Nodes and Steps

Overview

Nodes and Steps are the fundamental building blocks of Test Orchestration workflows. A Node represents an individual test script or action in your workflow. Workflows are built by connecting nodes together in a specific sequence.

🧩 Building Blocks Analogy

Think of nodes as LEGO blocks—small, connected units that build something larger when combined. Just stack them together to create complex workflows!

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What Are Nodes?

A Node is a discrete execution unit in your workflow. Each node performs a specific action:

• Execute a test script (Web, Mobile, API, Desktop)

• Perform a workflow action (Wait, Retry, Stop, Send Email)

• Apply conditional logic (If-Then, Switch)

• Manipulate data (Data Hub, Variables)

Node Anatomy

Every node contains:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Node: "Login to Application"        │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Input Parameters:                   │
│ • username = ${PROJECT.EMAIL}       │
│ • password = ${PROJECT.PASSWORD}    │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Execution Settings:                 │
│ • Timeout: 30 seconds               │
│ • Retry: 2 attempts                 │
│ • Skip if: user_status = "inactive" │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Output Mapping:                     │
│ • session_token (captured)          │
│ • user_id (captured)                │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

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Node Types

1. Test Script Nodes

These nodes execute actual test scripts created in your testing platform.

Web Test Node

Purpose: Execute a web application test
Inputs: URL, browser type, test parameters
Outputs: Screenshots, logs, assertions results

Common Uses:

• UI interaction testing

• Form validation

• Cross-browser testing

• User workflow simulation

Mobile Test Node

Purpose: Execute a mobile application test
Inputs: Device type, OS version, app parameters
Outputs: App behavior results, screenshots, crash logs

Common Uses:

• Mobile app testing

• Cross-platform validation

• Touch gesture testing

• Mobile-specific features

API Test Node

Purpose: Execute an API endpoint test
Inputs: Endpoint URL, HTTP method, payload
Outputs: Response data, status code, headers

Common Uses:

• REST/GraphQL API testing

• Microservice validation

• Data verification

• Integration testing

Desktop Test Node

Purpose: Execute a desktop application test
Inputs: Application path, test parameters
Outputs: Test results, logs, screenshots

Common Uses:

• Desktop app testing

• Windows/Mac application validation

• System-level operations

• File handling testing

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2. Action Nodes

Action nodes control workflow execution and perform utilities.

Wait Node

Pause the workflow for a specified duration.

Purpose: Add delay between steps
Parameters:
• Duration: 5 seconds
• Condition: (optional) Wait until condition is true

Use Cases:

• Wait for system processes

• Allow data synchronization

• Stagger API calls

• Wait for email delivery

Retry Node

Automatically retry a failed node with configurable logic.

Purpose: Handle transient failures
Parameters:
• Max Attempts: 3
• Interval: 5 seconds between retries
• Exponential Backoff: Yes/No
• Retry Only On: (specific error types)

Use Cases:

• API timeout handling

• Network glitches

• Server temporarily unavailable

• Resource contention issues

Stop Node

Terminate workflow execution with a specified status.

Purpose: End workflow execution
Parameters:
• Status: Success / Failure / Custom
• Message: Reason for stopping

Use Cases:

• Early exit on critical failure

• Test scenario complete

• Mandatory condition not met

• Workflow pause/cancel

Send Email Node

Send email notifications during workflow execution.

Purpose: Email notifications and reports
Parameters:
• Recipients: Email addresses
• Subject: Email subject
• Body: Message content
• Attachments: Reports, screenshots

Use Cases:

• Test failure notifications

• Report distribution

• Team alerts

• Execution summaries

Data Hub Node

Access and manipulate shared test data.

Purpose: Read/write shared data
Parameters:
• Operation: Read / Write / Update / Delete
• Data Key: Identifier for data
• Value: Data to store (write operations)

Use Cases:

• Shared test data management

• Cross-workflow data access

• Sequence-dependent test execution

• Data cleanup operations

Comment Node

Add documentation and notes to workflows.

Purpose: Workflow documentation
Parameters:
• Comment Text: Documentation content

Use Cases:

• Explain complex logic

• Mark important sections

• Document assumptions

• Leave notes for team members

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3. Conditional Nodes

Conditional nodes create branching logic in workflows.

If-Then Node

Execute different paths based on conditions.

Purpose: Conditional branching
Structure:
• Condition: Expression to evaluate
• If True: Execute this path
• If False: Execute alternative or continue

Examples:

• If user_type = "admin" → Run admin tests
• If response_status = "200" → Continue
• If error_count > 0 → Run error handlers

Switch Node

Route to multiple paths based on a value.

