Steps Overview

Steps are the building blocks of every test in SmoothDeploy. This overview explains the concept and the basic creation flow. For the full configuration surface — every action type, every condition, shared-step parameters, inheritance, versioning — see the Step Management Reference.

Step Types

Individual Steps

Single actions that perform specific operations.

Examples:

• Click a button
• Type in a field
• Navigate to a URL
• Assert element presence

Group Steps

Containers that organize multiple related steps.

Use Cases:

• Login sequence
• Form filling workflow
• Navigation flow
• Cleanup operations

Creating Steps

Manual Step Creation

1. Navigate to Steps section
2. Click "Create New Step"
3. Configure step properties:
   • Name: Descriptive step name
   • Type: Action category
   • Parameters: Step-specific settings
   • Metadata: Additional configuration
4. Test the step
5. Save the step

Step Configuration

Basic Properties

• Name: Human-readable identifier
• Description: Purpose and usage notes
• Group: Whether step contains sub-steps
• Shared: Whether step can be reused
• Action: FullAction object defining behavior

Action Types

Navigation Actions:

• Navigate to specific URLs
• Go back/forward in browser history
• Refresh the current page

Interaction Actions:

• Click buttons, links, or elements
• Type text into form fields
• Select options from dropdowns
• Upload files

Validation Actions:

• Check if text appears on page
• Verify elements are present
• Assert page conditions
• Validate form submissions

Step Conditions

Condition Types

Always Run: Execute step in every test run.

If Element Exists: Only execute if target element is present.

If Variable Equals: Execute based on variable value.

Custom Logic: JavaScript expression for complex conditions.

Best Practices

Step Design

• Single Responsibility: One action per step
• Descriptive Names: Clear purpose indication
• Parameterized: Use variables for flexibility
• Well Documented: Include usage examples

Organization

• Logical Grouping: Organize by function
• Naming Conventions: Consistent patterns
• Tagging System: Easy discovery
• Regular Review: Keep steps current

Maintenance

• Version Control: Track all changes
• Testing: Validate step functionality
• Documentation: Update usage guides
• Deprecation: Remove unused steps

Performance

• Efficient Code: Optimize execution time
• Resource Management: Minimize resource usage
• Caching: Leverage browser caching
• Parallel Execution: Design for concurrency