TestLink Tutorial

What is TestLink?

TestLink is one of the most widely used web-based open-source test management tools. It synchronizes requirements specification and test specification in a single workspace, so teams can plan, document, and track quality activities together. Using TestLink, you can create a test project, document test cases, and onboard multiple users with distinct roles. The admin user manages test case assignments across the team.

TestLink supports both automated and manual execution of test cases. Testers can generate a Test Plan and Test Report in a fraction of the time using this tool. It supports reports in multiple formats, including Excel, MS Word, and HTML. It also integrates with popular Defect tracking systems such as JIRA, MANTIS, BUGZILLA, and TRAC. Because it is web-based, multiple users can use it concurrently with their own credentials and assigned roles.

Advantages of TestLink

Before diving into setup, it helps to understand why TestLink remains a popular choice for test management across QA teams.

• It supports multiple projects under a single installation.
• It allows easy export and import of test cases across servers.
• It integrates easily with many defect management tools.
• It executes automated test cases through XML-RPC.
• It filters test cases by version, keywords, test case ID, and other attributes.
• It assigns test cases to multiple users with a few clicks.
• It generates test plans and test reports in various formats.
• It provides credentials for multiple users and supports granular role assignment.

Login to TestLink

Once TestLink is installed, the first step is to sign in as the administrator and access the main dashboard.

Step 1) Open the TestLink home page and enter the login details.

1. Enter the userID – admin
2. Enter the password
3. Click on the login tab

Creating a Test Project

A Test Project acts as the top-level container for all related test plans, suites, and cases. The following steps show how to create your first project.

Step 1) In the main window click on Test Project Management. It will open another window.

Step 2) Click on the tab “Create” to create a new project.

Step 3) Enter all the required fields, such as the category, project name, prefix, and description. After filling in the necessary details, click the “Create” tab at the bottom of the window.

This creates your project “Guru99” successfully.

Creating a Test Plan

A Test Plan captures complete information, including the scope of software testing, milestones, test suites, and test cases. Once the project exists, the next step is to define a Test Plan for it.

Step 1) From the home page, click on Test Plan Management.

Step 2) A new page opens. At the bottom of the page click on the “Create” tab.

Step 3) Fill in all the necessary information, such as name, description, and “create from existing test plan” option. Then click “Create”.

Step 4) The Guru99 Test Plan is created successfully.

Build Creation

A Build represents a specific release of the software under test. Builds are useful for grouping execution results against a particular version of the application.

Step 1) Click on Builds/Releases under Test Plan from the home page.

Step 2) In the next window, fill in all the details for the software release and click “Create” to save it.

1. Enter the title name
2. Enter the description for the software release
3. Mark the check-box for status – Active
4. Mark the check-box for status – Open
5. Choose the release date
6. Click on the “Create” button

Once a release is created, it appears like this.

Creating Test Suite

A Test Suite is a collection of test cases that validate the same component or feature. The following steps explain how to create a Test Suite for your project.

Step 1) Click on the “Test Specification” option from the home page.

Step 2) On the right side of the panel, click the settings icon . A list of test operations is displayed.

Step 3) Click the “Create” tab for the Test Suite.

Step 4) Fill in all the details for the Test Suite and click “Save”.

1. Enter the Test Suite name
2. Enter the details about your Test Suite
3. Click “Save” to save the Test Suite

You can see the Test Suite for Guru99 is created.

Your Test Suite appears on the left side of the panel under the folder tree structure.

Creating a Test Case

A Test Case holds a sequence of test steps designed to validate a specific scenario with an expected result. The steps below explain how to create a Test Case along with its individual test steps.

Step 1) Click on the Test Suite folder on the left side of the panel under the folder tree structure.

Step 2) Click the settings icon on the right side panel. A list of Test Case operations is displayed.

Step 3) A new window opens. Click “Create” in the Test Case operations to start a new Test Case.

Step 4) Enter the details on the Test Case specification page.

Step 5) After entering the details, click “Create” to save them. The Test Case for Guru99 is created successfully.

Step 6) Click on the Test Case from the folder. A new window opens. Click “Create steps” to launch the Test Case step editor.

Step 7) Another window opens on the same page. Enter the following details.

1. Enter the step action for your Test Case
2. Enter the details about the step action
3. Click “Save and add another step action” OR click “Save and exit” if there is no more test step to add

Step 8) Once you save and exit the test step, it appears like this.

Assigning Test Case to Test Plan

For a Test Case to be executed, it must be assigned to a Test Plan. The next steps explain how to add a Test Case to your Test Plan.

Step 1) Click the settings icon on the Test panel. A list of operations appears.

Step 2) Click on “Add to Test Plans”.

Step 3) A new window opens. Search for your project “Guru99”.

1. Mark the checkbox against your Test Plan
2. Click on the “Add” button

This adds your Test Case to the Test Plan.

