I have that need to use this block of code. The problem arises when I save my work. The block of code is saved with the last changes and those last changes then populate to each test case I've created, which if run, would all then use the same data.Thanks!Jan

Hi,Could you please clarify what you want to do. Please send us the code you created or a screenshot of the keyword test you are using. We will try to help you.

Thanks! I have attached a copy of my script, as well as further detail.

Hi,A data-driven test will fit your needs. Please read about data-driven testing in the online documentation and try to go through the Data-Driven Testing tutorial again.The principle of data-driven testing consists in that you first record needed actions over the application using hard-coded data and then replace them with data stored in an external storage.In your case, you use several variables to store data for each individual column. But this is inconvenient. This does not allow you to run tests for all the test cases at once. As you have mentioned, the same variables is used in each test case, and in order for the test to cover individual test case, you need to modify the variable values. So, unfortunately, your approach is not suitable.By using data-driven testing, you can create one DB Table variable that will provide serial access to data that is stored in your Excel file. Then you will use this variable in data-driven loop.

I appreciate you helping me out :) I will review the links and try this again!

Well, I read the links, did the tutorial and the good news is, I can make a data loop and loop through the data when it is used in one test case only.Bad news is, I still am not getting the results I want.Using my initial block of code (Client1) that will be used in multiple test cases, I made my data loop. I created keyword test Test1 made up of Client1 and my remaining keyword tests. The Select Records for this loop is set to start and end at record 2.I created keyword test Test2, again made up of Client1 and my remaining keyword test. The Select Records for this loop is set to start and end at record 3.After editing the loop in the keyword test Test1, I saved.After editing the loop in keyword test Test2, I saved. I created a new test and through the Test Actions - Run Keyword test, I moved Test1 and Test2 into my new test (Test3), so they would run concurrently. Then I executed my test (Test 3 which contains Test1 and Test2).Because of the save, the last selected records (Test2) were saved to the Test1.How can I get around the save overwriting the previously saved values or is this the wrong approach?Any help would be greatly appreciated :)Jan

Reusing a block of code with unique data each time

12 Replies

Abramova
Staff
14 years ago
Hi,

Could you please clarify what you want to do. Please send us the code you created or a screenshot of the keyword test you are using. We will try to help you.
Janjan_1
Occasional Contributor
14 years ago
Thanks! I have attached a copy of my script, as well as further detail.
Script+Example.zip67 KB
Abramova
Staff
14 years ago
Hi,

A data-driven test will fit your needs. Please read about data-driven testing in the online documentation and try to go through the Data-Driven Testing tutorial again.

The principle of data-driven testing consists in that you first record needed actions over the application using hard-coded data and then replace them with data stored in an external storage.

In your case, you use several variables to store data for each individual column. But this is inconvenient. This does not allow you to run tests for all the test cases at once. As you have mentioned, the same variables is used in each test case, and in order for the test to cover individual test case, you need to modify the variable values. So, unfortunately, your approach is not suitable.

By using data-driven testing, you can create one DB Table variable that will provide serial access to data that is stored in your Excel file. Then you will use this variable in data-driven loop.
Janjan_1
Occasional Contributor
14 years ago
I appreciate you helping me out :) I will review the links and try this again!
Janjan_1
Occasional Contributor
14 years ago
Well, I read the links, did the tutorial and the good news is, I can make a data loop and loop through the data when it is used in one test case only.

Bad news is, I still am not getting the results I want.

Using my initial block of code (Client1) that will be used in multiple test cases, I made my data loop.

I created keyword test Test1 made up of Client1 and my remaining keyword tests. The Select Records for this loop is set to start and end at record 2.

I created keyword test Test2, again made up of Client1 and my remaining keyword test. The Select Records for this loop is set to start and end at record 3.

After editing the loop in the keyword test Test1, I saved.

After editing the loop in keyword test Test2, I saved.

I created a new test and through the Test Actions - Run Keyword test, I moved Test1 and Test2 into my new test (Test3), so they would run concurrently. Then I executed my test (Test 3 which contains Test1 and Test2).

Because of the save, the last selected records (Test2) were saved to the Test1.

How can I get around the save overwriting the previously saved values or is this the wrong approach?

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

Jan
tristaanogre
Esteemed Contributor
14 years ago
Could you repost your modified code so we can take a look?

Also, reviewing your initial post, you have your data in your excel sheet organized by columns. The DDT Drivers are designed that each case of data is a row with the first row being the column titles. That way you use your single data routine (Client1) and loop through all the records in the spreadsheet without needing to create a Test1 or Test2 for each case.

I think that might be the key, really, to your problem in that you're assigning values from your spreadsheet to project variables and then attempting to use those to drive your test... the DDT drivers (in script) and the data Driven loop (in keyword test) doesn't need that, it just needs a link to your data file.
Janjan_1
Occasional Contributor
14 years ago
Attached are the tests I created to try out the data loop. Prior to my test, I created another spreadsheet to use with the records as rows.

Data+loop+info.zip141 KB
tristaanogre
Esteemed Contributor
14 years ago
Unless there is a specific reason why you want to break things out into Test1 and Test 2, just creating the data driven loop in JJ7 will execute Row 2 and Row 3 in sequence without needing to make any other designations.

Basically, when you edit JJ7 the second time to start at Row 3, you're not editing it WITHIN Test 2, you're editing JJ7 directly so it's always going to use Row 3.

Just run JJ7 with no limitations on rows and you'll actually run all 9 rows in sequence.
Janjan_1
Occasional Contributor
14 years ago
I need to break the tests out into separate tests. These may have been poor examples, but each test does something different. JJ7 is the beginning portion of each test, which fills out a portion of a form. JJ7 needs to run along with the remainder of modules in Test1. Test2 also needs to run JJ7 along with the modules for that test.

When I was trying to learn to use the data loop, I was successful in letting JJ7 run and use all the rows in sequence, but I need to run the rows 1 by 1 in separate test cases.

I will try editing from Test2 rather than JJ7.

Thanks for your help! Hopefully, editing in the test rather than the module is the answer :)

Jan
tristaanogre
Esteemed Contributor
14 years ago
Do the modules in Test1 and Test2 also use data from the spreadsheet?

A suggestion:

1) Add a column to your data rows in your spreadsheet to indicate what "kind" of test it is. I'm assuming that these different tests are rather standardized as well.

2) Add If/Then logic to your JJ7 module to check that new column and then, depending upon what the new column contains, execute the appropriate code.

What you'll have, then, is encapsulated all in one module all the necessary code execution that you need and it will all be driven by the data in the sheet. Depending upon what row is being processed is what additional code will be executed.