15.4

Setting Variables

In addition to the methods you have already seen, variables can also be set as follows:

• Via the 'Set variable' node,
• as the return value of a procedure,
• as the result value of QF-Test nodes like the 'Fetch text' node, the 'Fetch geometry' node, the 'Fetch index' node and the 'Check' node,
• in the 'Variable definitions' table of the 'Test-suite' node, the 'Test-case' node, the 'Test-step' node, the 'Sequence' node and others like the 'If' node or 'Loop' node,
• via command line parameters.

For information about the best place where to define a variable please refer to the next section.

You can insert a 'Set variable' node via the menu item »Insert«-»Miscellaneous«-»Set variable«. In its details you can specifiy whether the value should be bound as a local or a global variable.

The following figure shows the details of a 'Set variable' node. (You can find it as the first node of the 'Setup' node.) It defines a variable named client. It is a global variable as the 'Local variable' attribute has not been checked.

		Figure 15.10:  Details of the 'Set variable' node

When you want to set a variable as the result of a procedure call you need to specify the variable name in the 'Variable for return value' attribute of the procedure call. Within the procedure itself you have to add a 'Return' node with the value to be returned as the last node to be executed.

The next figure shows a theoretical example of a procedure which returns a value. The procedure fetches the discount value displayed in the SUT and returns it to the calling test-case. There, the receiving variable is named Discount and declared as a local variable.

		Figure 15.11:  Procedure returning a value

The 'Fetch text' node of above example is one of the QF-Test nodes directly setting a variable value. You need to specify the variable name in the attribute called accordingly. Again, you have the choice whether to make it local or global.

Quite a number of nodes have a 'Variable definitions' table where you may define variables local to a procedure or a test-case. If the respective node is part of a procedure the variable will be local to the procedure. Otherwise it will be local to the respective test-case. Variables bound to the test-suite node can be accessed from all nodes within the test-suite.

In debugging mode, all nodes you can bind a variable to will show up on the variable bindings table when entered.

You can enter variables in the command line via the parameter -variable. For details please refer to the manual, chapter 'Command line arguments and exit codes'.

Last update: 9/6/2022 Copyright © 2002-2022 Quality First Software GmbH