> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.testdino.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Test Management Concepts

> Core terminology, field definitions, test steps, version history, and project-level customization settings.

<Callout icon="book-open" color="#3B82F6">
  **What you'll learn**

  * How test suites and test cases are structured
  * Core, classification, and automation fields on every test case
  * Classic vs Gherkin test step formats
  * How version history tracks and restores changes
  * How to customize dropdown values, feature toggles, and custom fields per project
</Callout>

This page defines the core building blocks of Test Management and the project-level settings that control them.

## Test Suites

A test suite is a folder that groups related test cases together. Suites can be nested to create a hierarchy (e.g., `API → Users → GET Endpoints`).

* Test cases can live inside a suite or remain unsorted until you assign them
* Suites have a **name**, **description**, and optional **parent suite**
* Drag-and-drop suites to reorder them in the [Suites view](/test-management/suites)

## Test Cases

A test case is a single test scenario with a unique Case ID (e.g., `TC-6838`). Each test case contains core fields, classification fields, automation fields, and metadata.

### Core fields

| Field           | Description                                                               |
| :-------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Title           | Short name describing the test (required)                                 |
| Description     | Detailed explanation of what the test does (up to 5,000 characters)       |
| Pre-conditions  | What must be true before the test runs                                    |
| Post-conditions | Expected system state after the test completes                            |
| Test Steps      | Ordered list of actions with expected results (Classic or Gherkin format) |

### Classification fields

| Field    | Values                                                                                                  |
| :------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Status   | Active, Draft, Deprecated                                                                               |
| Priority | Critical, High, Medium, Low, Not Set                                                                    |
| Severity | Blocker, Critical, Major, Normal, Minor, Trivial, Not Set                                               |
| Type     | Smoke, Regression, Functional, Integration, E2E, API, Unit, Performance, Security, Accessibility, Other |
| Layer    | E2E, API, Unit, Not Set                                                                                 |
| Behavior | Positive, Negative, Destructive, Not Set                                                                |

<Callout icon="circle-info" color="#3B82F6">
  **Note**

  All classification dropdown values can be customized per project. See [Test Case Settings](#test-case-settings) below.
</Callout>

### Automation fields

| Field             | Description                                                            |
| :---------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Automation Status | `Manual`, `Automated`, or `To Be Automated` (customizable per project) |
| To be automated   | Flag the case as a candidate for future automation                     |
| Is Flaky          | Mark the case as producing inconsistent results                        |
| Is Muted          | Hide the case from result rollups without deleting it                  |

Automation Status and the three flag fields work together: a case can be `Manual` and flagged `To be automated`, or `Automated` and flagged `Is Flaky` if the linked automated test fails intermittently. Flags are independent of status; set them as needed.

### Additional metadata

* **Tags** - Free-form labels (e.g., `api`, `smoke`, `regression`) for categorization and filtering. Tags appear as badges on the test case [Details Sheet](/test-management/test-cases/list-view#details-sheet) and can be used in [Bulk Actions](/test-management/bulk-actions) to add or remove tags across multiple test cases.
* **Custom Fields** - Project-specific fields configured in [Test Case Settings](#custom-fields) (text, number, textarea, dropdown, or checkbox)
* **Attachments** - Files attached to the test case

## Test Steps

Each test case has ordered steps in one of two formats.

| Format      | Structure                                                                          | Best For                     |
| :---------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------- |
| **Classic** | Each step has an **Action**, optional **Test Data**, and an **Expected Result**.   | Step-by-step test procedures |
| **Gherkin** | Each step uses a keyword (`Given`, `When`, `Then`, `And`, `But`) followed by text. | BDD-style scenarios          |

## Version History

Every change to a test case is tracked as a new version. The Versions tab on the [Details Sheet](/test-management/test-cases/list-view#details-sheet) shows:

* A timeline of all versions with who made each change and when
* A diff of what changed in each version (additions in green, removals in red)
* The ability to **compare** any two versions side-by-side
* The ability to **restore** a previous version

## Test Case Settings

Open from the **⚙ Test Case Settings** in the Test Cases header. The Test Case Settings page is organized into five tabs.

