Managing active test runs
Not all test runs can be completed in a single session. Using the Script Execution page, there are several different ways to manage the starting and stopping of a test run that is not completed all at once.
Script Execution page buttons
During an active test run there are three buttons on the Script Execution page that behave as follows:
- Close:
The Close button closes the execution page, returning the user back to where they were before starting the test run. Using the Close button leaves the test run in the current state. A tester can later resume the test, either by clicking the in-progress last result column on the Test Case Execution Record page or by finding the test run in the Execution Console.
The circumstances of the test run determine whether it is more appropriate to use the Close button or the Click to Pause Execution (
). The
Close button closes the execution page, leaving the associated result in the
in-progress state. By contrast, using the Click to Pause Execution icon
places the associated result in the paused state and all of the steps are disabled and the current
step is highlighted. When you resume the test run from a paused state, you must explicitly click the
Click to Resume Execution icon (
) to
continue with the test run, but this step is not needed when the Close button is
used.Pause might be considered a more explicit action, thus indicating that you intentionally stopped working on a test run for some amount of time. Close is less explicit as there is no indication that you are not working on the test run. As an example, a tester that is working on a long test that takes several days. At the end of each day, the tester might use the Close button, as their intention is to resume the test run the following day. However, if something more important occurs that prevents the tester from working on the test for a while, then it can be paused indicating to others that they are not currently working on it.
- Stop Run:
The Stop Run button ends the current test run. An execution result is produced for the stopped run, capturing any results entered before the test run stopped. When this action is selected, the current state of the run is not maintained and cannot be resumed in the future. If the Stop Run button is used on a script that is running as part of a test suite, then the entire test suite is canceled and cannot be resumed.
- Show Results:
The Show Result button takes you to the test case result associated with the test run. The Show Result button becomes active only when the test run concludes.
).