Share tests within the team

Repeato keeps all its test-related files in a workspace, a basic file directory that holds all test files and test result data.

One way to get your tests synced to other teammates (or to your Continuous Integration server) is to start versioning your workspace directory with git. 
Another way is the Repeato Workspace Cloud Sync.

Syncing your workspace via Cloud Sync

Syncing your workspace via Git

How to start versioning test automation files via Git?

There are many different ways to create a new Git repository. We provide documentation on how to set it up either via Command line or the Sourcetree Git client. Be aware that in any case, Git needs to be installed on your system before you proceed.

Create a new Git repository via Command line (CLI)

1. switch to Repeato-Studio and click “Workspace” in the main menu
2. copy the “Workspace path” to your clipboard
3. open a terminal and execute cd [workspace path from your clipboard]
4. execute git init
5. execute git add .
6. execute git commit -m "Initial commit"

Create a new Git repository via command line via Sourcetree graphical Git client

1. Download a git client such as Sourcetree
2. Open Sourcetree and click “New”, then select “Create local repository”
3. Switch to Repeato-Studio and click “Workspace” in the main menu
4. Copy the “Workspace path” to your clipboard
5. Switch back to Sourcetree, paste the path and click “create”
6. Now in the repository list, stage all files by clicking on “unstaged”
7. Click “commit” (commit message is up to you, could be “initial commit”)

Now all the changes you apply to the repository (add tests, rename tests, etc…) can be saved as a new version in your git repository:

1. After adding or changing some tests with Repeato, open Sourcetree again. You see that there is a new row in the history table with the title “Uncommitted changes” (1)
2. Below there is a list of “Unstaged files”. You can click the check box next to the “Unstaged files” label, to “stage” all changed files.
3. Click “Commit”, and enter some version information (like “Added new login test for MyCalendar app”)
4. Click “Push” to upload all files to GitHub.

How to get the changed tests from your teammates

To get changes that have been created somewhere else (on a workstation of your coworker), we need to make sure that your files find their way on to a Git server (such as Github), from where they can be accessed by everybody on the team.

1. Create a new git repository online. A repository is a place in the cloud, where your workspace directory will be uploaded. Here is how you can create a repository on github.
2. Add the online repository as a remote to your local repository:

   git remote add origin [your repo URL]

3. To pull changes from GitHub, just click the “Pull” button in Sourcetree and all the changes will be downloaded to your workspace directory.

If you open Repeato, it will be observing the workspace directory, and instantly refresh to reflect the changes.

Benefits of using Git for syncing files?

Using git gives us some powerful possibilities when working with tests:

• Versioning support, for example if want to check if an older version of your app had some problem with a certain test. Versioning allows you to always go back to one of the previous versions of your testing setup.
• Git provides many useful features, such as branches, and it runs on every OS.
• You can easily integrate Git into your build and testing CI (Continuous Integration) workflow.
• De facto, Git is the standard for versioning files and for working on files in a team.
• Git allows you to version your test within the same repository as your source code. When you check out the old code, you get the right version of tests automatically.

Which test files should not be synced?

Besides the files needed to run and edit your tests, a Repeato workspace also contains a backup directory. The .gitignore file inside the workspace directory excludes this directory by default. Thus, you are all set and don’t need to care about further configuration.

However, you might also decide not to version other directories like the test run data. Read more on how to exclude files from git.

How to transfer testing files to your continuous testing server?

There is obviously also a way to automate pulling your changed tests before running them as part of your CI flow. 

Here is what to do if you want to update the files manually:

1. Commit your tests via Git (see above) and push the changes to a git repository
2. Log in to your continuous testing server via terminal
3. Clone or pull the changes from your online git repository