Interacting with emails

Use DoesQA inboxes and Mail Test Steps to test registration, password reset, and other email journeys.

DoesQA gives each Test Case an inbox. Your Flow can enter that address in the application, wait for the message, open it, and continue the journey from a link or code inside the email.

Use the Flow Builder for this walkthrough.

Choose the address and inbox

Value	Inbox	Use it when
$testEmail	Test Case	The email belongs to this Test Case, such as registration or password reset
$testEmailShort	Test Case	You need the same Test Case inbox with a shorter address
$accountEmail	Account	Several Test Cases share one mailbox
$accountEmailShort	Account	You need the shared Account inbox with a shorter address

Prefer $testEmail with the Test Case inbox for journeys that send one email to one test. Use $accountEmail only when you deliberately want a shared mailbox.

$randomEmail is a generated address outside DoesQA mailboxes. Use a DoesQA Value when the Flow will wait for or open the message.

Build the Flow

1

Enter the DoesQA address

In the step that fills the application's email field, use $testEmail with Set value.

Set value

That sends the application to the Test Case inbox for this Run.

2

Trigger the email

Continue the journey until the application should send the message, such as submitting registration or requesting a password reset. For full walkthroughs, see Test registration and email verification and Test a forgotten-password flow.

3

Wait for the email

Add Wait for email from the Mail family.

Wait for email

1. Set Inbox to Test Case.

2. Leave Type as New when any new message is enough.

3. Or set Type to Custom, choose Subject or From, and match wording your application actually sends.

4. In advanced settings, check End Offset. The default is five minutes. Raise it when the application usually takes longer to send.

4

Open the email

Add Open email.

Open email

1. Set Inbox to Test Case.

2. Choose Latest for the newest matching message, or Custom with Subject or From when you need a specific one.

5

Continue from the message

After Open email, the message body is the active page. Use normal Action and Check Test Steps to click a link, assert text, or store a code into the Value Store.

Touch

When you are finished with the message, add Close inbox to return to the application window.

Close inbox

Pro tip: Open Mail in the left navigation to inspect the Account inbox or a Test Case inbox while you are building the Flow.

The finished Flow

Set value, Wait for email, Open email, Touch, and Close inbox connected as a simple Flow

Match the right message

Setting	What it does
Type: New	Waits for any email that arrives in the time window
Type: Custom	Waits until Subject, From, or another property matches your Value
End Offset	How long Wait for email keeps checking, up to twenty minutes
Start Offset	How far back the wait looks, such as from Test Start

Use Subject or From filters when the inbox may receive more than one message. Keep the comparison close to the real email text.

Related

• Test a forgotten-password flow

• Test registration and email verification

• Mail Test Steps

• Wait For Email

• Open Email

• Close Inbox

• Set Value

• Built-in Values

• Value Store