Introduction

Test Cases Module is the central repository of test cases. A single test case can be used repeatedly and associated with multiple releases and cycles- avoiding the need to copy test cases. The execution status of test cases is independent per cycle allowing organizations to repeatedly execute the same test case without affecting the test results between separate runs.

With the Test Cases Module you can:

Test Case Window

The Test Case module screen has the following UI.

Manage Grid Columns

All grids within the Requirements, Test Cases, Test Suites, and Issues module have Arrange Columns option that allows users to create a customized view of their test assets.

The view is saved for future use.

The following customization can be applied:

Users can show/hide the Testing Type field in the Test Case module. If users want to use their own UDF instead of this field, they can hide it. The setting is provided in the Manage Fields section of the Customization module. Refer to Manage Fields for more details.

You can search for a particular column through the search box.

Test Case Detail Page

Just click on the Test Case Key in the grid view to open the test case detail page on the same page.

To open the test case detail page in a new tab/window,  right click on the Test Case Key in grid view. Opening test cases in different tab/browser makes a comparison between test cases easier. It also provides quick reference while working on multiple assets.

The detail page is redesigned that allows one-click access to different sections using organizable tabs.

Organize Tabs

The detail page of QMetry assets has different tabs on it. Users can customize the view of the detail page by changing the order of tabs. The tab order is preserved per user. 

For example, the tab order of the Test Cases module is changed by user "A" for project "PRO1". Now "A" is switching to another project "PRO2". The tabs can be seen in the same order as in project "PRO1".

Combined View vs. Grouped View

A. Individual Section Tabs

B. Combined View (Read-Only View)

A. Individual Section Tabs

For Test Case: There are individual tabs for Steps, Details, Requirements, Release & Cycles, Test Executions, Issues, Version, Attachments, Comments, Change Log

Each tab displays relevant details. The details are editable.

B. Combined View (Read Only View)

The tab renders the old view of the details page. You can view the details of all the sections on a single page. The details displayed on the page are read-only and can not be edited.

The Previous and Next buttons on the detail page are added for ease of navigation and updating the test cases.

Filter Test Cases

Users can easily filter test assets by any system/custom fields on all module grids. It also helps users in carrying out bulk operations. Filters placed horizontally above the grid earlier, are now placed on the tree panel at left.

Testers can view details grid aligned with folder tree even when they are clicking a folder which is at the bottom.

Apply Filter

Users can apply basic as well as advanced filters to the records.

A. Basic Filters: By default, basic filter fields are provided to filter the records.

B. Advanced Filters: If users need more fields to filter test assets then click on the '+' icon. It opens the drop-down with a list of additional system and user defined fields corresponding to the module. 

Select the field you want to apply a filter on. The filter parameter is added as Advanced Filters. Apply filter as per your requirement.

User can click on the '+' icon and select the field Entity Key to search test cases using comma separated entity IDs (i.e without specifying the complete Entity Key as described below).

For example,

Users want to filter test assets on Priority, Entity Key and Status, then click on the '+' icon and select the fields on the drop-down list as shown below.

Clear Filter and Sorting

Users can clear the applied filter and sorting to the records.

A. Clear Filter: Click on the Clear Filters button above the module grid or on the left pane. It will reset the view to default.

B. Clear Sorting: Click on the Clear Sorting button above the module grid.

Choose to include/exclude Test Cases from Sub Folders at Parent Folder

Users can opt to include or exclude test assets from sub folders at parent folder. By default, Include Entities from Sub-folder remains selected, and entities from sub-folders are displayed at parent folder level on the module list view.

To hide the entities from sub-folder, open the Options drop-down on the test asset tree at left, and select deselect Include Entities from Sub-Folder.

Navigation

Once you are on the test case details page, you can go back to the main screen of test cases by clicking on the breadcrumbs.

Test cases are added at the Project level. The Test Case module main screen displays test cases in the Project as per folder selection. You can apply filter to the columns as mentioned above. Multiple columns can be filtered at once to help users find the required test cases.

