Variables can used to parameterize text field values in tool editors (e.g., input tabs, request/response message fields, and tool configuration fields). A text field might reference environment variables, a data source column, a data bank column, or a variable defined for the current suite.
To reference a variable in this manner, you use the ${var_name} notation: a dollar sign with the variable's name wrapped in curly braces.
The referenced values can be:
- Static variables: Values that remain constant during the execution of a tool. This includes:
- Environment variables: Values that come from the environment that is currently enabled for the active test suite.
IDE variables: Eclipse variables like project_loc, env_var as well as SOAtest variables such as test_suite_loc (test suite location) and soa_env (SOAtest environment variables). For example:
${project_loc:MyProject}/DataSource/${soa_env:CVS_DIR}/my_csv_file.csv${test_suite_loc}/../${soa_env:XLS_DIR}/my_excel_file.xls- Dynamic variables: These are values whose values may change during tool execution—for example, data source columns, data bank columns, and suite-level variables. Data source col-umns depend on the current data source row.
Notes
- Some tool editors that take a file input have an option to conditionally resolve variables in the external file before the file is read from disk.
- Some fields support only static variables—typically in cases where an editor needs to directly resolve a variable outside the context of tool execution. For example, this is the case with file path fields in Excel and CSV data source editors, WSDL/WADL/XSD fields in messaging tools, and suite fields.
- Any data source columns referenced by a tool will cause the tool to iterate over the data source's rows.