### Test Case Fields

Test Case Fields contains two sections: Classification and Automation. Each field shows its available values along with a visibility toggle. Enabled fields appear in the test case properties panel, while disabled fields remain hidden. You can also add, edit, or customize values based on your team's workflow.

#### Classification

Use classification fields to organize and categorize test cases.

| Field      | Type     | Example Values                                                          |
| :--------- | :------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Priority` | Dropdown | `critical`, `high`, `medium`, `low`, `not_set`                          |
| `Severity` | Dropdown | `blocker`, `critical`, `major`, `normal`, `minor`, `trivial`, `not_set` |
| `Type`     | Dropdown | `smoke`, `regression`, `functional`, `integration`, `e2e`               |
| `Behavior` | Dropdown | `positive`, `negative`, `destructive`, `not_set`                        |
| `Layer`    | Dropdown | `e2e`, `api`, `unit`, `not_set`                                         |
| `Status`   | Dropdown | `active`, `draft`, `deprecated`                                         |

<img src="https://testdinostr.blob.core.windows.net/docs/docs/testcase-management/Test%20Case%20Settings1.webp" alt="Test Case Fields tab showing Classification fields with values and visibility toggles" />

#### Automation

Use automation fields to track the automation state of a test case.

| Field               | Type     | Description                               |
| :------------------ | :------- | :---------------------------------------- |
| `Automation Status` | Dropdown | `manual`, `automated`, `to_be_automated`  |
| `To Be Automated`   | Checkbox | Marks the test case for future automation |
| `Is Flaky`          | Checkbox | Indicates the automated test is unstable  |
| `Is Muted`          | Checkbox | Indicates the automated test is muted     |

<img src="https://testdinostr.blob.core.windows.net/docs/docs/testcase-management/Test%20Case%20Setting2.webp" alt="Test Case Fields tab showing Automation fields with status dropdown and flag checkboxes" />

### Custom Fields

Create project-specific fields that appear on every test case in the [Details Sheet](/test-management/test-cases/list-view#details-sheet) sidebar under **Custom Fields**.

| Type     | Description                                             |
| :------- | :------------------------------------------------------ |
| Text     | Single-line text input                                  |
| Textarea | Multi-line text input                                   |
| Number   | Numeric values                                          |
| Dropdown | Select from predefined options (define the option list) |
| Checkbox | True/False toggle                                       |

Click **+ Add Field** to create a custom field. Set the field name, type, optional description, and whether it is required. For dropdown fields, define the list of selectable options. Drag to reorder custom fields. Deleting a custom field removes it and its values from all test cases.

<img src="https://testdinostr.blob.core.windows.net/docs/docs/testcase-management/testcase-setting-customfield.webp" alt="Custom Fields tab showing a list of custom fields with type badges and drag handles for reordering" />

### Releases

You can also customize the release types used by your team, such as `Sprint`, `Hotfix`, and `Patch`. See [Release Type Settings](/test-management/manual-testing/releases#release-type-settings) for details.

### Manual Runs

You can also customize result statuses, run states, environments, and tags. See [Manual Run Settings](/test-management/manual-testing/manual-runs#manual-run-settings) for details.

### Sessions

You can also customize session states, session types, and finding result statuses for exploratory testing. See [Session Settings](/test-management/manual-testing/sessions#session-settings) for details.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Suites" icon="folder-tree" href="/test-management/suites">
    Organize tests in a tree structure
  </Card>

  <Card title="Test Cases" icon="list" href="/test-management/test-cases/list-view">
    Search, sort, filter, and view full test case details
  </Card>

  <Card title="Manual Testing" icon="list-check" href="/test-management/manual-testing/overview">
    Releases, manual runs, and exploratory sessions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bulk Actions" icon="layer-group" href="/test-management/bulk-actions">
    Edit, delete, or print multiple test cases
  </Card>

  <Card title="Glossary" icon="book-a" href="/glossary">
    Definitions of TestDino and Playwright testing terms
  </Card>
</CardGroup>