The Test Automation feature allows you to test your automation email campaigns with real user data before enabling them for production. This ensures your emails look perfect, all placeholders work correctly, and content is error-free.
What is Test Automation?
Test Automation lets you:
- ✅ Send test emails with actual user data (balance, activity, dates)
- ✅ Preview emails with all placeholders replaced
- ✅ Test different email steps in your campaign
- ✅ Send to your own email or a user’s email
- ✅ Verify email formatting and content
- ✅ Debug issues without affecting real automation statistics
Important: Test emails are marked with 🧪 [TEST] in the subject line and logged separately, so they won’t affect your automation statistics or user tracking.
Prerequisites
Before you can test an automation:
- ✅ Automation must be saved (Test button only appears on edit page)
- ✅ At least one email step must be configured
- ✅ Users in your system must meet the automation criteria
Step-by-Step Testing Guide
Step 1: Access Test Automation
- Go to Admin Panel > Automation > Manage Automations
- Click Edit on the automation you want to test
- Click the Test Automation button (blue button in the footer)
- A modal window will open
Step 2: Select Email Step to Test
In the modal, select which email step you want to test from the dropdown:
For Inactive User Automation:
- “Step 1 (30 days)”
- “Step 2 (60 days)”
- “Step 3 (90 days)”
For New User Automation:
- “Step 1 (Day 1)”
- “Step 2 (Day 5)”
- “Step 3 (Day 7)”
This determines which email template and criteria will be used for testing.
Step 3: Select a User
After selecting an email step, the system will load eligible users who meet the automation criteria for that specific step.
The dropdown shows:
- Up to 50 eligible users
- Format:
Full Name (email@example.com) - Only users who would actually receive this email in production
If no users appear: Your automation criteria may be too restrictive, or no users currently meet the conditions. Try a different email step or adjust your automation rules.
Step 4: View User Context
Once you select a user, their actual data is displayed:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Username | User’s login name |
| Registered email address | |
| First Name / Last Name | From user profile |
| Balance | Current SMS or Wallet balance |
| Inactive Days | (Inactive User) Days since last activity |
| Last Message Date | (Inactive User) Date of last message |
| Registration Date | (New User) When user registered |
| Days Since Registration | (New User) Days since signup |
This shows you exactly what data will be used to replace placeholders.
Step 5: Choose Email Destination
Select where to send the test email:
Option A: User’s Registered Email
- Sends test email to the selected user’s actual email address
- ⚠️ The user will receive the email (but marked with 🧪 [TEST])
- Use when you want to test with the actual recipient
Option B: Custom Email
- Send test email to any email address you specify (e.g., your own email)
- Recommended for initial testing
- Allows you to review the email before sending to actual users
Step 6: Preview Email (Optional)
Click Preview Email to see:
- Email subject with all placeholders replaced
- Full HTML body with actual user data
This lets you review the final email content before sending.
Step 7: Send Test Email
- Click Send Test Email
- Confirm in the popup dialog
- Wait for success message: “Test email sent successfully!”
- Check your inbox for the test email
The email subject will have 🧪 [TEST] prefix, for example:
🧪 [TEST] We Miss You, John!Placeholder Reference
All placeholders are automatically replaced with real user data:
| Placeholder | Replaced With | Example |
|---|---|---|
{{USERNAME}} | User’s login username | johndoe |
{{EMAIL}} | User’s email address | john@example.com |
{{FIRSTNAME}} | User’s first name | John |
{{LASTNAME}} | User’s last name | Doe |
{{BALANCE}} | Current balance | 50.00 |
{{INACTIVEDAYS}} | Days inactive (Inactive User) | 45 |
{{LASTMESSAGEDATE}} | Last activity date (Inactive User) | Oct 01, 2025 |
{{REGISTRATIONDATE}} | Registration date (New User) | Oct 05, 2025 |
{{DAYSSINCEREGISTRATION}} | Days since signup (New User) | 6 |
Important Features
1. Test Emails Don’t Affect Statistics
- Marked with
executionType = 'TEST'in logs - NOT added to recipient tracking
- NOT counted in automation statistics
- Separate from production automation execution
2. Where to View Test Logs
Go to Automation > View Logs for your automation:
- Look for entries with Execution Type: TEST
- Shows who was tested, when, and delivery status
3. Multiple Tests Allowed
- No limit on test emails
- Test all email steps
- Test with different users
- Test as many times as needed
Troubleshooting
Issue: “No eligible users found”
Cause: No users currently meet the automation criteria for that step.
