Testing canvas apps, according to their nature, works entirely according to the low-code paradigms. However, due to the proprietary Low-Code Development Platforms (LCDPs), no cross-platform standardized testing procedures can be found. Therefore, platform vendors offer different frameworks for testing.
But what about the role of Citizen Developers in testing?
New project approaches in the context of low-code development, bring a more intensive collaboration of all stakeholders; Citizen Developers and thus later users are integrated into the Application Development & Deployment process (AD&D). The scope of Citizen Developers‚ tasks increases. They create, design (define the requirements) and test (testing and acceptance of requirements) the application. Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM) and the associated domain-specific modeling languages, also known as Domain-Specific Language (DSL), give Citizen Developers the opportunity to perform both tasks with one technology.
developers the possibility of carrying out both tasks with one technology or procedure and without additional training. Various studies conclude that – across LCDPs – test strategies are only rudimentarily implemented and synergies through DSM/DSL are not exploited.
Tools for Testing Canvas Apps
Test Studio – UI Tests
Open Source: No
Initial Effort: Low
Approach: Low-Code
The Test Studio describes the equivalent of EasyRepo and consists of testing capabilities of the UI of Canvas Apps. Analogous to Canvas Apps, the Test Studio is designed as a complete low-code tool: It can be used to scenarios and steps manually by Power Fx or by an integrated recording function. recording function. At the moment, the Test Studio is currently only available available as a preview version.
Monitor – Performance Tests
Open Source: No
Initial Effort: Low
Approach: Low-Code
The monitor for Canvas Apps is considered the equivalent of Fake Xrm Easy for analyzing and checking events and functions. Individual Canvas Apps can be launched from the tool. While working with the Canvas App, events are recorded in the monitor and made available to the user. The results provide conclusions about performance, data sources, errors and other technical details. The monitor is dedicated to the low-code paradigm and can be operated by Citizen Developers.
Azure Application Insights – Error and User Workflow Management
Open Source: No
Initial Effort: Medium
Approach: Low-Code
The „Monitor“ tool for Canvas Apps describes possibilities within the framework of the low-code approach to analyze Canvas Apps. In Azure Application Insights, on the other hand, user-defined events can be intercepted and analyzed in order to optimize Canvas Apps with the resulting diagnoses. Custom events are deposited by expressions from Power Fx at appropriate points in the Canvas app. Azure Application Insights is a service on Microsoft’s Azure cloud and includes numerous, professional extension capabilities, such as displaying app telemetry in Power BI reports
Solution Checker – Data Structure
Open Source: No
Initial Effort: Low
Approach: Low-Code
The integrated Solution Checker describes a Microsoft Power Plarform procedure for checking data structure integrity – related to Dataverse as well as Model-Driven Apps and Canvas Apps (see also „App Checker“). The Solution Checker is integrated into the AD&D process and focuses on the quality check before delivery of a (new) version of an application. The tool can be used without technical knowledge; understanding and fixing problems that may be identified may require the involvement of IT specialists.
Questions & Anwers
How can I test Canvas Apps (Power Apps)?
Canvas apps are proprietary and heavily integrated with the Microsoft Power Platform. Therefore, testing Canvas Apps works only with platform-specific tools.
Is there a test framework for Canvas Apps (Power Apps)?
All of the Canvas app testing capabilities are located in the Microsoft Power Platform. In particular, Test Studio, Monitor, Azure Application Insights and Solution Checker are worth mentioning.
How can I perform UI tests of Canvas Apps (Power Apps)?
Yes, with Test Studio you can run UI tests in Canvas app. The feature is seamlessly integrated into the development. It targets Citizen Developers and follows the trend of democratization. This is supported by Power Fx as a low-code development language.
How can I perform performance tests of Canvas Apps (Power Apps)?
You can measure and test the performance with Power Apps Monitor. It’s integrated in the Microsoft Power Platform.
How can I perform data structure tests of Canvas Apps (Power Apps)?
The Solution Checker validates the data structure integrity of Canvas Apps. Additionally, Power Fx and the Canvas Apps Studio have many built-in functions to prevent building an application logic that results in errors.
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