ATF Limitations on Service Operation Workspace

[sowk]

Hi All,

I am trying to automate Incident Workflow using Service Operation Workspace (SOW) on Vancouver build, but I dont see any option to select the SOW view on the form. 

could anyone please let me know if there are any ATF limitation with SOW or how to get started on the SOW scripting for incident module

Thanks in Advance

[Shaqeel · Accepted solution]

Hi @sowk 

I think you can automate Incident Workflow using Service Operation Workspace you need to choose Application as Service Operations Workspace and Set the form view to Service Operations Workspace,

works for me.

But it has some limitations you asked for:

1. Limited Widget and UI Component Support

• Service Operations Workspace relies heavily on UI components and widgets (e.g., forms, lists, dashboards) that are built using the Now Experience UI Framework. Not all of these components are fully supported by ATF.
• ATF traditionally works well with older ServiceNow forms and pages, but it may struggle to interact with more modern, dynamic components of the workspace.
• Some workspace-specific UI components may not be directly accessible for testing through ATF, leading to incomplete test coverage for custom workspaces.

1. Inability to Interact with Complex UI Elements

• In Service Operations Workspace, elements like tabs, related lists, and dynamic components (created by the Now UI Framework) may not behave the same way under ATF testing as they do in regular forms or Service Portal.
• UI interactions like drag-and-drop, pop-ups, or dynamic filters that occur in real-time may be challenging to simulate with ATF.
• ATF can struggle to trigger or validate actions in some workspace-specific areas, particularly where heavy JavaScript or asynchronous loading is involved.

1. Limited Support for Record Producers and Catalog Items

• ATF supports testing of record producers and catalog items, but in a Service Operations Workspace, there might be limitations in rendering or interacting with these catalog items in a workspace environment.
• The traditional ATF test steps used for service catalogs may not fully replicate the user experience in a workspace layout.

1. Test Step Coverage for Workspace Features

• ATF has predefined test steps that work with forms, lists, and fields, but the specialized layouts and custom interactions in SOW might not always be testable using out-of-the-box ATF steps.
• You might need to extend ATF capabilities with custom test steps, but that requires deep knowledge of the Now Experience Framework and the workspace architecture.

1. Performance and Reliability Issues

• Since Service Operations Workspace is built on more modern frameworks and involves a lot of dynamic content, ATF may experience timing issues. For example, some UI elements in the workspace are loaded asynchronously, and ATF tests can sometimes execute too quickly before the UI has fully rendered.
• This can result in unreliable test results or false negatives in tests.

1. Inadequate Support for Agent Workspace-Specific Features

• Service Operations Workspace is part of the broader family of Agent Workspaces, which includes features like playbooks, interactions, and timelines.
• These workspace-specific features may not have out-of-the-box support in ATF, requiring manual testing or additional custom test steps to handle them.

1. Custom UI Components

• If you have custom components within Service Operations Workspace, ATF will likely have difficulty interacting with them directly. This is because ATF is designed to work with standard forms, lists, and tables, while custom components may require additional scripting to support automated testing.

1. Lack of Visual UI Testing

• ATF focuses on functional testing rather than visual/UI testing. In workspaces like SOW, where the UI/UX is often dynamic and visually driven, ATF may not be able to verify visual elements (like how data is displayed, rendered styles, etc.).
• For visual/UI tests, external tools like Selenium or TestCafe are often required.

1. Pop-up Windows and Modal Dialogs

• Handling pop-ups or modal dialogs (which are common in workspaces) can be challenging in ATF. ATF may not natively interact with these dynamic elements easily, and custom scripts or test steps might be required.

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Regards

Shaqeel

[Brian Lancaster]

Does this include saving an incident? I'm just testing out and I'm able to change Urgency and set work notes but I cannot save the record. I get an error that it cannot find the save UI Action.

[Shaqeel]

You can always check which save button is present at opened form using "UI Action Visibility"

Sometime people select wrong save button.

[Brian Lancaster]

Got it. Event thought here are two Saves you have to make sure you are using the one for update existing record since I'm using an existing record.