Google Sheets Addon for TestRail
A lot of teams and individuals do test planning and results tracking in Google Sheets due to it's efficiency, power, and collaboration capabilities. Railflow Google Sheets Addon for TestRail (opens in a new tab) takes this to the next level by providing a TestRail like user experience within Google Sheeets. The Railflow addon provides a few main TestRail workflows within the Sheets interface
- Tests : Download Tests
- Tests: Write tests using a Rich Text Editor
- Tests: Upload and Edit Tests in bulk
- Test Results : Download Test Plans, Milestones, Results
- Test Results : Write test results using a Rich Text Editor
- Test Results : Upload ane Edit Tests in bulk
- Filtering options
- Offline mode
Installation
- Install: Install the TestRail Addon from the Google Workspace marketplace
- License Activation: Open a new Google Sheets > Extension Menu > Railflow Addon for TestRail > License Activation
TestRail Cloud Config
Navigate to the TestRail Configuration section of the add-on and specify your TestRail account URL, Username, and Password or API Key. Test Connection button will check the connection details and fetch the list of projects.
TestRail On-Prem Config
Most TestRail on-prem instances are within the company firewall. Railflow Sheets Addon runs within Google Sheets runtime (on Google Cloud infrastructure) and cannot reach TestRail instances within the company firewall. To help with this setup, Railflow provides a small proxy server that can be run locally using Docker.
Download and start the Railflow local server using Docker. The command below will start a local Railflow server running on http://localhost:3000
docker pull railflow/railflow-google-sheets-proxy:latest
docker run -p 3000:3000 railflow/railflow-google-sheets-proxy:latest
Once the local Railflow server is up and running, navigate to the TestRail Configuration section of the add-on and specify your TestRail account URL, Proxy URL, Username, and Password or API Key. Test Connection button will check the connection details and fetch the list of projects.
Sync Project and Tests
Once you have configured your TestRail connection, you can sync a Project to Google Sheets. To Sync a Project, navigate to the Test Suite and Cases section of the add-on and select the Project. You can select the Suites, and Section controls to limit the sync results.
To configure what tests fields to display as columns, expand the Sync Project ... button
Once the sync operation is complete, the tests will be displayed one per row along with their navigatable TestID
Add, Edit Tests
One of the most exciting features of Railflow addon is the ability to Add and Edit TestRail tests directly in Google Sheets using a TestRail like UX. The addon provides a familiar UX and layout as TestRail and goes a step further by exposing modern UX components such as a rich text editor for multi-text fields, calendar inputs, markdown previews, and many more.
To add a test using a rich text editor, navigate to the Test Suite & Cases > Add Test Case button. This will load a rich text editor with all the test cases fields that you would see in TestRail. Simply add the test details as you would normally do and click on Add Test Case button.
This operation will first add the Test to TestRail and then refresh the screen.
Bulk Add Tests
Bulk Add is a great way to write tests offline and when ready, upload them to TestRail.
Writing tests one by one in TestRail can be very time consuming. Often times, when we write a lot of tests for a component, many of the testcase fields are the same and the description or steps change just a bit. Using Google Sheets, you can simply copy paste rows and make quick changes to desired fields, and upload/sync any row selection back to TestRail. This feature can drastically speed up test design and is one of most used features.
To use Bulk Add feature, simply start cranking out tests in the empty rows and copy/paste values for desired test case fields. Once you are ready to upload, select the empty rows and click on Bulk Add Test Cases
Sync Test Results
To enter the tests results, simply navigate to Test Plan and Results addon menu and select the Project, Milestones, Test Plans, Test Runs. Each of these entities are exposed as cascading filters. For example: If you select Milestone-X, the TestPlan/Run filter will only show options for the selected Milestone. Once the specified Test Plans and Runs have been sync, you can start to add Test Results.
Add Results
To add test results, navigate to the Test Plan and Results section of the add-on and select the desired Project, Milestones, Test Plans, Test Runs combination and then select Sync Test Plan / Runs button. This action downloads the selected Test Plan / Run to Google Sheets.
Once downloaded, you can enter results one by one using Add Results button
Or you first record results in Sheets and then Bulk Add them to TestRail. This is a great offline option.
Misc
License
Railflow is a commerical product and requires an active paid or evaluation license. Once you receive the license in the email, activate the license by going to Railflow Extension Menu → License Activation and enter the License Key from the email.
Reset Addon
Sometimes the Addon may not behave as expected. While this is rare, it can happen from time to time. Resetting the addon, removes all the Addon data from local browser cache and attempts to bring the addon to its original state. This does not effect anything on TestRail.
Offline Test Development
While TestRail is a great TCM, using TestRail SAAS or even TestRail on-prem can run into occassional problems where the system could be down for hours due to maintenance. This can be incredibly distruptive for teams. Having the ability to write test cases in an offline mode can help mitigate some of this pain.