Solutions:
- Check if users exist who meet the inactivity period/day criteria
- Verify minimum balance requirement isn’t too high
- For Inactive User: Ensure some users have been inactive for the specified period
- For New User: Confirm users registered within the day range
- Try a different email step with less restrictive criteria
Issue: Test email not received
Solutions:
- Check spam/junk folder
- Wait 5-10 minutes (email delivery can be delayed)
- Verify email address is correct (no typos)
- Check email server configuration in system settings
- Review automation logs for error messages
Issue: Placeholders not replaced
Cause: User data missing or incorrect placeholder spelling.
Solutions:
- Ensure user has complete profile data (name, balance, etc.)
- Check placeholder spelling is exact (case-sensitive)
- Use correct placeholders for automation type
- Test with a different user who has complete data
Best Practices
Before Enabling Automation:
✅ Test all email steps – Don’t just test Step 1, test every step
✅ Test with multiple users – Different users may have different data
✅ Use custom email first – Send to yourself before sending to users
✅ Check on mobile – Forward test email to your phone
✅ Verify all placeholders – Ensure all {{PLACEHOLDERS}} are replaced
✅ Check HTML formatting – Links, images, line breaks
✅ Test different scenarios – High balance, low balance, different activity levels
Testing Workflow:
- Create automation with all email steps
- Save automation (don’t enable yet)
- Click Test Automation button
- Test Step 1 with custom email (your own)
- Review email in inbox
- Make adjustments if needed
- Test Step 2, 3, etc. with custom email
- Test final version with actual user email
- Enable automation only after all tests pass
When to Re-Test:
Re-test your automation when you:
- Modify email subject or content
- Change automation criteria (inactivity period, day intervals)
- Update execution rules (balance requirements, thresholds)
- Add or remove email steps
- Make changes to system email templates
Tips for Effective Testing
Test Multiple Scenarios:
Test with users who have:
- High balance vs low/zero balance
- Recent activity vs no activity
- Short names vs long names
- Different account types
Test Email Clients:
Send test emails to:
- Gmail
- Outlook/Office 365
- Yahoo Mail
- Mobile email apps
Use a Checklist:
- ☐ All placeholders replaced correctly
- ☐ Email subject is compelling
- ☐ HTML formatting displays properly
- ☐ Links work and open correctly
- ☐ Call-to-action is clear
- ☐ Mobile display is good
- ☐ No typos or grammatical errors
- ☐ Tested all email steps
- ☐ Tested with multiple users
- ☐ Email delivered successfully
Related Documentation
For more information, see:
- What is User Automation and How Does It Work?
- How to Set Up Inactive User Automation?
- How to Set Up New User Automation?
- What Are the Available Email Template Placeholders?
- How to View and Manage Automation Logs?
Need Help?
If you’re experiencing issues with Test Automation:
- Check System Logs: Admin Panel > System Logs
- Review Automation Logs: Automation > View Logs (filter by Type: TEST)
- Contact Support: Include automation ID, user ID, and error message
When contacting support, provide:
- Automation name and ID
- Email step you’re testing
- Selected user ID
- Error message (if any)
- Screenshot of the issue
Pro Tip: Always test with your own email first before sending to actual users. This allows you to perfect your email content, verify all placeholders work correctly, and ensure the email looks great across different email clients – all without confusing or spamming your users! 🚀