Completed fields randomly clear when button pressed using automation (FitNesse or Ruby).

It sounds like you may not be saving the value in the field correctly. If you do not persist it to a variable (either a rule input or a local variable), then the field will be empty once you move focus away from the field. If you are unsure, can you attach the example SAIL where you are seeing this issue?

Hi Tom, It's a variable that FitNesse writes to the field. Usually it stays there when submit is pressed but not always. My thought is that Sail doesn't know the field is populated as no keypress is performed, though why the field is randomly cleared on a button press is a mystery to me.

That seems strange, especially if it is only showing this behavior some of the time. Can you attach the SAIL for the form so I can make sure there are no issues there?

Hi Tom,
Here's one of the forms:
a!formLayout(
label: "Perform reconciliation",
instructions: "Give application id in the text box and the application financial status will be changed to ""Payment settled"" in about 2 mins.",
firstColumnContents: {
a!textField(
label: "Application id",
instructions: "If application is 1507-1234 SDA, then enter 1234.",
labelPosition: "ADJACENT",
required: true(),
value: ri!int_applicationId,
saveInto: ri!int_applicationId,
refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
validations: {}
)
},
secondColumnContents: {
a!textField(
label: "",
labelPosition: "ADJACENT",
value: "",
readOnly: true(),
saveInto: ri!int_applicationId,
refreshAfter: "UNFOCUS",
validations: {}
)
},
buttons: a!buttonLayout(
primaryButtons: {
a!buttonWidgetSubmit(
label: "Submit",
style: "PRIMARY",
value: "Submit",
saveInto: ri!text_buttonAction
)
},
secondaryButtons: {
a!buttonWidgetSubmit(
label: "Cancel",
style: "NORMAL",
value: true,
saveInto: ri!text_buttonAction,
skipValidation: true
)
}
),
validations: {}
)

Can you confirm if you are seeing this issue for particular input values? Since the input name is prefixed "int_" I am assuming that the rule input is type integer. With that in mind, we would see behavior similar to what you described if a non-integer value was entered. Eg:
- Enter 12345 -> it persists
- Enter abcde -> it does not

This issue occurs for integer values but only integers are ever input. Note: These integers are grabbed via a regex which returns only ever integers. I have watched FitNesse input the integers and then watched them vanish and have an error message stating "the field should not be blank" returned due to it now being blank.

If we are inputting the same kinds of values it seems strange that it would work some times and not others. I'm no Fitnesse expert, so hopefully one of the other practitioners on Forum can comment here. I am wondering if there is some race condition here - can you test putting a sleep in after filling the value, before clicking submit? I agree this would not be ideal test design but may be informative as a troubleshooting step.

Thanks for the reply Tom. I don't actually think it's a FitNesse problem as the same issues are encountered when using Ruby for the automation. This leads me to believe it's a Sail/Appian issue.

That makes sense. I am wondering if you have seen the same issue when testing manually? If it is both FitNesse and Ruby but not manual testing, perhaps the issue is related to SAIL when the tests are automated only.

No, this issue has not been observed when performed manually.
My guess it's something to do with Sail not knowing the field has data (as the keyboard wasn't used) Rather it's more like copy/paste for data entry which Sail doesn't always detect. Note: I have a couple of times spotted the error occurring, so I quickly type the data in the field, click Submit and it goes fine from there.