(v2) Work with Offline Packages

Qualitia Automation Studio (QAS) offers the ability to create and execute tests in offline mode. An offline suite is a copy of a test suite that you can save on a local machine. You can execute an offline suite on local, remote, shared drive, and cloud environments. 

For Software Development Engineers in Test (SDET), working offline is often essential, especially when network access is limited or when testing needs to be done without using licenses.

This guide will walk you through the process of setting up and executing tests offline.

📚Prerequisites:

• Access to QAS - Client.

• Familiarity with the project you are testing.

• Custom browser profile on your computer, if required.

Process Flow

Understanding Offline Packages and Suites

If you are traveling or working in a location with unstable internet., you may need to execute tests without connecting to the QAS - Client. In such cases, an Offline Package lets you run tests without accessing QAS - Client. An offline suite is a local copy of a test suite, and it can run on various environments like local machines, remote servers, shared drives, or even cloud setups without having to use up any QAS licenses.

Create an Offline Package

Before running tests offline, you need a package containing all the necessary components. This is a one-time activity that is useful to execute any number of offline suites.

1. Login to QAS - Client.

2. Select the project for which you want to download the offline package.

3. From the left navigation menu, go to Execute tab.

4. Then, go to the Qualitia BOT.

5. Select a folder to save the Offline Package and click OK.

   1. A file named Qualitia Offline.zip is generated.

6. To proceed, extract or unzip the Qualitia Offline.zip file.

Create an Offline Suite

The offline suite contains the associated test cases and test data, and a mapped execution profile that are used to execute it.

To create an offline suite:

1. Login to QAS - Client.

2. Select the project from which you want to create an offline suite.

3. From the left navigation menu, go to Execute tab.

4. From the left pane, select a test suite, and check the test cases you want offline.

5. Click Save.

6. Click Save execution files and choose an execution profile.

Configure Settings for Offline Suite

Similar to online tests, your offline tests also need specific settings or configurations.

The Offline Package contains a Qualitia Offline Configuration Manager. You can use it to modify the Qualitia Client Settings, Environment Variables, and Execution Profile settings for an offline suite. Also, you can map an offline suite with an execution profile, which is used when the offline suite is executed. 

To configure the settings for an offline suite:

1. Open the extracted Qualitia Offline file in from the previously-mentioned Create an Offline Suite procedural steps.

2. From the Configuration Manager folder, double-click the Qualitia Offline Configuration Manager.

3. Do one of the following:

   1. Browse Next to Select the Suite Directory and locate plus select an offline suite.

   2. Enter the location path of the offline suite folder, and press Tab.

4. From Select the profile to edit, select an execution profile for the test suite.

   1. The Qualitia Offline Configuration Manager shows the offline suite name and the selected execution profile.

   2. You can see the suite name and profile. Refer to the section Execution Profiles.

5. From the Mapped Profile list, select an Execution Profile you want to use.

   1. The default Execution Profile is the one saved during offline suite creation.

6. You have the option to edit one or more settings, if required:

   1. To update Qualitia Client settings, click the Qualitia Client tab.

      1. For more information, refer to General Settings.

   2. To change environment variables, click Environment Variable tab.

      1. For more information, refer to Environment Variable.

   3. To update header values, go to the Rest Generic Header tab.

      1. Opt for this only if Rest Generic Headers are used in the test cases.

   4. To update settings for the selected execution profile, click the Execution Profile tab.

      1. For more information, refer to Configuring the System Execution Profile for Web and Mobile Projects: Shows the details on how to automate testing on web and mobile applications.

      2. Configuring the System Execution Profile for Desktop Projects: Shows the details on how to automate testing on a desktop application.

   5. Once updated, click OK to save the changes.

Execute Offline Suite using CLI Commands

The offline package runs the chosen offline suite with its set execution profile, which can be customized to override pre-configured settings.

1. If testing on a mobile platform, ensure the execution profile has the right system requirements and settings.

2. For remote or cloud executions, follow the guidelines for the respective environments. 

To execute an offline package using CLI commands.

1. Open the Command Prompt.

2. Go to the location where you have saved the offline package.

3. Enter the following code: java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar

   1. The offline package is executed using the settings defined in the Qualitia Offline Configuration Manager.

4. Override any of the following parameters:

   1. Mapped Execution Profile – Enter the location of the Execution Profile you want in the following ways:

      1. The location of the execution profile must be enclosed by double inverted commas. Note that you do not require any key.

      2. Your first argument must be as follows: java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar "D:/ABCsettings.JSON

   2. Offline Suite – Enter the location of the offline suite as SuitesDir="Suite_Path".
      For example, java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar SuitesDir="D:/OfflineSuite/Suite1"

   3. Environment Variable – Enter the environment variables and their associated values in the following format: java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar env.var1=value1 env.var2=value2. Here, var1 and var2 denote the environment variables, and value1 and value2 denote the associated values. For example, java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar env.username=john.smith env.password=12345

   4. Other Parameters defined in the selected Execution Profile – Enter the parameters preceded by their hierarchy in name=value format as command-line arguments. For example, to use a specific version of Google Chrome, enter the command line argument as follows - java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar googleChrome.version=81.0.1.36 . In this example, Google Chrome is the topmost parameter followed by its version. You may provide multiple property-value pairs separating them with space, as shown in the following example - java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar googleChrome.version=81.0.1.36 PageTimeoutInSeconds=10.

      1. If you are overriding the mapped execution profile, enter it as the first argument as this - java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar "D:/ABCsettings.JSON" googleChrome.version=81.0.1.36 PageTimeoutInSeconds=10

      2. If a key has a dot in its name, you need to put backslash before the dot, such as  chrome.chromedriverVersion, which is under Android Chrome as shown here -
         java -jar qualitiaoffline-8.6.x.jar androidChrome.chrome\.chromedriverVersion=83

5. Press Enter to start the offline suite execution.