Managing Test Case Folders

QMetry allows testers to organize and manage test cases in a Folder based hierarchy. Testers can group related test cases and organize them systematically during authoring or post authoring.

It helps to carry out bulk operations like Move, Copy, Editing, Deleting, Executing all test cases under one folder, etc.

Adding a Test Case Folder

The tree/folder panel is expandable that facilitates stretching of the area if you want to view longer folder names. You can also hover over the folder to view its full name.

On the Test Case module toolbar, click on the New Folder button to add a new test case folder.

Enter the following fields to add a new folder:

Click Create. The new folder is reflected on the tree.

Note: The following permissions related to the Test Case module are set from User Role for individual roles.

Make sure you have relevant rights to carry out the operation.                  

Editing a Test Case Folder

Select the folder on the tree and click on the Edit icon on the toolbar.

The folder detail screen opens in editable mode.

Deleting Test Case Folder

Select the folder on the tree and click on the Delete icon on the toolbar.

On deleting a folder, all the sub folders and entities within the folder will be deleted. The status of the parent folder will get re-calculated in all the scopes that this folder was present in. The root folder cannot be deleted.

Managing Test Cases

Adding a Test Case 

On the Test Case module toolbar, click on the New button.

The Add Test Case screen has the following fields on it.

Rich Text:

A. Use of Rich Text Editor allows users to apply text formatting for Test Case Description and reduces chances of missing important details. Users can also insert images, hyperlinks and tables to the field.

Image Upload Support in Rich Text Editor:

Users can add images to any Large Rich Text Editor field (System as well as Custom) up to 1 MB. The images can be uploaded in the fields (A) by browsing and uploading the image (B) by inserting the image through the URL. It is applicable to all the fields across QMetry wherever rich text editor is available. The images will appear as thumbnails and will open as a full image on click.

Notes:

→ The supported file formats to upload are jpg, jpeg, png, and gif.

→ The maximum file size should be 1 MB (for images uploaded through browsing).

B.  Users can paste the html/xml content into the Source editor of the "Large Text" field type and it auto-renders the code to show the text outputs on the screen.

Use Case: An organization is using Rich text for Description field, in which they copy-paste the content from their source in html/xml format.

Click on the Edit icon at the right to open the source editor.

Note: To enable a rich text editor, the Enable Rich Text parameter should be enabled for the Project (Projects > Project / Release / Cycle). Refer to Enable Rich Text Editor for more details.

Enable Rich Text and Source Code Editor: Refer to the Description field above.

Adding Test Case Steps

You can add test steps that are to be executed under the test case. View, Create, Edit and Delete rights for Test Case are allocated to user roles from Customization > Roles. Users can perform operations as per the permission granted to their user roles.

Steps

  1. Go to the Steps section on the Create Test Case screen.

  2. Follow either of the following ways to add a test step:

    1. Hover the mouse over the Step Description cell and click on the Edit icon (pencil). You can also move using TAB on the keyboard.

    2. Click on the "+" icon at the right and select the Insert Row option to insert a new step at the end.

    3. Click on the settings icon for the test step and select the Insert Row option to insert a new step next to the current step.

A blank row is added to the grid with auto-generated Step number. Enter Step Description, Input Data and Expected Outcome in respective fields by clicking in the cell.

Repeat the same process to add other steps.

Rich Text Editor for Steps

There are two formats in which you can add test steps: Plain Text and Rich Text.

Enable Rich Text and Source Code Editor: Refer to the Description field of test case.

Note: To enable rich text editor, the Enable Rich Text parameter should be enabled for the Project (Projects > Project / Release / Cycle). Refer to Enable Rich Text Editor for more details.

User Defined Fields: If UDFs are added to the test step module, then they are displayed on the Test Steps section as columns beside the default fields of test steps.

Show/Hide and Re-arrange Test Step Columns

You can organize the test steps columns in the panel through drag and drop operation. You can also opt to hide/show Input Data, Expected Outcome and other UDF columns on the screen.

