TestLink

TestLink is a test management tool used for project management, bug tracking, and test management. It follows a centralized test management concept that helps to communicate easily for rapid development of tasks across QA teams and other stakeholders. It keeps the requirement specification and test specification in sync.

Points to Note

• Following the salient features of TestLink need to be noted to understand the topic better.
• TestLink is an open source test management tool. There is no license is required to use TestLink.
• It is developed and maintained by Teamtest.
• It is licensed under GPL – General Public License.
• It supports different Windows OS such as Windows XP, Vista, 7, etc. along with other cloud-based support.
• It provides free access to tools for multiple users.
• It can be integrated with many other tools – JIRA, Bugzilla, FogBugz, VersionOne, etc.

 

System Requirements

Since TestLink is a web-application it follows the concept of client/server. It means that TestLink can be installed centrally on a server and users can interact with it through web browsers using a website from any computer.

• Web Server − TestLink supports Apache 2.2.2.1. However, it can work with any latest web server software. TestLink only uses .php file. Configure the web server with .php extension only.
• PHP − The web server should support PHP. It can be installed as CGI or any other integration technology. It is recommended to use 5.3.8 PHP version.
• Mandatory PHP Extensions − Extensions for RDBMS are mysqli, pgsql, oci8, sqlsrv. Mbstring is required for Unicode – UTF-8 support.
• Optional Extensions − Curl, GD, Fileinfo
• Database − TestLink requires the database to store its data. MySQL (5.5.16) is recommended.
• FileZilla FTP Server − FileZilla FTP Server 0.9.39 is required to install XAMPP as optional.

You can install all the requirements separately either manually or through an automatic process to use TestLink.

TestLink Uses

Following points describe the various usages of TestLink.

• Useful for tracking all QA activities from the first phase of the software testing lifecycle.
• Useful in Project Management, Task Tracking, Requirement Management, and Test Management.
• Supports all macro-level activities performed by QA.
• Useful in performing QA tasks such as writing test cases, execution reports, etc.
• Supports both manual as well as automated test execution.

TestLink Specifications

Following table lists some of the important specifications of TestLink.

Application Copyright

It is developed and maintained by Teamtest. It is an open source tool.

Tool Scope

It can be used as a Test Automation framework. It is utilized as a Testing Utility.

Testing Methods

• Agile Testing
• Black box testing
• Exploratory Testing
• Functional/Manual Testing
• Traditional Testing

Tool Objectives

• Desktop Testing

Web Testing

Management Features

• Requirement Management
• Test Management
• Report

Software Requirements

• Apache: 2.2.2.1
• MySQL : 5.5.16
• PHP: 5.3.8
• PhpMyAdmin: 3.4.5
• Filezilla FTP Server: 0.9.39
• Tomcat: 7.0.21

Error Handling

Capture screenshots

User Interface Available

• COM API
• Direct UI
• GUI usability

TestLink – Features

TestLink has a wide range of features to attract QAs and other stakeholders for test management.

TestLink Core Features
The following table lists the core features of TestLink.

Testing Supports

TestLink supports the following test methodologies −

• Agile testing
• Black box testing
• Exploratory testing
• Functional/Manual and Automation testing
• Traditional testing

Centralize & organize

• TestLink tool creates, centralizes, organizes and manages test cases very effectively and efficiently.
• Easily import test cases from CSV/XML and other management tools.
• It can create multiple versions of test cases for comparison and uses.
• It can share test case repository across different projects, releases, and sprints.

Manage & Track Execution

• It supports run and re-run of test execution suites. It kicks off automation suite as well using XML-RPC.
• It captures step-by-step test execution history with detailed explanation.
• It supports test run specific configuration and parameters.

Notification

• Email can be sent for a particular task to users.
• Use @mention to get the attention of a specific team member at Comments/Description.

Power Search

• TestLink supports powerful search functionality with Hotkeys features.
• TestLink supports free text search.
• TestLink supports syntax search.

Reports

• TestLink supports multiple reports.
• It supports test case and test execution reports.
• Requirement and traceability reports.
• Defect reports.
• It supports cross-project report as well.
• Scale with Team Growth
• TestLink supports any business team and any project, irrespective of the size and complexity.

Integration

• TestLink supports numerous add-ins to connect with different software to make work easy.
• A wide range of add-ins makes it universal across the globe – JIRA, Mantis, Bugzilla, Trac, etc.
• It also supports Rally and VersionOne integration.

Common Features

• It supports Drag and Drops interface.
• It supports Test Grid Analysis.
• It can clone the entire test case repository along with the project setting, such as email notification and more.

Customization

• It supports customization of UI using Smarty templates.
• It supports to create and assign the user’s keyword.