Building an Automated Testing Framework for SyteLine
Manual regression testing in SyteLine is expensive, slow, and inconsistent—testers click through the same forms hundreds of times after every patch, upgrade, or customization change. An automated testing framework eliminates this burden by executing repeatable test scripts that validate business processes end-to-end. For SyteLine environments, automation can operate at three levels: IDO-level API testing that validates data operations without the UI, browser-based UI automation that simulates user interactions, and database-level validation that confirms data integrity after transactions.
IDO-Based API Test Automation
SyteLine's IDO layer provides a programmatic interface to every business operation the UI performs. Automated tests can call IDO methods directly using the IDO Request Service (SOAP or REST), bypassing the UI entirely for fast, reliable transaction validation. An IDO-based test creates a sales order by calling UpdateCollection on the SLCos IDO, processes it through fulfillment by calling methods on SLShipments, and validates the results by calling LoadCollection on related IDOs. This approach tests business logic and data integrity without the fragility of UI-based automation. The test framework—typically built in C#, Python, or PowerShell—calls the IDO web service endpoint and asserts expected outcomes.
- Access the IDO web service at https://{server}/IDORequestService/IDOWebService.asmx for SOAP or the REST endpoint for HTTP calls
- Build test scripts that execute LoadCollection, UpdateCollection, and InvokeMethod operations against SyteLine IDOs
- Create test data factory methods that generate unique test records (orders, items, jobs) to avoid test-on-test conflicts
- Implement assertion logic that validates IDO response data against expected values: item costs, order totals, inventory quantities
- Organize tests into suites by module: Sales Order suite, Purchasing suite, Production suite, Costing suite for targeted regression runs
UI Automation with Selenium or Playwright
Browser-based UI automation complements IDO testing by validating the user experience: form rendering, field calculations, button behaviors, and workflow transitions that only manifest through the web client. Tools like Selenium WebDriver or Playwright can automate SyteLine's web forms by locating elements through the HTML DOM structure. The challenge with SyteLine UI automation is the dynamic element IDs generated by the Mongoose framework—use CSS selectors based on the IDO property bindings (data-bind attributes) rather than brittle ID-based locators. Record-and-playback tools provide a starting point, but maintainable automation requires refactoring into a Page Object Model pattern where each SyteLine form is represented as a reusable class.
- Use Playwright or Selenium WebDriver to automate SyteLine web client interactions through browser-level scripting
- Locate form elements using CSS selectors tied to data-bind attributes (e.g., [data-property='co_num']) for stability
- Implement the Page Object Model pattern: create classes for Items form, Orders form, Jobs form with reusable action methods
- Handle SyteLine's asynchronous form loading with explicit waits on element visibility rather than fixed sleep timers
- Capture screenshots on test failure for visual debugging and include them in the test execution report
Test Execution and Continuous Integration
Automated tests deliver maximum value when integrated into a CI/CD pipeline that runs them automatically after every code change or patch deployment. Configure a test execution server (Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or similar) that triggers the SyteLine test suite after environment deployments. The pipeline should restore the test database to a known baseline, deploy the change, execute the test suite, collect results, and report pass/fail status to the development team. Test results should be stored historically to track test stability and identify flaky tests that need maintenance. A well-maintained automated test suite transforms SyteLine change management from a high-risk manual process to a confidence-driven automated workflow.
- Configure a CI/CD pipeline (Jenkins, Azure DevOps) that triggers SyteLine test suites after patch or customization deployments
- Implement test database reset as the first pipeline step: restore from a known-good baseline backup before each test run
- Generate test execution reports in JUnit XML or TRX format for integration with CI dashboards and trend analysis
- Set quality gates: block production deployment if critical test suite pass rate drops below 95% threshold
- Maintain a test maintenance schedule: review and update automated tests quarterly to match SyteLine form and IDO changes
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