Click Save once you make any changes for the Test Steps panel.

Any changes in test steps column arrangement will reflect in other places where the test steps panel is used. For example, column arrangement changes on the Execution screen will reflect in the following places.

Edit entered steps

1. Click on the Edit button.

2. Click in the cell to modify the steps. It opens the test case details page in editable mode. It allows you to do inline editing in the field.

As an alternate way, you can click on the Edit icon for the step that you want to edit.

The step section opens in the expanded view with system fields (Step Description, Input Data and Expected Outcome) as well as custom fields.

You can switch between the fields.

In expanded view, the Large Text UDFs have separate tabs while all the other UDFs are combined in single tab named Other.

To go back to the Step Description section, click on the Move to Step button.

You can use the Previous Step and Next Step buttons to navigate to the previous/next steps.

Use the New Step button to add a new step next to the current step.

Once you are done with editing the test step, click Apply to save the changes.

Actions on Cog icon

You can you to perform the following actions on the Steps grid:


Click on the Create button to save the test case.

When you open the test case detail page, the Test Case Folder Path displays the path up to the folder the test case lies within.

Removing Test Case Steps

  1. Open the test case details page in editable mode.

  2. On the Test Case Step(s) grid, click the Con icon for the step you want to remove.

  3. Select Remove Row.

Changing Order of Test Case Steps

While executing test suite, the test case steps appear in the same sequence as you arranged them here for the test case.

You can easily change the order of test case steps through the following way:

Adding Attachments at Test Steps

Users can get more granular details by adding attachments at test steps. For example, a test step needs to be tested with different test data. The tester attaches an excel sheet containing the test data to keep it ready for execution.

Note: Attachments to test steps can be added on the test case detail page as well as on the test case edit page.
To add attachments to the test step level, follow the steps mentioned below:

  1. Go to the test case detail page.

  2. Open the Steps tab.

  3. Click on the Attachment icon for the test step to which you want to add an attachment.

The Add Attachment screen opens. Attach required files to the step.

For attachments added from steps level, the Attachment Level shows “Test Step”.

Editing a Test Case / Update a Test Case

A test case can be edited in terms of its parameters and test case steps.

Users can save the test case without creating its new version. In-place editor is provided on the detail screens for all test assets. Just hover over the field and click on the edit icon.

It opens the field in editable mode. In case of text field, enter the value and save the details.

In-place edit will always update the test asset.

To create a new version of test asset, follow the steps mentioned below.

Edit Test Case Steps

Refer to the Edit entered steps section described earlier on this page.

Delete Test Case Steps

1. Go to the test case detail page.

2. Open the Steps tab and click on the Edit button.

→ Delete/Remove a Single Test Case Step

  1. On the Test Case Step(s) grid, click the Cog icon for the step you want to remove.

  2. Select Remove Row.

  3. Click Update.

→ Delete/Remove Test Steps in Bulk

  1. Select the test steps that you want to delete. The Delete button gets enabled on the selection of test step(s).

  2. Click on the Delete button.

  3. Click Update.

Create a New Version of Test Case

If test case steps are added or edited in the test case, which is already executed, then it is recommended to save the test case with Save as New Version.

If the User Role has Versioning rights (in Customization > Roles), then the button will be visible to the user. When you edit test case details, you can save the details with a new version of that test case.

Follow either (A) or (B) as mentioned here.

A. Click on the Con icon for the test case and select Create New Version.

B. Open the test case detail page and click on the Create New Version icon on the header.

The next screen opens in editable mode.

Make required changes and click on the Save as New Version button to create a new version of the test case with updates.

If you add/edit test steps within a test case, it will ask you to create a new version of the test case to save the content of steps along with test case parameters. The associated test suite will still be associated with the previous version of the test case.

If the test case was executed before, then the following option is provided while saving the new test case version.

Example: TC1 has execution status “Passed” in TS1. User modifies TC1 details and selects this option to reset the test case execution status while saving TC1. Now TS1 will show TC1 execution status as “Not Run”.

