Atlas Overview
4 min read
Atlas helps you know what to retest when something changes, and see which parts of your app have no tests.
It does this with a map: a simple model of your app’s parts and how they connect. You build it once from your test folders, then keep it tidy. On top of the map you get impact analysis (what to retest), coverage (where tests are missing) and journeys (are end-to-end tasks covered).
Where to Start
Section titled “Where to Start”Open Atlas in the left navigation of your project. Each project has one map, created the first time anyone opens Atlas.
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Sync. In the action rail on the right, select Sync. Each test folder becomes an item on the map. See Build the map.
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Fill the gaps from Canon. If you have Canon documents, select Find gaps (the sparkle button in the rail’s Discover group) and add the screens and features your folders never named. See Propose a map from Canon.
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Tidy the names. Rename items so a tester recognises them — Password reset, not REG-2201. Delete the noise. See Nodes and routes.
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Draw the important dependency routes. Connect the parts that break together — for example, Checkout depends on Payment service. This is what makes impact analysis useful.
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Mark your critical journeys. Build the few end-to-end tasks whose failure would stop a release — sign-up, checkout, login — and set them to Critical. See Journeys.
You don’t need a perfect map — a synced map with sensible names, a handful of dependency routes and two or three critical journeys already gives useful answers.
What’s on the Map
Section titled “What’s on the Map”A node is one item on the map — an area, a screen, a feature and so on. Each node has a type:
| Type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Area | A top-level part of the app |
| Module | A grouping inside an area |
| Feature | Something a user can do |
| Screen | A page or view they do it on |
| Behaviour | One observable action or rule. Never has children |
| Integration | Another system your app connects to |
| State | A condition the app can be in |
| Note | Context that isn’t part of the app’s structure |
Items can be nested inside each other, and linked to test folders and requirements — that’s how Atlas knows which tests reach them.
Routes and journeys
Section titled “Routes and journeys”A route is a line between two items — either a user goes from A to B (navigation, e.g. cart to checkout) or A breaks if B changes (dependency, e.g. Checkout depends on Payment service).
A journey is an end-to-end task a user does, saved as an ordered list of map items: a new customer signs up, creates a project and adds their first test case.
Tree and Map Views
Section titled “Tree and Map Views”The switch in the Atlas header changes how the same map is shown:
- Tree (the default) — an indented list, like a folder tree. Best for reading and tidying.
- Map — boxes and lines. Use it to draw routes, arrange items, and search or filter.
The Action Rail
Section titled “The Action Rail”The action rail is the column of buttons on the right edge of the Atlas page. Hover a button to see its name. Buttons you don’t have permission for are not shown.
| Group | What’s in it |
|---|---|
| Discover | Ask Atlas to suggest items from your Canon documents (Find gaps once the map has items), suggest journeys from your test steps, and review a pending suggestion |
| Navigate | Open Journeys; on the Map view, find and filter items |
| Analyze | Recompute coverage; show where your folders, requirements and Canon disagree; on the Map view, show items connected by a shared test case or defect |
| Data | Export the map as JSON; download the current view as a picture |
| Manage | Add a node; Sync; Reset (throws the map away and rebuilds it from your test folders — your edits, routes and journeys are lost) |
Words You’ll See
Section titled “Words You’ll See”| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Inspector | The details panel that opens when you select an item |
| Health state | The coverage colour on an item — Healthy, Failing, Uncovered and so on. See Coverage |
| Tier | How urgent a retest is: Must retest, Should retest or Consider. See Impact analysis |
| Sync | Re-read your test folders into the map, keeping your edits |
Permissions
Section titled “Permissions”Atlas has four permissions, set per role in Roles:
| Permission | Allows |
|---|---|
View (view_atlas) | Open the map, read coverage, run impact analysis |
Create (create_atlas) | Add items, routes and journeys; apply suggestions from Canon |
Edit (edit_atlas) | Change the map, including Sync |
Delete (delete_atlas) | Delete items, routes and journeys, and reset the map |
Every project role can view the map. Changing it is limited because the whole project shares one map — that’s also why Sync counts as an edit.