Build the Map

3 min read

Use Sync to build a first draft of your map from your test folders in one click, and re-run it later without losing your edits.

The map is a simple model of your app’s parts. Each item on it is a node — an area, a screen, a feature and so on. The draft Sync gives you is a starting point to rename and rearrange, not a finished map.

Run the First Sync

Open your project and select Atlas in the left navigation. The map is created the first time anyone opens it.
In the action rail (the column of buttons on the right edge of the page), select Sync in the Manage group.
Wait for it to finish. The page fills in when Sync is done.

What Sync does:

Each test folder becomes an item on the map, nested the same way your folders are.
A folder that has sub-folders becomes a Module; a folder with no sub-folders becomes a Feature. You can change the type afterwards.
Each item stays linked to its folder, so every test case in that folder (and its sub-folders) counts towards the item’s coverage.

Sync reads your test folders only. Requirements are not turned into items — you link a requirement to an item yourself from the inspector. See Link a requirement to a node.

If your folders are organised by test type or release (Regression, Smoke, Release 4), the map will be too. Rename and regroup items, or use Find gaps to bring in the real structure from your documents.

Re-syncing Keeps Your Edits

You can re-run Sync at any time. Your changes always win:

Anything you edited stays as you left it. Rename an item and Sync won’t rename it back.
Anything you didn’t touch follows the folder. Rename the folder and the item’s name updates.
An item you moved stays where you put it, even if its folder is somewhere else.
Items added from an AI suggestion are never changed by Sync.

An edited badge in the inspector shows which fields you’ve changed.

Deleted Items Stay Deleted

When you delete an item, Atlas remembers it. A later Sync will not bring it back, even if its folder still exists.

The same applies to merging: an item you merge into another is remembered as merged, so Sync won’t recreate it.

When a Folder Is Deleted

If someone deletes the folder behind an item, Atlas keeps the item and marks it with an orphaned badge. The number on the Sync button shows how many there are.

The folder is gone, but that part of the app may still exist. For each one, either keep it (it stays as an item you manage yourself) or delete it. To find them, open the filter in the Map view toolbar and choose Orphaned.

When to Re-sync

Sync when your structure changes, not on a timer:

After you add or reorganise test folders
Before a release review, so coverage reflects your current folders
When the number on the Sync button goes up — items whose folder was deleted need a decision

Sync changes the map for everyone in the project, so it needs the Atlas Edit permission.

Sync vs Reset

Don’t confuse Sync with Reset, next to it in the rail. Reset throws the whole map away and rebuilds it from your test folders — your edits, routes and journeys are lost. You have to type the map’s name to confirm.