Store Testing within SpringBoard
With so many factors available to you when setting up your products, it is important to run tests to make sure that the settings chosen work the way you expect. Store testing is often the best way to make sure the user experience is optimal; testing also confirms how SpringBoard notifies you of completed transactions. This article details how to use SpringBoard's store testing features, which can be found by going to SpringBoard's Store Home » Store Testing or by clicking on the wrench at the top of any SpringBoard screen. During testing, the fields (name, address, etc.) in the order form have pre-filled FastSpring information to allow you to test without entering in your own. When your store has been activated and you test using live links, these fields will appear blank (as they would to a customer).
Test Orders Using Default Options
Once you are in Store Testing, the Testings Links tab is selected. All of your products (including container pages and XML template pages) that are in Test Status or Active Status will be displayed. Based on the page linking option you will use to connect your website to your FastSpring store, you should select the appropriate testing link from the choices: Detail, Cart, or Short. Some of the page linking options require minor tweaks in Store Testing, as described below.
Appropriate Testing Link for Page Linking Options
Option 1: View Product Detail Page
Click on Detail to test your store.
Option 2: Add Products to Order and Checkout
Click on the Option Parameters tab. Under Option (option=...), type show_contents. Click on the Testing Links tab again and click on Detail to test your store. Ignore the first page that appears, which shows the details of your product, and click Order Now. This next page is where your testing from this linking option should begin.
Option 3: Short Order Process
Click on Short to test your store.
Option 4: Shopping Cart - Add Product to Order
Click on Cart to test your store. Ignore the first page that appears, which shows the details of your product, and click Add to Order. This next page is where your testing from this linking option should begin.
Option 5: Shopping Cart - View Product Detail Page
Click on Cart to test your store.
Test Orders Using Optional Parameters
You can add parameters to any product and test how it affects your order process. Click on the Optional Parameters tab and add the parameter(s) you want to test. Then, click on the Testing Links tab and click on the appropriate testing link. Your additional parameters will be incorporated into the test order you are running.
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Selecting the Simulate Embedded checkbox will show you what your FastSpring store will look like in your Embedded Web Store. Typically, the screen margins will be different and you may have a store style that is only designed to be used in your embedded web store. | |
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Test a specific coupon code, as though it were passed via a URL to automatically apply a coupon to an order, and see how it appears in the order process. | |
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Test a custom referrer that is often used to pass a value into the order process and then get it at the end, including requiring a previous license code to upgrade to a new version of a product. | |
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Test a date that defines the start of the next subscription period. This parameter allows you to define the length of a trial period more dynamically. If the date is today or in the past, the trial period will be ignored and the subscription will start with the regular period. The date cannot exceed the length of the trial period configuration. The format for this parameter field is yyyy-mm-dd. | |
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Selecting a country from the drop-down menu will display your FastSpring store as though you are a customer with an IP location in that country. | |
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Selecting a language from the drop-down menu will display parts of your FastSpring order process in another language as though you are a customer who speaks that language. While much of the order process is translated automatically, setup is required to translate email notifications, the static parts of your store (including a navigation menu, header, footer, logo, and images), and product descriptions. |
Testing Outside of SpringBoard
Once you have completed your store testing within SpringBoard, you should set up your website to link to your FastSpring store. You should then run additional test orders and they should begin on your website, where you will click a Buy Now or Add to Cart link for your product, and then you should continue through the FastSpring order process. Choose Test Payment as the payment option. You will see form fields next to Test Payment for Username and Password; enter the ones you use to log in to SpringBoard. You may need to close all browser windows and start with a fresh session to see changes to live links due to caching. For more information, see Store Testing Outside of SpringBoard.
We're Here to Help
Although the FastSpring support team cannot guarantee your store setup, if you would like us to assist you in the testing or answer questions about the process, please open a support ticket.