Circle CI Pipeline Integration with SmartUI

CircleCI is a popular CI/CD tool known for its speed, flexibility, and seamless integration with version control systems like GitHub and Bitbucket. It is cloud-native and also offers an on-premises solution.

This guide explains how to integrate your project with the CircleCI CI/CD pipeline to trigger visual regression testing with LambdaTest SmartUI whenever changes are made to your repository.

Steps to Integrate CircleCI Pipeline with SmartUI

To integrate CircleCI Pipeline with SmartUI, follow the below steps. You can use your own project to configure and test it. For demo purposes, we are using the sample repository.

Sample repo

Download or Clone the code sample from the LambdaTest GitHub repository to run the tests on the SmartUI.

View on GitHub

Step 1: Set Up Your Repository

Ensure your project is hosted in GitHub, or any supported repository.

Step 2: Create a New Pipeline:

• Navigate to Pipelines in your CircleCI project.
• Select New Pipeline and connect your repository.

Step 3: Add Environment Variables

Go to Pipeline Settings > Variables. Add the following variables:

• LT_USERNAME: Your LambdaTest username.
• LT_ACCESS_KEY: Your LambdaTest access key.

Step 4: Setup your Workflow

.circleci/config.yml

version: 2.1
jobs:
  smartui_test:
    docker:
      - image: circleci/node:16
    environment:
      LT_USERNAME: $LT_USERNAME
      LT_ACCESS_KEY: $LT_ACCESS_KEY
    steps:
      - checkout
      - run:
          name: Install Dependencies
          command: npm install @lambdatest/smartui-cli
      - run:
          name: Execute SmartUI Tests
          command: |
            npx smartui --version
            npx smartui config:create smartui-web.json
            npx smartui --config smartui-web.json exec -- mvn --quiet test -D suite=sdk-cloud.xml

workflows:
  version: 2
  smartui_pipeline:
    jobs:
      - smartui_test

Step 5: Check the output

• After triggering the workflow, check your results in the SmartUI Dashboard

Best Practices

Secret Management

Secret Management

• Never commit credentials to repository
• Use CircleCI Environment Variables for all sensitive data
• Mark variables as secret to hide values in logs
• Rotate secrets regularly
• Use different secrets for different environments

Pipeline Optimization

Pipeline Optimization

• Use parallel jobs for faster execution
• Cache dependencies to speed up pipelines
• Only run visual tests on relevant branches
• Set up pipeline conditions to avoid unnecessary runs

Example:

workflows:
  version: 2
  smartui_pipeline:
    jobs:
      - smartui_test:
          filters:
            branches:
              only:
                - main
                - develop

Build Naming

Build Naming

• Use meaningful build names that include branch/commit info
• Include commit SHA for traceability
• Use consistent naming conventions

Example:

environment:
  BUILD_NAME: ${CIRCLE_BRANCH}-${CIRCLE_SHA1:0:7}"

Error Handling

Error Handling

• Set up proper error handling in pipelines
• Use pipeline status checks
• Configure notifications for failures
• Add retry logic for flaky tests

Resource Management

Resource Management

• Limit concurrent pipeline runs
• Clean up old builds regularly
• Monitor pipeline execution time
• Optimize test execution order

Resource Management

Resource Management

• Limit concurrent pipeline runs
• Clean up old builds regularly
• Monitor pipeline execution time
• Optimize test execution order

Troubleshooting

Pipeline Fails with Variable Not Found

Issue: Pipeline Fails with "Variable Not Found"

Symptoms: Pipeline fails with error about missing environment variables

Possible Causes:

• Variables not created in CircleCI project
• Variable names don't match
• Variables not accessible to job
• Variable scope issues

Solutions:

1. Verify variables exist in project settings:

   • Go to Project Settings → Environment Variables
   • Check LT_USERNAME, LT_ACCESS_KEY, and PROJECT_TOKEN exist

2. Ensure variable names match exactly (case-sensitive)

3. Check variable scope (project or context level)

4. Verify variables are not masked if you need to see them in logs

PROJECT_TOKEN Not Available

Issue: PROJECT_TOKEN Not Available

Symptoms: Pipeline prompts for PROJECT_TOKEN or token not found

Possible Causes:

• PROJECT_TOKEN not set as environment variable
• Variable not passed to job
• Variable masked incorrectly

Solutions:

1. Add PROJECT_TOKEN as CircleCI Environment Variable

2. Pass variable to job:

   environment:
     PROJECT_TOKEN: $PROJECT_TOKEN

3. Check variable is accessible to the job

4. Verify variable scope includes your project

Tests Run But No Results in Dashboard

Issue: Tests Run But No Results in Dashboard

Symptoms: Pipeline completes but screenshots don't appear in SmartUI

Possible Causes:

• Incorrect PROJECT_TOKEN
• Project name mismatch
• Network issues
• Pipeline job failure

Solutions:

1. Verify PROJECT_TOKEN is correct:

   • Check token in SmartUI Project Settings
   • Ensure token includes project ID prefix

2. Check pipeline logs for errors:

   - run:
       name: Check Logs
       when: on_failure
       command: |
         cat /tmp/*.log || true

3. Verify network connectivity in pipeline

4. Check if SmartUI CLI step completed successfully

Pipeline Times Out

Issue: Pipeline Times Out

Symptoms: Pipeline execution exceeds time limit

Possible Causes:

• Too many tests running
• Slow test execution
• Network latency
• Resource constraints

Solutions:

1. Increase pipeline timeout:

   - run:
       name: Execute Tests
       no_output_timeout: 60m

2. Run tests in parallel using matrix:

   jobs:
     smartui_test:
       matrix:
         parameters:
           test_group: [1, 2, 3]

3. Optimize test execution

4. Split tests across multiple pipeline jobs

Dependencies Installation Fails

Issue: Dependencies Installation Fails

Symptoms: npm install or dependency installation fails

Possible Causes:

• Network issues
• Package registry problems
• Version conflicts
• Node version mismatch

Solutions:

1. Use specific Node version:

   docker:
     - image: circleci/node:18

2. Clear npm cache:

   - run:
       name: Install Dependencies
       command: |
         npm cache clean --force
         npm install

3. Use package-lock.json for consistent installs

4. Check for version conflicts in package.json

SmartUI CLI Not Found

Issue: SmartUI CLI Not Found

Symptoms: npx smartui command fails with command not found"

Possible Causes:

• Node.js not installed
• npm not available
• PATH issues

Solutions:

1. Ensure Node.js is available in Docker image:

   docker:
     - image: circleci/node:18

2. Verify npm is available:

   - run:
       name: Check npm
       command: npm --version

3. Install SmartUI CLI explicitly:

   - run:
       name: Install SmartUI CLI
       command: npm install -g @lambdatest/smartui-cli

Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here:

• Review CircleCI Documentation
• Check SmartUI CLI Documentation for CLI-specific issues
• Visit LambdaTest Support for additional resources
• Contact support at support@lambdatest.com or use 24/7 Chat Support

Additional Resources

• Comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide
• SmartUI CLI Documentation
• CircleCI Documentation
• Project Settings
• Running Your First Project