Building and running automated tests with the Automated Test Framework

Basic tasks in the Automated Test Framework.

To build and run any test, you always perform certain operations:

You perform other operations often, but not necessarily for every test.

For tests involving form steps, you might need to View results screenshots from an automated test.
For some tests, you might need to know about Passing data from one automated test step to another.
Some steps frequently occur in the same sequence in many different tests, so you can Add a predefined list of steps (template) to an automated test.
Create a new automated test
Create a named automated test containing a series of steps to execute.
Copy automated test
Copy an existing test, which you can then re-name and modify.
Run an automated test
After creating an automated test, run it on a non-production instance.
Implementing breakpoints
Breakpoints allow you to pause your test at any step of a test run in order to troubleshoot and test authoring.
View test results and automated test results
View test results from completed test and test suite runs. Carefully consider the results of automated test runs and perform any corrective actions required to resolve any revealed issues.
Identify and resolve client errors
Identify client errors and resolve them in client-side scripts.
UI test steps
Test user interfaces by mimicking user actions and interacting with the visible components of a page.
Server test steps
Test business logic and background processes by performing operations on the server.
Attachment test steps
Test an attachment-dependent business rule by uploading an attachment either from a form or from a server-side API call. For example, you can have a business rule that doesn't let you close an incident without an attachment such as a screenshot.
List UI actions test steps
Select a UI action from a list to perform different actions on a list or a related list.
Parameterized tests
Run a test multiple times with different test data for each run. Create parameters to store test data for each test run.
Allowed client errors
Add known client errors to the allowed client errors list to allow tests and steps to continue running when a specific error occurs. Set the report level to specify what the Automated Test Framework does when the error occurs in future tests.
View the progress of automated tests
When an automated test is running, view its progress in the Run Test progress dialog.
Passing data from one automated test step to another
Some automated test steps create data that you can use as an input to a subsequent step.

Parent Topic:Automated Test Framework (ATF) test building and execution

Auto-generate ATF tests

Cancelling automated tests and test suites

title	Building and running automated tests with the Automated Test Framework
description	Basic tasks in the Automated Test Framework.
locale	en-US
canonical_url	https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/application-development/automated-test-framework-atf/atf-build-overview.html
release	brazil
product	Automated Test Framework \(ATF\)
classification	automated-test-framework-atf
topic_type	concept
last_updated	2026-09-10
reading_time_minutes	3
breadcrumb	Automated Test Framework \(ATF\) test building and executionAutomated Test Framework \(ATF\)Testing and debugging applicationsClassic app developmentBuilding applications