If the above option is not selected, then on the Test Run screen the sync icon appears beside the current version of the test case. On the Test Execution screen, to execute the latest version of the test case, click on the sync button.

The confirmation message pops up confirming the reset of execution status. The synced version will not show previously linked issues.


After syncing the test case with its latest version, its Execution Status changes to "Not Run".

If test steps were added in the latest version of the test case, then these test steps will also be added on the execution screen.

Note: QMetry allows you to use different versions of a test case for testing. Read more about it on the Managing Test Case Versions page.

Archiving a Test Case

All the versions of the test case should be archived to delete that particular test case.

Archiving Entire Test Case

You can not carry out further operations like adding attachments, linking test cases, issues, and release - cycles on an archived test asset.

A. Archiving from Test Case detail page

B. Archiving from Test Case module list view

A. Archiving from Test Case detail page

Open the test case details page by clicking on the test case.

Click on the Archive icon on the top right corner of the page.

It will archive all the underlying versions of the test case.

B. Archiving from Test Case module list view

Open test cases module.

The test case list view opens with list of existing test cases within the project/folder.

Click on the Cog icon for the test case you want to archive and select Archive. The test case is archived after confirmation.

To unarchive an archived test case, click on the Unarchive icon at the top right corner.

Archiving a Specific Test Case Version

Read Archiving a Specific Test Case Version 

Deleting Test Cases

To delete a test case, first you need to archive it. All the versions of the test case should be archived to delete that particular test case.

It is a two step process:

  1. Archive a test case (All the versions of the test case will be archived.)

  2. Delete a test case (The test case will be deleted including all its versions.)

Deleting Entire Test Case

All the versions of the test case should be archived to delete that particular test case.

A. From Test Case detail page

B. From Test Case list view

A. From Test Case detail page

  1. Open the detail page of the archived test case. Use the filter on the tree, to view the archived test cases.

  2. Click on the Delete icon at the top right corner of the screen.

Once the test case is archived, it looks like below.

The Delete icon now appears at the top right corner of the page.

Confirm the operation on the pop-up.

B. From Test Case module List view

To view the archived test cases on the screen, select the Show Archived Items check box above the grid.

It displays archived test cases along with other test cases.

Click on the Cog icon for the archived test case and select Delete.

Deleting a Specific Test Case Version

Read Deleting a Specific Test Case Version

Bulk Operations on Test Cases

Read Bulk Operations

Linking Requirements to Test Cases

You can link requirements with their relevant test cases. You can link a requirement to a test case only once. When a requirement is linked to a test case, it is linked with all versions of that test case.

Link Requirements

When a requirement is linked to a test case, it is linked with all versions of that test case.

Use Case: Users link requirements with related test cases for testing. Testers get idea of what is developed by studying requirements and on that basis, they write test cases to describe how to test the developed application. Thus, linking test case with requirement gives relevance between the two what is developed and what to test.

Requirements can be linked to test case through the Requirements tab available on Test Case details page and Test Case edit screen.

Steps

  1. Go to the Requirements tab of the test case details page or requirement edit page.

  2. Click on the Link button.

  3. It opens the Link Requirements pop-up with the list of test cases on it.

Selecting Requirements Across Projects:

Users can link requirements from other projects as well. The Project drop-down is provided to select the project. The requirements for the project are displayed on the screen.

If you want to link requirements from multiple projects, then first select one project. Search records and link them before moving to other projects. For example, User A is in Project 1 and searches for some records and link them before moving to Project 2. Else, all the selection of Project 1 will be wiped off.

A. Linking a Single Requirement: Click on the Link icon to link the individual requirement to the test case.

B. Linking Multiple Requirements: Select requirements that you want to link and click on the Link Selected Requirements button at the bottom.

The selected requirements are linked to the test case. The linked requirement records are shown on the lower grid pane.

If requirements from other projects are linked, then the requirements show Entity Key of the corresponding project.

