Speed up Test Design using Degust Step Stencils

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Building up a test requires the configuration of one or many steps. One would always use the same sequence of steps to achieve similar tasks.

Here the "Degust Step Stencils" can help to speed up test design and configuration.

About Stencils

Stencils are sequences of steps that can be used in any other Test.

Use Stencil Test Step

If you select 'Use Stencil' in a test's step flow, the steps of the selected stencil will be used at this position in the step flow, as if they had been created at this position one by one. They are not copied as such but will be used during the test run.

The stencil will be deflated, evaluated, and used during the test execution, which has a great advantage: whenever you modify the stencil itself, the modification applies to all tests in their next run. This allows us to make basic changes in one place, re-configuring hundreds of tests simultaneously.

Copy Stencil

You may prefer to copy the steps of the stencil at that position in the flow. In this case, click on 'Copy this Stencil into this Test' in the current 'Copy Stencil' test step. After acknowledging a confirmation, Degust will pull all steps from the Stencil at this position in the test step flow.

The steps will be an integral part of this test. From then on, the steps copied from the stencil are disconnected from the original and live alone in this test. Changes to the original stencil are not applied to the sequence of steps in the tests where they have been copied to.

Change from 'Use' to 'Copy'

You can use the function 'Copy this Stencil into this Test' at any time after you have integrated a stencil into a test using the 'Use Stencil' test step

Cascading Stencils

To get even more flexibility, Degust supports cascading stencils, which is to insert a stencil in a stencil in a stencil... in any depth.

If you use 'Copy this Stencil into this Test' Degust will copy the current top level of the stencil into the test, keeping the cascade intact. If you want to copy the next instances of the cascade into this test, apply 'Copy this Stencil into this Test' on the next level.

Working with Stencils

Creating a Stencil

Stencils are created like standard tests but will get a special type definition by switching the according radio button. You will notice working in a stencil as it has another header color, some areas are disabled, and the 'Test' Section of the step flows is renamed 'Stencil'

You can evaluate the functionality of stencils by running them manually. For this, you may need to define the required environment and surrounding steps the same way you would with a normal test. Degust helps separate the steps to build the stencil from those required to run the stencil evaluation by providing three sections 'SETUP', 'STENCIL', and 'CLEARING'. 

Integrating the stencil into a test will only use the steps in the STENCIL area.

To identify the stencils for other tests or stencils, please add 'Stencil' to the category.

Using Stencils in Tests

To use a stencil in a test (or in another stencil) just add a step 'Use Stencil' at the position the stencil is required.

Select the required stencil in the 'Stencil' select box.

If the 'Copy Stencil to this position' is available, the steps of the stencil will be created here and the 'Use Stencil' step will vanish. 

Good to Know

1. Stencils can be used multiple times in any number of tests, even multiple times in a single test, but it is self-explaining that the same stencil can not be used recursively; these tests would not deflate correctly and possibly run forever.
2. Variables defined or used in stencils will be used in all destination tests the stencils are integrated into. Input variables will need to be served in the destination tests to give the stencil meaning.
   
3. A stencil can not run on a scheduler alone or be started using the Customer Integration API or the 'Run another configured Test' step type.

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