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Using the interactive exploratory tests

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r12a edited this page Feb 7, 2020 · 7 revisions

Often, a set of interactive test files will provide the flexibility and ease of use that is needed for experimental gap-analysis testing.

The aim of these tests is to allow you to experiment and quickly create, document and record results for tests. They are particularly useful for tests which are likely to result in slightly different results across a number of languages, or for testing features that involve many permutations in the input data. They are also useful for simply exploring what might happen in certain situations.

These tests are often, but not always built around CSS properties, and allow you to set various property values on a string you provide so that you can test the result. See an example of such a test.

How to get started

There is a list of test scripts and tests.

From there, you can find existing tests and their results by following a link to a test script page. There is one wiki page per sections of the Language Enablement Index. Tests are grouped by language, then by topic. If you follow a link to an existing test, you can modify that test by changing the text or the settings on the test page.

Alternatively, you can follow a link to a test page and set up a new test from scratch.

If you have created a test and want to point people to it, or record it in a test script page, click on the button Take a snapshot at the bottom of the page. This will produce a URL which you can copy where you like. Anyone who follows the URL will see the page exactly as it was when you saved it.

Saving a test in a test script

If this is a test that is worth preserving, add it to a test script.

The format for describing a test in a script is very simple. It involves

  1. an assertion of what is expected to happen
  2. a link to the test
  3. instructions for how conduct the test and what to look for, and
  4. a brief description of the results for major browsers.

You can either add to the test script page yourself, if you have access rights, or ask someone else to do so by sending them the relevant text and URL.

What if there's no test page for what i need?

Ask the W3C staff, and they'll try to do it, or find someone who can.

Clone this wiki locally