Test Packages

Test packages provide support for the structure of third-party test types in Silk Central, and consist of a package root as well as an arbitrary hierarchy of suite nodes and test nodes.

Test packages also provide users with detailed information about a test execution run. Test packages, suite nodes, and test nodes can be individually assigned, along with their issues and attachments, to requirements. This functionality is similar to the functionality of every other test. After a third-party test is converted into a test package, all tests contained in the package can be run individually. Test nodes and suite nodes contained in a test package are provided with an additional property, the External ID.

An advantage of test packages is that the structure can be maintained automatically with every test execution. The structure of a test package can be updated according to the results of its runs. The file <Silk Central installation folder>\wwwroot\silkroot\xsl\output.xsd contains an XML schema for the structure of the output XML files of test packages.

Test packages enable the entire functionality of the individual tests, with the following exceptions:

Test containers that contain test packages cannot be linked.
Test packages cannot be data-driven because they do not possess data-driven properties.
All success conditions except the execution time-out are disabled and hidden for test package nodes.

Note: Silk Performer tests, Silk Test Classic tests, and manual tests cannot be converted to test packages, as the structure of these tests is supported in Silk Central by default.

The information that provides the internal structure of a test package is specific, and is no longer consistent when you copy the test package. To reuse a test package, you have to copy the test package, revert the copied package into the parent test, apply the test to your needs, and then convert the changed test to a test package.