Purpose: Multi-way conditional routing
Structure:
• Expression: Value to evaluate
• Case 1: If expression = value1 → path1
• Case 2: If expression = value2 → path2
• Default: If no cases match → default path

Examples:

• Switch on environment:
  - Case "staging" → Run staging tests
  - Case "production" → Run prod tests
  - Default → Run dev tests

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Adding Nodes to Workflows

Adding a Node

1. Open Workflow

   • Navigate to your workflow in edit mode

2. Click Add Node

   • Click + Add Node button

   • Or click the + icon on canvas

3. Select Node Type

   • Choose from test scripts, actions, or conditionals

   • Test nodes show available scripts

4. Configure Node

   • Set input parameters

   • Configure execution settings

   • Define output mapping

5. Position Node

   • Drag node to desired location on canvas

   • Connect to other nodes by clicking connection points

6. Save

   • Node is automatically saved in workflow

Node Connection

Nodes are connected by arrows showing execution flow:

Create User ──→ Login ──→ Browse Products ──→ Add to Cart

To create connections:

1. Click on source node (node that executes first)

2. Drag to target node (node that executes after)

3. Connection arrow appears between nodes

4. Configure connection (if conditional)

Disconnecting Nodes

To remove a connection:

1. Click the arrow/connection between nodes

2. Press Delete or click Remove Connection

3. Connection is removed, execution flow changes

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Configuring Nodes

Input Parameters

Every node can have input parameters:

Parameter Types:
• Static Value: "hardcoded_value"
• Variable Reference: ${PROJECT.BASE_URL}
• Previous Node Output: ${NODE_1.user_id}
• Environment Variable: ${ENV.API_KEY}
• Expression: ${NODE_1.amount} * 1.1

Setting Parameters:

1. Click on the node

2. Find the input parameter section

3. Click on parameter field

4. Enter value or select from variables

5. Save

Output Mapping

Define what data to capture from node execution:

1. Click on the node

2. Find Output Mapping section

3. Click Add Output

4. Enter:

   • Output Name: How to reference this (e.g., user_id)

   • Source Path: Where to find it in response (e.g., response.body.userId)

   • Data Type: Text, Number, Boolean, Object, Array

5. Save

Using Captured Output:

In downstream nodes, reference as:

${NODE_1.user_id}
${NODE_1.response.body.email}

Execution Settings

Configure how individual nodes execute:

Setting	Purpose	Options
Timeout	Max execution time	10s, 30s, 60s, custom
Skip If	Condition to skip node	Expression
Retry	Auto-retry on failure	Off, 2x, 3x, custom
Continue on Error	Proceed if node fails	Yes, No
Dependencies	Must complete before	Other nodes

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Node Status Indicators

During execution, nodes show status:

Status	Icon	Meaning	Duration
Pending	⏳	Waiting to execute	Before start
Running	🔄	Currently executing	During execution
Passed	✅	Completed successfully	After completion
Failed	❌	Execution failed	After failure
Skipped	⊘	Skipped by condition	When skipped
Timeout	⏱️	Exceeded max time	On timeout

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What Are Blocks?

This section has been deprecated. Blocks are no longer a feature of Test Orchestration. All workflow logic is now implemented through Nodes and Steps connected in sequence.

Advanced Node Features

✨ These advanced features help keep complex workflows organized and maintainable

Node Groups

Group related nodes for better organization:

1. Select Multiple Nodes

   • Click first node, Ctrl+Click others

2. Group Them

   • Right-click, select Group

   • Enter group name

3. Collapse/Expand

   • Click group arrow to collapse

   • Makes workflow cleaner

Node Templates

Create node templates for repeated configurations:

1. Configure a Node

   • Set all parameters and settings

2. Save as Template

   • Right-click node, Save as Template

3. Reuse Template

   • Add Node → Select From Template

   • Pre-configured node added to workflow

Node Comments

Add inline documentation:

1. Click node

2. Click Add Comment

3. Enter comment text

4. Comments appear in node

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Node Performance

Monitoring Node Performance

1. Execution Time

   • Each node shows execution duration

   • Hover over node for detailed timing

2. Resource Usage

   • Memory and CPU for desktop/mobile tests

   • Network activity for API tests

3. Bottleneck Identification

   • Slowest nodes highlighted

   • Optimize high-duration nodes

Optimizing Node Execution

1. Sequential Execution

   • Execute independent nodes simultaneously

   • Reduces overall workflow time

2. Conditional Skipping

   • Skip unnecessary nodes

   • Use conditions wisely

3. Timeout Tuning

   • Set realistic timeouts

   • Prevent false failures

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Summary

• Nodes are individual execution units in workflows

• Test nodes execute scripts; Action nodes control workflow

• Conditional nodes create branching logic

• Output from nodes can be used in downstream nodes

• Proper sequencing ensures reliable execution

• Data propagation allows passing data between nodes

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Related Topics

• Workflows - How nodes fit into workflows

• Execution Flow - How workflows execute

• Data Propagation - Pass data between nodes

• Action Types - Learn about action nodes

• Conditional Execution - Create branching logic

Next: Understand the flow of execution in Execution Flow.