Procedures

A procedure is a parameterized, reusable block of steps, the same idea as a keyword in keyword-driven testing. When the login screen changes, you fix the procedure once; every test that calls it picks the fix up.

Define it

The Procedures button on the Tests page creates a file in procedures/ from a template:

# Login to the UI
# Parameters: [username, password]

1. Enter the value of {username} into the username field
2. Enter the value of {password} into the password field
3. Click the "Login" button
4. The procedure is successful if you are logged in

• The file name is the name tests call: login_to_ui.
• The # Parameters: [...] line declares the inputs; steps reference them as {username}, {password}.
• The last step states when the procedure counts as successful.

Use it

Call it as a single step from any test, or from a suite's setup, in plain language: name the procedure and say what fills its parameters; a secret is passed by name:

1. Log in using the `login_to_ui` procedure with the QA username and
   password secrets.
2. Wait until the start screen loads

What belongs in a procedure versus a test step: What goes where.