To view the requirement of other projects, click on the Requirement Entity Key. It opens the requirement detail page in the respective project and will change your current project.

Link Requirements By Entity Key 

The feature allows you to link the latest version of the requirement to a test case using the requirement key separated by a comma. Maximum 500 entities can be linked at a time.

Use Case: The feature is useful to link requirements to a test case without searching them individually. For example, users have the list of requirement keys to be linked to a test case, they can use this option to link the requirements directly. This feature will save the users' time in searching requirements in different folders to link them.

Notes:

Steps

  1. Go to the Requirements tab of the test case.

  2. Click on the Link By Entity Key button.

3. It opens the Link Requirements pop-up. Mention comma separated Requirement keys.

4. Click Link.

The requirements with mentioned keys get linked to the test case.

How to Unlink Requirements Linked to a Test Case

Open the Requirements tab on the test case details page.

A. To unlink a single requirement, click on the Unlink icon for the requirement. The requirement is unlinked after confirmation.

B. To unlink multiple requirements, select the requirements you want to unlink from the test case and click on the Unlink Selected button.

Linking Test Suites to Test Cases

Link Test Suites

You can link test suites with relevant test cases for testing. QMetry allows users to link test suites of multiple projects to a test case. Test Suites can be linked to test cases through the Test Executions tab available on the Test Case details page and Test Case edit screen.

Test Suites are linked to the test case in multiple Platforms associated with it.

Selecting test suites Across Projects:

Users can link test suites from other projects as well. The Project drop-down is provided to select the project. The test suites for the project are displayed on the screen.

You can apply multiple criteria to filter test suites records within and across projects.

Note: User should have 'Modify' rights of the Test Suite module in the targeted project from which the test suites are being linked.

Open the Test Executions tab and Click on the Link Test Suites button. It opens Link Test Suites pop-up.

If you want to link test suites from multiple projects, then first select one project. Search records and link them before moving to other projects. For example, User A is in Project 1 and searches for some records and links them before moving to Project 2. Else, all the selection of Project 1 will be wiped off.

A. Linking a Single Test Suite: Click on the Link icon to link the individual test suite to the test case.

B. Linking Multiple Test Suites: Select test suites that you want to link and click on the Link Selected Test Suites button at the bottom.

The selected test suites are linked to the test case. The linked test suites records are shown on the Test Executions tab on the test case details page.

View Archived Test Runs

An execution/test run is archived when either Platform/Release/Cycle/Test Suite is archived. When a test suite, platform or Release/Cycle is archived, the test executions having such test suite/platform/release/cycles associated with them will be hidden on the Test Executions tab of the test case.

The Show Archived Records check box is provided on the Test Executions tab. To view the test runs which are archived either due to platforms/release/cycles, select the check box in the filter.

While import any change in the status of such archived test case executions will be ignored.

If test suites from other project are linked, then the test suites show Entity Key of the corresponding project.

To view the test suite off other project, click on the Test Suite Entity Key. It opens the test suite detail page in the respective project and will change your current project.

In case of eSignature feature:

eSignature in current Project

eSignature in Test Suite Project

Can test suites be linked with the test case?

disabled

enabled


No

(The Project drop-down on the Link Test Suite screen will only show those projects which have eSignature feature disabled)

disabled

disabled

Yes

enabled

enabled

Yes

enabled

disabled

Yes

If the eSignature feature is enabled in the Project -

Test Case Status

Can test suites of any project be linked with the test case?

Approved

Yes

In Review

No

Link Test Suite Bulk Operations

You can link test suites from multiple projects also through Test Case Bulk Operations.

All scenarios mentioned above also apply to the bulk operation of test cases.

You can link test suite to test cases through -

Test Case module > Bulk Operations > Edit > Select Records > Link Test Suites.

Link Test Suites By Entity Key 

The feature allows you to link test suites to a specific version of test case using test suite key separated by comma. Maximum 500 entities can be linked at a time.

