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Screen-State Discovery Recipe

The Screen-State Discovery recipe is the primary recipe when there are no SmartTests present in your project. This recipe helps you get started quickly by automatically discovering key screen-states in your application and building a starter test suite.

Overview​

This recipe uses user-provided test credentials to login to the target webapp and navigates autonomously to identify key screen-states in the app. The objective is to build a "Starter" test suite that can be used by ExploreChimp for subsequent targeted explorations.

What This Recipe Does​

During explorations using this recipe, ExploreChimp:

  • Logs into your application using provided test credentials
  • Discovers navigation options by analyzing the initial screen and identifying available navigation paths
  • Explores each discovered screen to identify different states
  • Generates SmartTest files for each discovered screen-state, creating a starter test suite
  • Builds and updates the Atlas SiteMap with discovered screens and states
  • Creates a login test (if credentials are provided) that can be reused for future explorations

Configuration​

When using the Screen-State Discovery recipe, you need to configure:

Required Settings​

  • Starting URL: The URL where the exploration should begin (typically your application's login page or home page)

Optional Settings​

  • Login credentials and test inputs: Provide login credentials and other test inputs needed for authentication (e.g., "username: testuser, password: testpass")
Screen-State Discovery Recipe Configuration
Screen-State Discovery recipe configuration settings

How It Works​

  1. Initial Navigation: ExploreChimp starts at the provided starting URL
  2. Login (if credentials provided): If login credentials are provided, ExploreChimp logs into the application
  3. Navigation Discovery: The agent analyzes the current screen to discover available navigation options (links, buttons, menu items, etc.)
  4. Per-Screen Exploration: For each discovered navigation option, ExploreChimp:
    • Navigates to that screen
    • Explores different states within that screen
    • Generates SmartTest files for discovered screen-states
  5. Test Suite Generation: All discovered screen-states are saved as SmartTest files, creating your starter test suite

Generated Test Files​

The recipe generates:

  • Login test (if credentials provided): A reusable test for logging into your application
  • Screen-state tests: Individual test files for each discovered screen-state

These tests can be used:

  • As a foundation for your test suite
  • To guide subsequent explorations using other recipes
  • As a starting point for creating more detailed user journey tests

When to Use This Recipe​

Use the Screen-State Discovery recipe when:

  • You're just getting started with TestChimp and don't have any SmartTests yet
  • You want to quickly build initial test coverage for your application
  • You want to discover the structure of your application automatically
  • You want to create a starter test suite that you can expand upon

After running this recipe, you can:

  • Create additional SmartTests covering specific user journeys (via the chrome extension or through scenario descriptions)
  • Use the generated tests to guide subsequent explorations with other recipes (like Bug Source Analytics)
  • Expand the test suite manually to cover specific workflows

Next Steps​

After the Screen-State Discovery recipe has created your starter test suite:

  1. Review the generated SmartTest files
  2. Use the Chrome Extension or SmartTest creation tools to add more specific user journey tests
  3. Run explorations using the Bug Source Analytics recipe to find bugs in your application