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A workflow test is a saved sample input together with the result you expect. Running it executes the saved draft of the workflow, and the draft of every mapping the workflow names. It then compares what happened with your expectations. A run that completes is not the same as a test that passes: the test also checks that the document came out the way you meant.

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Prerequisites

You need workflows.test, and workflows.view to open the workflow. Testing is available for workflows of the UdmModel data type. Use a test environment.
A workflow test is a real run of the draft. It performs every upload, email, webhook callback and database write the draft contains, against the systems the draft is configured for. Point those steps at test destinations before you run tests.

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Create a workflow test

Open the workflow and choose the Testing tab, then New workflow test.
Workflow test editor with a Test name, a Sample input section listing properties such as DocumentCategory, CustomerNo and Confidentiality with their incoming values, and an Expected result section with Completes successfully, an expected document type of Policy document, and property checks for Customer number and Sensitivity

A workflow test for a policy schedule. The sample input lists the properties a sender would deliver; the expected result requires a completed run, the Policy document type, and two keyword values.

1

Name the test

Give it a name that says what it proves, for example Customer letter without a policy number stops.
2

Enter the sample input

Under 1 Sample input, add one row per incoming property with its value, as the sending system would deliver it. Add the sender’s document type if the workflow uses it. Advanced inputs lets you put properties into groups for keyword records. For properties that a Modify property step translates, the editor suggests known values.
3

Set the expected result

Under 2 Expected result, choose the Expected outcome:
  • Completes successfully
  • Stops with an explanation
  • Do not check the outcome
Add Check a property rows for values that must come out, or that must be absent. Add Check the resulting document type if the type matters.
4

Save and run

Choose Save and run. The sample is saved first, then the run starts. Results refresh while the run is in progress.
Save and run saves the sample, not your workflow edits. Save the workflow in the Editor tab first; otherwise the test runs the draft as it was last saved. Every test runs with a small built-in PDF. To use a particular document, save the sample, expand Sample file, and attach a file of up to 10 MB.

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Expectations and document mappings

When the workflow has a Map to Insight document step, the checks apply to the mapped document. The expected document type is the one the mapping produced. An expected property with the name of a keyword the mapping writes is checked against that keyword. A name the mapping does not write is still checked against the item’s properties, so you can check a value a step prepares before the mapping. Several expected values for one property are compared without regard to order. Letter case, blank values and an absent property all count as different results.

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Read the result

Test result headed Test passed with a table of checks showing expected and actual values marked Matched, followed by Document mapped for Nobly Insight with the document type, date and keywords and their reasons

A passed test. Each check shows the expected and actual value, followed by the document the mapping produced for Nobly Insight and the metadata before and after the run.

A result is checked against the expectations saved when that run started. Editing the test later does not change earlier results. Stops with an explanation lets an intentional rejection pass, such as an unknown code that the mapping is meant to refuse. A test that could not start never satisfies it. Below the checks, the result shows the Document mapped for Nobly Insight with the reason for each value, and the item’s Metadata before and after. Run details and logs gives the trace ID, a link to the run on the States page, and its log. Useful tests for a new flow:
  • one normal document per document type the mapping can produce
  • a document with mandatory metadata missing
  • an unknown value for each lookup
  • a controlled failure of each external call, to see the exception flow at work

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Test one Modify property step

A Modify property step can be tested on its own, without running the rest of the workflow or uploading anything:
  1. In the step’s Try it card, choose a sample value and Preview sample.
  2. Choose Save as test.
  3. Review the sample and the expected result, then save.
The saved test appears on the Testing tab marked Action preview. It checks only that step, using the saved draft of its configuration and any shared table it uses. Action tests suit translation tables. Save one test per important code and one for an unknown code, and a later change to the table that breaks an expectation shows up as a failed test. Apply and save the step’s changes to the workflow draft before you run its tests. Steps in Expression mode cannot be saved as action tests; test them with a full workflow test.

Variables and tools

Global variables and secrets, the expression tester, the script helper for other systems, and system settings.