TestOwlHow to Trigger a Test Run in TestOwl
A run executes one or more Test Cases against one or more Environments and records the results.
Whether you're validating a single test or an entire suite, TestOwl uses the same Run dialog — and you can run on your own machine or in the cloud.
“Confidence comes from every successful test run.”
— TestOwl Team
Where to start a run
Click Run from any of these places:
- Tests page — the Run button on a test's row, or Run in the toolbar after selecting tests.
- Test Suites page — select one or more suites, then click Run in the toolbar.
- A Test Suite's page — Run Suite to run the whole suite, or Run on an individual test.
- The Step Editor — Run while editing a test.
- Run History — select one or more previous runs and click Re-run.
You can also schedule runs to start automatically.
The Run dialog
The dialog lets you pick what to run and how to run it.
1. Choose what to run
Search, filter by status, and sort the list, then tick the Test Suites or Test Cases you want. Select all picks everything that matches your filters. Items that can't run are disabled, with the reason shown (see What can run).
2. Environment
Select one or more Environments.
If you select several, TestOwl runs your tests independently in each one and creates a separate run and report per environment. This makes it easy to spot environment-specific problems, such as a test that passes in Chrome but fails on mobile Safari.
3. URL
Enter the web address of the application to test, for example https://staging.example.com. This is the site your tests will visit, so you can run the same tests against staging one day and production the next. The field is filled in for you when you re-run or start from a schedule.
4. Tests in parallel
How many of the selected tests run at the same time within each run. TestOwl shows the maximum your plan allows and refuses the run if you ask for more.
5. Headless
- On — the browser runs without a visible window.
- Off — you can watch the browser as it runs (Local runs only).
Cloud runs are always headless, so the switch is locked on.
6. Run Target
| Local | Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Your computer, through the TestOwl Desktop App | TestOwl's cloud infrastructure |
| Available when | You're using TestOwl inside the Desktop App | Always |
| Best for | Debugging, watching the browser, testing localhost or internal sites | Team runs, scheduled runs, and running without keeping your computer on |
| Counts towards | Your Local execution pool | Your Cloud execution pool |
Inside the Desktop App the dialog defaults to Local; on the web it defaults to Cloud, and Local is disabled with the note "Local runs are available only in the desktop app."
Click Run to start.
What can run
TestOwl checks every test and suite before starting and skips any that shouldn't run:
| Status | Can it run? |
|---|---|
| Active | Yes. |
| Draft | Yes, but not against a Production environment. |
| Archived | No. Set it back to Draft or Active first. |
A suite also needs at least one runnable test. If nothing selected can run, TestOwl explains why instead of starting an empty run.
Limits that apply
Your plan decides whether a run can start. TestOwl refuses a run up front if:
- It needs more executions than you have left (one execution is one test against one environment).
- It selects more environments than your plan's parallel workers allow.
- It asks for more tests in parallel than your plan allows.
- The project is read-only because a trial has ended or a plan is needed.
See Plans & Usage for the details.
Monitoring a run
A new run appears in Run History straight away as Queued and then Running. Open it to watch results arrive in its report, which refreshes automatically while the run is in progress.
Keep the Desktop App open for Local runs