Parameters Page

This dialog box or tab enables you to view, select, and insert parameters for business components, flows, and business process tests.

To access

Use one of the following:

  • In the Business Components module component tree, select a component and click the Parameters tab.
  • In the Test Plan module test tree, select a business process test or a flow and click the Parameters tab.
  • In the Test Plan module test tree, select a business process test or a flow and click the Test Script tab. Click the Parameters tab at the bottom of the window.

Important information

  • You can insert component parameters into your steps in the Manual Implementation tab in the Business Components module. After you select a parameter, the parameter is inserted at the cursor location in the component step, using the syntax <<<parameter name>>>. For task details, see Create parameters.

  • Parameter values are stored, compared, and processed as characters strings (even if values are specified as numeric or date values).

  • When creating input flow parameters, they must be assigned the value of a component in the flow. Otherwise, the parameters have no relevance in the business process test.

  • Test parameters can only be input parameters.

  • Component parameters can be viewed and modified in the Business Component Settings dialog box, see the Unified Functional Testing User Guide.

  • Notes for users of UFT One: Parameters for keyword GUI components can be viewed and modified in the Business Component Settings dialog box. In addition, you can insert Data Table parameters and output values to business components, but you can store the values only in the first row of the Data Table. Component iterations are defined for the business process test in ALM and are not affected by the Data Table.

Relevant tasks

User interface elements are described below:

UI Element

Description



New Parameter. Opens the New <entity> Parameter dialog box, enabling you to define a new parameter. For details, see New Parameter / Parameter Details Dialog Box.

Note: This button is disabled when selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.

Tip: When creating input flow parameters must be assigned the value of a component input parameter in the flow. Otherwise, they have no relevance in the business process test.



Delete. Deletes the currently selected parameter.

Considerations

  • If you delete a parameter that is included in a component step, the parameter in the component step is replaced by regular text, using the syntax: <parameter name>

  • If a business process contains the component parameter that you are deleting, the test may not run successfully.

  • If automatic deletion is enabled in Customization, when prompted for confirmation, a Delete unused promoted parameters from the test level check box appears. If checked, the parameter is deleted from the test and/or flow levels if it is unused at those levels.

    Note:  

    • If the parameter is used at higher levels, automatic deletion does not delete it.
    • If there are other unused parameters, not related to this delete operation, at the higher levels, automatic deletion does not delete them.

    For details on enabling automatic deletion, see Enable automatic deletion of unused test/flow parameters when deleting a parameter at a lower level.

Not available when:

  • When selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.
  • From the Parameters dialog box.



Refresh. Refreshes the component parameters so that they display the most up-to-date information.

Not available when:

  • When selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.
  • From the Parameters dialog box.



Set Filter/Sort. Enables you to filter and sort the component parameters in the grid. Any currently applied filters or sorting orders are displayed below the toolbar. For details, see Filter Dialog Box.

Not available when: Selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.



Select Columns. Opens the Select Columns dialog box, enabling you to determine which fields are displayed and their order. For details, see Select Columns/Select Fields Dialog Box.

Note: This option is not available when selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.



Parameter Details. Opens the Parameter Details dialog box, displaying the details of the selected parameter. For details, see New Parameter / Parameter Details Dialog Box.

Move Up. Moves the selected parameter up in the list.

Tip: In other tabs and dialog boxes, such as the in Iteration pages, parameters are displayed according to the order defined in the Parameters page.

Move Down. Moves the selected parameter down in the list.

Tip: In other tabs and dialog boxes, such as the in Iteration pages, parameters are displayed according to the order defined in the Parameters page.



Go To Resource. For use with configurations that access dynamic data. Opens the resource in the Test Resources module.

Available from: Parameters tab from Test Plan module. This field is not available when selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.



Resource Preview. For use with configurations that access dynamic data. Enables you to preview the actual data that will be used with the configuration when the test runs. The external data table resource is specified in Data Resource in the Resource Preview dialog box.

The Resource Preview dialog box is similar to the Resource Viewer tab in the Test Resources module. For details, see Test Resources.

Available from: Parameters tab from Test Plan module. This field is not available when selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.



Map Parameters. For use with configurations that access dynamic data. Enables you to specify sets of parameter values from an external Microsoft Excel file by mapping the parameter names in the Excel file to the parameter names in ALM. For task details, see Associate dynamic data with test configurations.

Available from: Parameters tab from Test Plan module. This button is not available when selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.

Sort By

Specifies the order in which the parameters are listed, as defined in the Set Filter dialog box. For user interface details, see  Filter Dialog Box.

Data Resource

Specifies the name of an external Microsoft Excel file that contains sets of parameter values for each configuration of the test. Used only for configurations defined to access dynamic data. For task details, see Associate dynamic data with test configurations.

Available from: Parameters tab from Test Plan module. This field is not available when selecting the Parameters tab from the Test Script tab in the Test Plan module.

<grid filters>



Displays a grid filter box under the name of each column that can be filtered, enabling you to define a filter condition for that column.

Type directly into the box, or click the box to display the browse button, which opens the Select Filter Condition dialog box. For details, see Select Filter Condition Dialog Box.

Filters

Describes the filters currently applied to the list of parameters. (For the columns that can be filtered, the filters are located directly above the grid filter boxes.)

Used

When checked, indicates that the component parameter is included in a step.

Name

Displays a descriptive name for the parameter.

  • Parameter names must be in English.

  • Component parameter names must begin with a letter and cannot include spaces or any of the following characters:
    ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + = \ { } | ; ' : " , . / < > ? ~ ` [ ] – ~
    Any invalid character is automatically replaced by an underscore (_).

  • Test and flow parameter names must begin with a letter and cannot include spaces or any of the following characters:
    < > ~ ? %
    Any invalid character is automatically replaced by an underscore (_).

  • Parameter names must be unique within a component, flow, or test.

  • The parameter name must begin with a letter. If the first character of the component name is not a letter, a prefix, such as comp_, is added.

Input Parameters

Lists all defined input parameters.

Available from: Parameters tabs

Output Parameters

Lists all defined output parameters.

Available from: Parameters tabs for components and flows

Description

Tab providing a description of the component parameter's purpose, or other descriptive text.

Default Value

Tab containing the default value of the input parameter. This value is used when the component runs if no other value is supplied by the business process test or flow.

Available from: Input Parameters tabs