Creating Users and Assigning Roles in TestLink

TestLink provides user management and authorization features so you can grant the right permissions to each team member.

Below is the list of default roles in TestLink and their rights.

Role	Test Cases	Test Metrics
Guest	View	View
Tester	Execute	View
Senior Tester	Edit & Execute	View
Leader & Admin	Edit & Execute	Edit & Execute

Step 1) From the TestLink home page, click on the Users/Roles icon in the navigation bar.

Step 2) Click “Create”.

Step 3) Fill in all the user details and click the “Save” button.

The newly created users appear in the list.

Step 4) Allot a Test Project role to the user.

1. Click on the “Assign Test Project Roles” tab
2. Choose the project name
3. Select the user role from the drop-down

Writing Requirements

Requirements describe what the system should do, and TestLink lets you store them alongside the test cases that verify them. The next steps show how to add a Requirement specification.

Step 1) From the navigation bar select the “Requirements” link. It opens the Requirement page.

Step 2) On the right side of the Requirement page, click “Create”.

Step 3) A new window opens. Enter all the details, including:

1. Document ID
2. Title name
3. Requirement Description
4. Click “Save”

For the type, you can choose an option from the drop-down. In this example, we chose “User Requirement Specification”.

Step 4) The Requirement Specification is created and displayed on the left side panel under the project “Guru99”.

Step 5) Select the settings button from the Requirements Specification home page. Another window opens.

Step 6) Click the “Create” tab under Requirement Operations.

Step 7) Fill in all the specified details and click “Save”.

1. Enter the document ID
2. Enter the title name
3. Enter the description
4. Enter the status – draft, rework, review, not testable, or valid (we chose valid)
5. Enter the type – user interface, non-functional, informational, feature, or use case (we chose use case)
6. Enter the number of test cases needed
7. Click “Save” at the end

Note: To add more requirements, mark the check-box and click “Save”.

On the left side of the panel, the new Requirement is visible.

Assigning Requirement to Test Cases

In TestLink, a Requirement can be linked to Test Cases. This is a crucial feature for tracking test coverage. Inside the test reports view, you can verify which requirements are not covered and add them to test suites for maximum coverage.

Step 1) From the Test Specification section, open any single Test Case and click the Requirement icon.

Step 2) To assign a Requirement Specification to a Test Case, follow these steps.

1. Use the drop-down to select the Requirement Specification
2. Mark the requirement checkbox
3. Click on the “Assign” tab

After clicking the “Assign” tab, a window appears with the message “Assigned Requirement”.

Executing a Test Case

In TestLink, you can run a Test Case and change its execution status. A Test Case status can be set to “Blocked”, “Passed”, or “Failed”. Initially, the case is in “Not Run” status, but once updated, it cannot be altered back to “Not Run”.

Step 1) From the navigation bar click on the “Test Execution” link. It opens the Test Execution Panel.

Step 2) Pick the Test Case you want to run from the left side panel.

Step 3) Once you have selected the Test Case, a new window opens.

Step 4) Follow these steps.

1. Enter the notes related to the executed Test Case
2. Select its status

Step 5) On the same page, fill in similar details about the execution. Pick the status and click “Save Execution”.

Generating Test Reports

Test Reports give visibility into execution progress, requirement coverage, and overall quality posture. TestLink supports several formats for sharing reports with stakeholders.

• HTML
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• OpenOffice Writer
• OpenOffice Calc

Step 1) From the navigation bar, click on the Test Reports option.

Step 2) From the left side panel, select the “Test Report” link.

Step 3) To generate a report, follow these steps.

1. Mark or unmark the options you want to highlight in your test report
2. Click on your project folder

The test report looks like this.

Export Test Case / Test Suite

TestLink lets you export Test Projects and Test Suites, and then import them into another TestLink project on a different server or system. The next steps walk through the export workflow.

Step 1) Choose the Test Case you want to export on the Test Specification page.

Step 2) On the right-hand side of the panel click the settings icon. It displays the operations that can be performed on the Test Case.

Step 3) Click the “Export” button.

Step 4) Another window opens. Mark the option as per requirement and click the “Export” tab.

The following XML is generated.

Importing Test Case / Test Suite

Importing brings Test Cases or Suites from an XML export into the target Test Suite of your choice.

Step 1) Select the Test Suite folder where you want to import the Test Case.

Step 2) Click the settings icon on the right-hand side of the panel. It displays the operations that can be executed on the Test Suite or Test Case.

Step 3) Click “Import” in the Test Case operations list.

Step 4) Browse for and attach the XML test case file you exported from TestLink, and click “Upload”.

1. Use the browse option to attach the XML test case file you exported from TestLink
2. Click on “Upload file”

When you upload a file, a window opens stating “Import test cases”.

Step 5) The Test Case is uploaded and displayed on the right-hand side of the panel.

FAQs