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Maintenance Screen: A road to a clean JOSF project

Keeping your JOSF project organized is key to maintaining efficiency and ensuring smooth test automation. Over time, test cases, step definitions, data storage entries, and API requests can accumulate, making it difficult to manage your project.

The Maintenance Screen in JOSF is designed to help you declutter and streamline your workspace by identifying and removing unnecessary or unused items. This guide will walk you through the available maintenance options and how to use them effectively.

Caution: Risks of Bulk Editing and Deletion

While the Maintenance Screen makes it easy to remove unused or outdated data, bulk deleting or editing large amounts of project data can have unintended consequences.

  • When using git: : This maintenance screen should only be used if all work is committed, and no one is actively working on the project. Create a separate branch specifically for maintenance tasks to ensure work safety and avoid conflicts.
  • Data loss cannot be undone: Deleting test cases, API requests, or step definitions is permanent and cannot be recovered. Make sure you either work with GIT or make a backup of your project.
  • Verify before you delete: Always review items flagged for deletion carefully to avoid accidental removal of active test cases or data.
  • Consider backups: If possible, export critical data before making large-scale changes.

By using filters and reviewing your selection before confirming deletions, you can minimize risks while keeping your JOSF project clean and efficient.

Accessing the Maintenance Screen

You can open the Maintenance Screen in two ways:

  1. From the Dashboard:
    • Navigate to Analyze Project > Project Maintenance.
  2. From Various File Sections:
    • You can also access maintenance options via:
      • Test Cases
      • Features
      • Pages & Objects
      • API Modelling
      • Data Storage
    • Look for the broom icon in the upper-right corner of the directory overview in each section.

Understanding the Maintenance Sections

The Maintenance Screen is divided into several sections, each targeting different elements of your project.

1. Test Cases

  • Possible maintenance reasons:
    • Empty – Test case contains no steps.
    • No Tag – Test case lacks any assigned tags thus not used in any playbook.
    • Not in Playbook – Test case has tags but is not used in any playbook.
  • Actions available:
    • Bulk Add Tags: If you filter for test cases with “No Tag,” you can click “Add Tag to Selection” to assign tags in bulk.
    • Delete Selection: Remove selected test cases from your project permanently.

2. Step Definitions

  • Possible maintenance reasons:
    • Empty – Step definition contains no steps.
  • Actions available:
    • Delete Selection: Remove step definitions from your project.

3. Pages & Objects

  • This section offers a more complex view, as objects and actions can be interconnected across test cases and page actions.
  • Possible maintenance reasons:
    • Empty – Page or action contains no elements.
    • Not Used – The object or action is not referenced in any test case or page action.
  • Screen structure:
    • Top-Level: Displays only pages that are completely empty.
    • Secondary-Level: Shows objects and actions that are not used elsewhere in the project.
  • Actions available:
    • Delete Selection: Remove unused or empty elements from your project.

4. Data Storage

  • Possible maintenance reasons:
    • Empty – No data entries exist.
    • Not Used – Data is not referenced in any test cases.
  • Actions available:
    • Delete Selection: Remove unused or empty data storage entries.

5. API Requests

  • Possible maintenance reasons:
    • Not Used – API request is not referenced anywhere in the project.
  • Actions available:
    • Delete Selection: Remove unused API requests.

6. Playbooks

  • Playbooks often accumulate old test runs, making it necessary to clean up outdated records.
  • Actions available:
    • Select a Date: Choose a date before which all test runs should be deleted.
    • Trashcan Icon: Clicking this will prompt JOSF to locate all runs executed before the selected date.
    • Confirmation Dialog: A list of runs slated for deletion will be displayed before final removal.

Using the Maintenance Screen Effectively

  1. Filter your data: Use the search and filter options at the top of the Maintenance Screen to quickly find items that need cleanup.
  2. Bulk manage test cases: Assign missing tags in bulk and remove unused cases for better organization.
  3. Review before deleting: The Maintenance Screen helps you preview what will be deleted, ensuring you don’t remove important data by mistake.
  4. Regular maintenance: Keeping your JOSF project clean periodically ensures better performance and organization.

Conclusion

The Maintenance Screen in JOSF provides a powerful way to manage your test cases, step definitions, API requests, and more. With just a few clicks, you can remove unused elements, bulk-add missing tags, and ensure your project remains clean and efficient.

Make regular use of the Maintenance Screen to keep your automation project structured and optimized for future testing success! 🚀

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