QA Testing Overview
Quality Assurance is essential to ensuring NetPad delivers a reliable, bug-free experience for all users. This section provides structured guidelines, templates, and resources for testing NetPad's features systematically.
What's Covered
This QA Testing section includes:
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| QA Framework | Comprehensive testing guidelines, test cases, and user journeys |
| Quick Reference | Printable quick reference card for testers |
| Bug Report Template | Standardized template for reporting bugs |
| Test Tracker | CSV file for tracking test execution and results |
Testing Philosophy
NetPad QA follows five core principles:
- Test as a real user — Follow the journey a customer would take
- Document everything — Screenshots, screen recordings, exact steps
- Test edge cases — Empty inputs, special characters, large files, slow connections
- Test across browsers — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
- Test responsive design — Desktop, tablet, mobile viewports
NetPad's Core Pillars
Testing is organized around NetPad's four core pillars:
| Pillar | Components | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Forms | Form builder, 30+ field types, conditional logic, multi-page, theming | Critical |
| Workflows | Workflow editor, 25+ node types, triggers, execution engine | Critical |
| Data Management | Data browser, connections, import/export | High |
| AI/Conversational | Conversational forms, RAG, AI form generation | Medium |
Testing Environments
| Environment | URL | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Production | https://app.netpad.io | Final verification only |
| Staging | https://staging.netpad.io | Primary testing environment |
| Development | https://dev.netpad.io | Early feature testing |
| Local | http://localhost:3000 | Developer testing |
Quick Start
Smoke Test (5 minutes)
A quick test to verify core functionality is working:
- Login → Dashboard loads
- Create form → Add 1 field → Save
- Preview → Submit test data
- View submissions → Data appears
Pre-Release Checklist
Critical paths that must pass before any release:
- User can sign up and create organization
- User can create form with basic fields
- User can publish form
- End user can submit form
- Admin can view submissions
- Workflow triggers on form submission
- Email notifications send correctly
Bug Severity Levels
| Severity | Definition | Response Time |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | System unusable, data loss, security issue | Immediate |
| Major | Feature broken, no workaround, blocks workflow | 24 hours |
| Minor | Feature impaired but workaround exists | Next sprint |
| Trivial | Cosmetic issue, typo, minor UI glitch | Backlog |
Test Data Guidelines
- Never use real customer data for testing
- Use clearly fake data: "Test User", "test@example.com", "555-0100"
- Prefix test records with
[TEST]for easy cleanup - Clean up test data after completing test cycles
Getting Started
- QA Framework — Start here for comprehensive test cases and user journeys
- Quick Reference — Keep this handy while testing
- Bug Report Template — Use this template when filing bugs
Next Steps
Ready to start testing? Begin with the QA Framework for detailed test cases covering all NetPad features.