> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nected.ai/nected-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nected.ai/nected-docs/workflow/test-and-publish-workflows.md).
# Test & Publish Workflows
Nected lets you test workflows in a staging environment before deploying them to production. There are two ways to test a workflow:
1. **Quick Test** — a one-off, ad-hoc test with custom inputs. Best for exploring behavior during development and validating individual nodes.
2. **Test Suite** — a saved collection of test cases you can run all at once. Best for regression testing before every publish.
Both methods are accessible from the **Test Run** button in the top-right of the workflow editor.
### Before You Test
Before testing a workflow — by either method — make sure:
1. You've provided proper input data to all added nodes.
2. Each individual node has been configured and tested.
{% hint style="info" %}
Always test every node separately and run an end-to-end test before publishing your workflow.
{% endhint %}
***
### Method 1: Quick Test
Quick Test lets you fire a single set of inputs at your workflow and immediately see the full execution trace. Nothing is saved — it's designed for fast, exploratory testing during development.
#### How to Run a Quick Test
1. Open a workflow in the editor.
2. Click the **Test Run** button (in case **Run Quick Test** is selected) in the top-right header.
* Alternatively, click the **▼** dropdown arrow next to Test Run and select **Run Quick Test**.
3. The **Test Workflow** tab opens.
4. Enter values for each input parameter defined in your workflow's trigger node.
5. Click **Test Now**.
6. The execution result appears, showing three columns:
#### Understanding the Quick Test Result
| Column | Description |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Steps** | Each node in the workflow. A ✅ mark next to a node name means it executed successfully. |
| **Input** | The input attributes passed to that particular node. |
| **Result** | The execution output for that node — including output values, action name, and action status (if all conditions were met). Toggle between **Raw** (low-code JSON view) and **Pretty** (no-code formatted view). |
#### Testing Individual Nodes
You can also test each node in isolation before running the full workflow:
* Click on any node in the canvas to open its configuration panel.
* Use the node-level test option to run just that node with specific inputs.
* Once all nodes pass individually, run the end-to-end Quick Test.
{% hint style="info" %}
Quick Test always runs against the **Staging** environment, so there's no risk to Production.
{% endhint %}
***
### Method 2: Test Suite
Test Suite is a persistent library of test cases tied to your workflow. You define inputs and expected outputs once, save them, and re-run them with a single click whenever the workflow changes. This makes it the right tool for regression testing before every publish.
#### Accessing the Test Suite
1. Open any workflow in the editor.
2. Click the **▼** dropdown arrow to the right of the **Test Run** button.\
3. Select **Run Test Suite** from the dropdown.
4. The **Test Suite** panel opens on the right.
#### The Test Suite Panel
The panel header contains the following controls:
| Control | Action |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **Search on Name** | Filter test cases by name |
| **Run All Tests** | Execute all saved test cases at once |
| **Save Test** | Save new or edited test cases |
| **View Last Test Result** | Jump to the results of the most recent run |
| **Download** | Export all test cases as a CSV file |
When no test cases exist yet, you'll see an empty state with two options: **+ Add test case manually** and **Import Test Cases**.
***
#### Adding Test Cases
**Option A: Add Manually**
1. Click **+ Add test case manually** (or the button in the empty state).
2. A new row appears in the table with these columns:
**Input columns** — one per workflow input attribute (matching your trigger node's parameters):
* Fill in the values to be sent to the workflow when this test runs.
**Name & Group**:
* **Name** — a label for this test case (used for search and for merge-on-import)
* **Group Name** — optional; group related tests together (e.g., `payment scenarios`, `edge cases`)
**Output / expectation columns**:
* **Matching Row** — which output rows you expect the workflow to produce (e.g., `Row 1`, `Row 5`)
* **Default Output** — `true` if you expect the default output path, `false` otherwise
* **Output field columns** (e.g., `code`, `main`, `description`, `discount`) — the exact values you expect the workflow to return. Leave blank to skip assertion on that field.
3. Click **Save Test** (top-right) to persist the test cases.
4. A green toast confirms: **"X test cases saved."**
**Option B: Import via CSV**
For bulk test case creation, import a CSV file.
