Keys

User Keys in PLT Test Plans are dynamic placeholders for storing and reusing values during test execution. These values can be set in the test plan, or extracted from command outputs.

Set Key

The define command can be used to assign assign a value to a key. These values are stored as strings and can be referenced in commands.

PLT Test Plan: Define Keys
title: "Define Keys Example"
suite:
- ident: DEFINE-KEYS
  steps:
  # Define two keys with initial values
  - command: define RETVAL 5
  - command: define MSG "Hello!"

Commands

Extracting Keys

Most commands support extracting the test value result in a key, by specifying name of the key as the value of an extractKey: field.

Example: Measurement

PLT Test Plan: : Measure Voltage and Store in Key
title: "Measure Voltage and Store in Key"
suite:
- ident: MEASURE-EXTRACT
  steps:
  - command: measure voltageDMM DATP01 3.25-3.35V
    extractKey: VOLTAGE

In this case, the voltage measurement result is stored in the VOLTAGE key.

Example: UART Interaction

PLT Test Plan: Capture UART Data in Key
title: "Capture UART Data in Key"
suite:
- ident: UART-EXTRACT
  steps:
  - command: uart UART0
    send: "AT+ICCID\r\n"
    expect: "+CCID:"
    extract: "CCID: (\\d{20})\r\n"
    extractKey: ICCID

In this example, the ICCID from the UART response is extracted and stored in the ICCID key.

Commands

Referencing Keys

Once set, keys can be referenced in other commands by using %KEYNAME%. This substitutes the key’s value as a string before the command is executed.

Example: Using %KEYNAME% in Commands

PLT Test Plan: Use Key in String Substitution
title: "Use Key in String Substitution"
suite:
- ident: USE-STRING-KEY
  steps:
  - command: define MSG "Hello!"
  - command: operator %MSG%
  - command: eval "%RETVAL% == '5'"

In this example:

  • The %MSG% key is replaced by "Hello!" in the operator command.

  • The eval command substitutes %RETVAL% with "5" and performs a string comparison.

PLT Test Plan: Keys as Signal Aliases
title: "Keys as Signal Aliases"
suite:
- ident: ICT-T0
  title: "Set variables"
  steps:
  - command: define probe.VBUS DATP01
- ident: ICT-T1
  title: "Measure VBUS"
  steps:
  - command: measure voltageDMM %probe.VBUS% 3.25-3.35V

All keys are included when making a webhook request.

PLT Test Plan: Keys with Webhook
title: "Keys with Webhook"
suite:
- ident: ICT-T0
  title: "Set variables"
  steps:
  - command: define work_order 1011X02
- ident: ICT-T1
  title: "Invoke webhook with work_order key"
  steps:
  - command: webhook request

Commands

Evaluating Keys

The eval command allows keys to be referenced directly as their underlying object. This means keys are accessed as numbers, strings, or measurements, depending on their content, without needing %.

PLT Test Plan: Use Key in Numeric Evaluation
title: "Use Key in Numeric Evaluation"
suite:
- ident: USE-NUMERIC-KEY
  steps:
  - command: define RETVAL 5
  - command: eval "numeric(RETVAL) > 3"

In this example:

  • The RETVAL key is set to the string "5", but inside the eval command, it is treated as a numeric value using the numeric() function.

  • The eval command directly accesses the key without %, allowing the comparison as a number (5 > 3).

If %RETVAL% were used, it would expand the key as a string, which would be inappropriate for numeric comparisons.

Example: Using %KEYNAME% in eval for String Substitution

PLT Test Plan: Use Key for String Substitution in Eval
title: "Use Key for String Substitution in Eval"
suite:
- ident: USE-STRING-EVAL
  steps:
  - command: define RETVAL 0
  - command: eval "%RETVAL% == '0'"

Here, %RETVAL% is substituted with the string "0", and the comparison is performed between two strings.

PLT Test Plan: Evaluate Expressions
title: "Evaluate Expressions"
suite:
- title: "Eval"
  steps:
  - command: define test "AC1D"
  - command: eval "test != 'FOOBAR'"
  - command: eval "test == 'AC1D'"
  - command: define ONE 1
  - command: eval "numeric(ONE)+2"
    extractKey: SUM
  - command: eval "SUM == 3"

Commands

Evaluating Measurements

Since measurement values stored in a key include the unit, the numeric(..) function can be used within expressions to cast the measurement result stored in a key, into a specific unit.

PLT Test Plan: Evaluate Measurement
title: "Evaluate Measurement"
suite:
- title: "Evaluate Measurement"
  steps:
  - command: measure voltageDATP08 <4V
    extractKey: VOLTAGE
  - command: eval "(numeric(VOLTAGE, 'mV')) < 4000"

Commands

See also