GitLab Pipeline Integration with SmartUI

A GitLab Pipeline automates building, testing, and deploying code changes. It's essential for rapid development, improved code quality, and faster delivery by catching errors early and reducing manual work.

This document will show you how to integrate GitLab Pipeline with SmartUI to shorten your test cycles.

Steps to Integrate GitLab Pipeline with SmartUI

To integrate GitLab 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: Setup your Projects in GitLab

• Click on the New Project > Run CI/CD for external repository.

• Enter your repository URL and click on Create Project.

Step 2: Create a New Workflow

• Navigate to the Build section > Pipelines.

• Select your required template for CI/CD workflow file. For the demo we are using the Test template.
• Now, write your workflow YAML file. Here is the sample file for your reference.
• Commit this yaml file in your repository and make the required changes in your code to automatically trigger the pipeline.

.gitlab-ci.yml

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View on GitHub

tip

You can also store your LT_USERNAME, LT_ACCESS_KEY and PROJECT_TOKEN as secrets in your GitLab project repository.

Step 3: 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 GitLab CI/CD Variables for all sensitive data
• 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:

only:
  - main
  - develop
  - merge_requests

Build Naming

Build Naming

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

Example:

variables:
  BUILD_NAME: MR-$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID-$CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA"

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 CI/CD variables

Possible Causes:

• Variables not created in GitLab project
• Variable names don't match
• Variables not accessible to pipeline

Solutions:

1. Verify variables exist in project settings:

   • Go to Settings → CI/CD → Variables
   • Check LT_USERNAME, LT_ACCESS_KEY, and PROJECT_TOKEN exist

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

3. Check variable scope (project, group, or instance level)

4. Verify variables are not protected if needed for protected branches

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 CI/CD variable
• Variable not passed to job
• Variable masked or protected incorrectly

Solutions:

1. Add PROJECT_TOKEN as GitLab CI/CD Variable

2. Pass variable to job:

   variables:
     PROJECT_TOKEN: $PROJECT_TOKEN

3. Check variable is not masked if you need to see it in logs

4. Verify variable scope includes your branch

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:

   after_script:
     - if [ $CI_JOB_STATUS == 'failed' ]; then cat job.log; fi

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:

   default:
     timeout: 1h

2. Run tests in parallel using parallel jobs:

   parallel:
     matrix:
       - TEST_GROUP: [1, 2, 3]

3. Optimize test execution

4. Split tests across multiple pipeline stages

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:

   image: node:18

2. Clear npm cache:

   before_script:
     - npm cache clean --force

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 available in image
• npm not available
• PATH issues

Solutions:

1. Ensure Node.js is available:

   image: node:18

2. Verify npm is available:

   before_script:
     - npm --version

3. Install SmartUI CLI explicitly:

   before_script:
     - npm install -g @lambdatest/smartui-cli

Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here:

• Review GitLab CI/CD 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

• SmartUI CLI Documentation
• GitLab CI/CD Documentation
• Project Settings
• Running Your First Project