Baseline Management in SmartUI

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This guide explains how to effectively manage baselines in SmartUI for your visual regression testing workflow.

Understanding Baselines

A baseline in SmartUI represents the reference point for visual regression testing. It's the set of screenshots against which all future builds are compared.

Types of Baselines

1. Project Baseline: Set in project settings, used as the default comparison point
2. Branch Baseline: Specific to a branch, used when Smart Git is enabled
3. Dynamic Baseline: Specified during test execution
4. Build Baseline: A specific build marked as baseline

Dynamic Baseline Specification

SmartUI allows you to specify baselines dynamically during test execution, providing flexibility in your testing workflow.

Branch-based Baseline

npx smartui --baselineBranch "branch-name" exec -- <execution command>

Use Cases:

• Testing against a specific branch's latest approved build
• Comparing feature branch against development branch
• Testing hotfix against production branch

Build-based Baseline

npx smartui --baselineBuild "build-name" exec -- <execution command>

Use Cases:

• Testing against a specific build version
• Comparing against a known good build
• Testing against a production build

Mark as Baseline

SmartUI provides the ability to mark builds as baseline directly through the CLI. This overwrites the global baseline branch present in the Project Settings.

Basic Usage

npx smartui --markBaseline exec -- <execution command>

Baseline Management Strategies

1. Feature Development

Scenario: Managing baselines during feature development

# 1. Set feature branch baseline
npx smartui --baselineBranch "feature/new-login" exec -- <execution command>


### 2. Hotfix Management

**Scenario**: Managing baselines for hotfixes

```bash
# 1. Set production as baseline
npx smartui --baselineBranch "production" exec -- <execution command>

3. Release Management

Scenario: Managing baselines for releases

# 1. Set staging as baseline
npx smartui --baselineBranch "staging" upload <dirName>

# 2. Mark release as new baseline
npx smartui --markBaseline capture urls.json

Best Practices

1. Baseline Selection:

   • Choose stable builds as baselines
   • Document baseline selection criteria
   • Regular baseline updates

2. Branch Management:

   • Clear branch naming conventions
   • Document branch purposes
   • Regular branch cleanup

3. Build Management:

   • Meaningful build names
   • Document build purposes
   • Regular build cleanup

4. Approval Process:

   • Clear approval criteria
   • Document approval decisions
   • Maintain audit trail

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Baseline Issues:

   • Verify baseline exists
   • Check baseline status
   • Review baseline history

2. Comparison Issues:

   • Verify build compatibility
   • Check branch status
   • Review comparison settings

3. Permission Issues:

   • Verify user permissions
   • Check branch protection
   • Review access settings

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues with baseline management in SmartUI, please contact our support team at support@lambdatest.com.