Use Case: The feature is useful to link test suites to a test case without searching them individually. For example, users have list of test suite keys to be linked to a test case, they can use this option to link the test suites directly. This feature will save the users' time in searching test suites in different folders and link them.

Notes:

Steps

1. Go to the Test Executions tab of the test case.

2. Click on the Link Test Suites By Entity Key button.

3. It opens the Link Test Suites pop-up. Mention comma separated Test Suite keys.

The test suites with mentioned keys get linked to the test case.

The Test Executions tab shows the last execution build for the test suite. It is useful when a QA Manager/Tester wants to see the latest Build against which the execution was done on 'Test Executions' tab of Test Case screen.

View Test Run Logs

Test run logs to test case are attached at the test run level. These logs are available to view and download on the Test Executions tab of the test case details page. If a test suite has an attachment(s) attached to it, then the Attachment icon is displayed in Blue color for that test suite. Only test case level attachments will be displayed here.

The attachments at the test run level are displayed to provide more in-depth information on test case execution. Users can get the execution details of the test case on the same screen.

Click on the Blue attachment icon. It opens the Attachments pop-up as below.

Execution Time & Remaining Time

Open the test case detail page and open the Test Executions tab. Users can view Execution Time and Remaining Time calculated for Test Execution.

Use Case: Calculation of Execution Time and Remaining Time for test suite is useful for QA Manager in Test Planning as it gives accurate estimates for the test suite. These test case level estimates refine each time a test suite is executed. Testers can make recommendations to have the test estimates revised based on the last few executions in different environments.

Two columns Execution Time and Remaining Time are added on the grid at the following places in the application:

Calculation of Execution Time of a test suite:

The Execution Time of a test suite is calculated based on the Estimate Time of all the test cases in that test suite.

Calculation of Remaining Time of a test suite:

Once the test suite is executed, the Remaining Time Is calculated for all “Not Run” test cases. Any test case with “Failed” or “Blocked” status will also be considered as the work still remains on it.

The Remaining Time will be reduced for test cases with “Pass” and “Not Applicable” status accordingly.

Example

The following example shows the calculation of both – Execution Time and Remaining Time.


Execution time

Status

Remaining time

TC1

2

Pass

-

TC2

3

Not Applicable

-

TC3

4

Failed

4

TC4

5

Blocked

5


14


9

Execution Time = 14

Remaining Time = 9

Viewing Issues

The Issues tab on the test case details tab shows all the issues linked to the test case from the test execution screen.

Associate Release & Cycles

Release and Cycle can be associated from the test case detail page as well as the test case edit page.

The tab allows users to associate release and cycle to the test case. One test case can be associated with multiple releases and cycles. Release and Cycles are added from Projects > Project/Release/Cycle.

Once the test case is added, the user wants to add it to a particular Scope - release and cycle. For this reason, they edit the test case and associate the new release and cycle to it.

  1. Click on the Add New button to associate release and cycle with the test case. The drop-downs are enabled by clicking on the Add New button.

  2. Select the release(s); the cycle list is prompted for the selected release.

  3. Select the cycle(s).

  4. Select the version of the entity to associate as you can link releases and cycles to a particular version of the test case.

  5. Click Save.

The associated release and cycle appear in the grid on the screen.

To remove the release and cycle association for the test case, click on the Unassociate button for the release and cycle combination.

Test Case Versions

Read about Test Case Versions

Change Log

Read about Change Log

Import Test Cases

Import Test Cases from Excel

Export Test Cases

Read Exporting Test Cases

Export Test Case Detail in PDF

Read Exporting Test Cases

Best Practice Recommendations

Tip #1: Before Adding test cases establish rules to how test cases are to be designed, categorized, and organized. QMetry comes with a number of system fields. All of the fields, along with the folders can help teams better manage their test cases. In addition, the Status field can be used to create a workflow to improve the development of the test cases from "New" to "Approved".

Tip #2: QMetry allows testers to provide actual results and record status at a test case level which may change how you design test cases moving forward. Teams should properly define how and when to add test case steps.