1. Click **Import Test Cases**.
2. The **Upload File** modal appears.
3. **Choose an Upload Policy:**
| Policy | What it does |
| ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Merge rows (based on name)** *(default)* | Updates existing test cases with the same name; adds new ones for names that don't exist yet |
| **Append rows** | Adds all rows from the CSV as new test cases, regardless of name duplicates |
| **Replace all rows** | Deletes every existing test case and replaces with the CSV contents |
| **Replace row, exclude manually created** | Replaces previously imported test cases but preserves manually added ones |
4. Click **Download Template** to get a pre-formatted CSV with the correct column headers for your workflow.
5. Fill in the template:
```
name, group, , , , ..., defaultOutputData, , , ..., ,
```
* `name` — the test case name (required; used for merge-by-name)
* `group` — optional group name
* Input attribute columns — one per workflow input parameter
* `defaultOutputData` — `true` or `false`
* Output key columns — expected output values (leave blank to skip assertion)
* Action columns — expected action outcomes (if the workflow has post-execution actions)
6. Upload the filled CSV (`.csv`, max 2 MB).
7. The imported test cases appear in the panel.
8. Click **Save Test** to confirm.
{% hint style="info" %}
Use **Merge rows** when syncing test cases from a shared spreadsheet — it won't delete cases you've added manually or that aren't in the current CSV.
{% endhint %}
#### Running the Tests
**Run All Tests**
1. Click **Run All Tests** in the panel header.
2. Nected runs every saved test case against the workflow in Staging — each test case triggers a full end-to-end execution.
3. The **Test Result** view opens automatically, showing:
| Column | Description |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Status** | Icon indicating Pending, Passed ✅, or Failed ❌ |
| **Name** | Test case name |
| **Group Name** | The group it belongs to |
| **Input** | The inputs sent to the workflow |
| **Matching Row** | Which output rows matched and whether default output was returned |
| **Output** | Actual output values returned by the workflow, compared against expected |
4. The summary bar at the top shows **Total / Passed / Failed** counts.
**Run a Single Test**
* Click the **▶ play** icon on any test case row to run just that one test.
**Re-run After Changes**
* After editing the workflow, open Test Suite again and click **Run All Tests** to verify nothing regressed.
* From the Test Result view, click **Retest All** to re-run without going back to the suite panel.
#### Managing Test Cases
* **Search** — find test cases by name using the search bar
* **Delete** — use the row action menu (⋮) to remove individual test cases
* **Download** — export all test cases as CSV at any time (useful for sharing or version control)
* **View Last Test Result** — check the most recent run's output without triggering a new run
### Quick Test vs. Test Suite: When to Use Which
| | Quick Test | Test Suite |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Best for** | Exploring behavior and debugging during development | Regression testing before every publish |
| **Saved** | No — one-off only | Yes — persists across sessions |
| **Scope** | Full workflow + per-node trace | Full end-to-end workflow output |
| **Multiple inputs** | One at a time | All at once |
| **Pass/fail tracking** | No | Yes, with summary counts |
| **Import/Export** | No | Yes (CSV) |
| **Groups & naming** | No | Yes |
{% hint style="info" %}
Use Quick Test while building and debugging nodes. Use Test Suite as your final validation gate before every publish — it ensures existing scenarios still behave correctly after changes.
{% endhint %}
***
## Publish a Workflow
The publishing flow for workflows involves a structured process to ensure changes are properly documented, reviewed, and versioned. Here are the detailed steps:
The workflow starts in a draft state. You can make any necessary edits to ensure it meets your requirements. Once you've done with the editing, you now can do two things:
1. **Submit it for Review**: If you're working in a team, and there is a reviewer, then you can assign the reviewer and submit the workflow in review. Then it will go into the review flow, which you can read from [Approval Flow](/nected-docs/audit/approval-flow.md).
2. **Publish your workflow:** If you don't want to review your workflow by an approver, then you can also directly publish your workflow in production. Here is how you can do that:
* When you are ready to publish, click the "Publish" button.
* **Title and Description**: A prompt will appear asking for a title and description of the changes. This information helps maintain a clear version history.
* **Confirm Publishing**: After providing the title and description, click the publish button to move the workflow to production. The workflow is now published and it will create a new published version that you can access from the Publish tab of the Version Control section. This version is live in the production environment.
For more details about version control, and rolling back to a previous version, read the [Version Control](/nected-docs/audit/version-control-and-rollback.md) doc.
By following these detailed steps, users can effectively manage the publishing and rollback processes for their rules and workflows, ensuring high-quality and reliable outputs.
{% hint style="info" %}
To make a Workflow in Production, You must test all the nodes separately or run "Test in Staging", otherwise the Workflow won't be published.
{% endhint %}
## Versioning:
Every publish creates a new version of the workflow and you can always view the last published version along with the current draft. You can now control the version of a workflow, and rollback to its previous version using our Version Control& rollback feature. You can read more about it in [versioning & rollback](/nected-docs/audit/version-control-and-rollback.md).