Reusable Flows

Create shared step sequences and reference them across multiple tests. Flows help you keep your test suite DRY and simplify maintenance of common workflows.

What Are Flows?

A flow is a named, reusable sequence of test steps that can be referenced from any test within the same project. Think of flows as functions for your tests — you define the steps once and call them wherever needed.

Common examples of flows include:

• Login flow — navigate to login page, fill in credentials, click submit, wait for dashboard
• Navigation flow — open the sidebar, click a specific menu item, wait for the page to load
• Form filling flow — fill out a multi-field form with standard test data
• Cleanup flow — delete test records, log out, or reset application state

Why Use Flows?

Without flows, you end up duplicating the same steps across many tests. This creates several problems:

• Duplication — the same login steps repeated in every test that requires authentication
• Maintenance burden — when the login form changes, you have to update every test individually
• Inconsistency — copied steps can drift apart as different tests get updated at different times

Flows solve all of these issues. When you extract common steps into a flow:

• Single source of truth — the steps are defined in one place
• Update once, fix everywhere — changing the flow automatically updates every test that uses it
• Cleaner tests — your tests become shorter and more focused on what they actually verify

Creating a Flow

Flows are managed from the dedicated Flows page within your project.

The Flow Editor

The flow editor provides the same step-building interface as the test builder. You get access to all the same actions — Navigate, Click, Fill, Assert, Wait, Screenshot, and more — with one key difference:

In the flow editor you can:

• Drag and drop steps to reorder them
• Edit any step's configuration (selector, value, description, etc.)
• Delete individual steps
• Add steps from the full action palette (minus "Use Flow")

The editor works identically to the test builder's step panel, so if you are familiar with building tests, you already know how to build flows.

Using a Flow in a Test

Once a flow is created, you can reference it from any test in the same project using the Use Flow action.

Example: Login Flow

Suppose you create a flow named "Login as Admin" with these steps:

1. Navigate to {{baseUrl}}/login
2. Fill #email with {{adminEmail}}
3. Fill #password with {{adminPassword}}
4. Click button[type="submit"]
5. Wait for selector .dashboard

Now in any test that requires authentication, you simply add a single "Use Flow" step pointing to "Login as Admin" instead of repeating all five steps. If the login form changes — say the email field becomes #username — you update the flow once and every test is fixed.

Nesting Flows

Flows can reference other flows through nesting. While the flow editor itself does not include the "Use Flow" action (to prevent self-referencing), a flow's steps are resolved at runtime, and a flow used in a test can call another flow that itself contains "Use Flow" steps pointing to yet another flow.

Nesting Example

Consider this structure:

• Flow: "Setup Session" — sets cookies, configures viewport
• Flow: "Login as Admin" — navigates to login, fills credentials, submits
• Test: "Verify Dashboard" — uses "Setup Session" flow, then uses "Login as Admin" flow, then asserts dashboard content

At runtime, the test runner recursively resolves all "Use Flow" steps, expanding each flow's steps inline before execution begins.

Depth Limit

To prevent infinite recursion from circular references, QA Studio enforces a maximum nesting depth of 10. If flow resolution exceeds 10 levels of nesting, the runner stops resolution and reports an error.

Flow Management

All flow management is done from the Flows page within your project.

Editing a Flow

Click on any flow in the flows list to open it in the flow editor. Make your changes to the steps, then click Save. The updated steps will take effect the next time any test that references this flow is run.

Deleting a Flow

To delete a flow, click the delete button next to it in the flows list. Be aware that deleting a flow that is referenced by tests will cause those tests to fail when they encounter the "Use Flow" step, since the referenced flow no longer exists.

Best Practices

• Login / Authentication — the most common flow. Almost every test needs to log in first, and login forms are a frequent source of selector changes.
• Navigation sequences — multi-step navigation through menus, sidebars, or breadcrumbs to reach a specific page.
• Form filling — standardized data entry for forms that appear across multiple features (user creation, product setup, etc.).
• Cleanup sequences — steps to reset state after a test, such as deleting created records, logging out, or clearing local storage.
• Setup sequences — pre-test configuration steps like setting cookies, accepting terms, or dismissing onboarding modals.

Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names that indicate what the flow does and any relevant context:

• Login as Admin — specifies the role
• Navigate to User Settings — specifies the destination
• Fill Registration Form — specifies which form
• Cleanup: Delete Test User — prefixes with the purpose

Using Flows with Environment Variables

Flows work seamlessly with environment variables. You can use {{key}} substitution syntax in any step field within a flow. This makes flows even more flexible — for example, a login flow can use {{username}} and {{password}} variables, allowing you to switch credentials by changing project variables rather than editing the flow.