Document Generation Steps

How to generate TXT, CSV, and Excel files during test execution for file upload, import, export, and document-dependent workflows.

Quick answer

Add a Document step when a test must create a file before uploading or validating it. Choose txt, csv, or excel, provide a file name and output variable, map each field to a static value, variable, expression, or reference, and use the output variable in the later upload step. Choose excel with an .xlsx name for workbook-based import flows.

Who is this for? Testers and SDETs who need to generate TXT, CSV, or Excel files dynamically during test execution for use in file upload, import, or data processing workflows.

Document generation steps create files during test runtime with configurable content. Use them when your test needs to upload a file with specific data, verify an import workflow with known values, or test document processing features with controlled inputs.

Prerequisites

• You have created or opened a test case.
• You are familiar with the Test Steps Editor basics.

---

Adding a document generation step

1. Open a test case and click Add Step.
2. In the step builder sidebar, select Document.
3. Configure the document type, file name, and data mappings.
4. Click Create Step to add the step to your test case.

---

Fields

Field	Required	Description
Document Type	Yes	The file format to generate: txt, csv, or excel (an Excel workbook).
Output Variable	Yes	The variable name that stores the generated file reference. Default: Input.
File Name	Yes	The name of the generated file (e.g., test-data.csv).

TXT-specific fields

Field	Description
Separator	The string used to separate values within the file.
File Format Header	Header content written at the top of the file.

CSV-specific fields

Field	Description
Delimiter	The character used to separate columns: Comma (,), Semicolon (;), Tab, or Pipe (`

Excel-specific behavior

Select excel when the application requires a spreadsheet workbook rather than delimited text. Define the column names and values with the same data-mapping rows used for CSV. Use an .xlsx file name, such as users-import.xlsx, so the generated artifact is easy to identify in later upload steps and run results.

Template source

You can populate the document from a template or define content from scratch:

Option	Description
Create New	Define a new template with a name and description. The template is saved for reuse.
Existing	Select a previously saved template by ID.
Upload	Upload a template file to use as the base.

Data mappings

Each mapping row defines a column or field in the generated file:

Field	Description
Key	The column or field name.
Value Type	How the value is sourced: Variable, Static, Expression, Reference, or Text (legacy alias for Static).
Value	The actual value or variable reference (e.g., ${testEmail} for Variable type, or John Doe for Static type).

---

Example: Generate a CSV for bulk import testing

Step 1 (Document Generation):
  Document Type: csv
  File Name: users-import.csv
  Delimiter: Comma
  Template Source: Create New
  Mappings:
    | Key       | Value Type | Value              |
    | email     | Variable   | ${testEmail}       |
    | firstName | Static     | Test               |
    | lastName  | Static     | User               |
    | role      | Static     | viewer             |

Step 2 (AI Agent): Click the Import Users button
Step 3 (AI Agent): Upload the file ${Input} to the file upload area
Step 4 (AI Verification): Verify the import success message is displayed

---

Example: Generate a TXT configuration file

Step 1 (Document Generation):
  Document Type: txt
  File Name: config.txt
  Separator: =
  Output Variable: configFile
  Mappings:
    | Key       | Value Type | Value                   |
    | host      | Variable   | ${ENV.APP_HOST}         |
    | port      | Static     | 8080                    |
    | debug     | Static     | true                    |

Step 2 (AI Agent): Upload ${configFile} to the Configuration Upload field
Step 3 (AI Verification): Verify the configuration was applied successfully

---

Example: Generate an Excel workbook for an import flow

Step 1 (Document Generation):
  Document Type: excel
  File Name: users-import.xlsx
  Output Variable: importWorkbook
  Mappings:
    | Key       | Value Type | Value              |
    | email     | Variable   | ${testEmail}       |
    | firstName | Static     | Test               |
    | role      | Static     | viewer             |

Step 2 (AI Agent): Upload ${importWorkbook} to the spreadsheet import field
Step 3 (AI Verification): Verify the imported user appears in the preview

---

Advanced settings

Setting	Description
Skip Step	Skip this step during execution without removing it from the test case.
Mark as Optional	If enabled, a failure on this step does not fail the overall test case.

---

Tips & best practices

• Use Variable value types to make generated documents dynamic. Reference test data profile columns or environment variables so the file content changes per test run.
• Save templates for reuse. If multiple test cases need the same file structure with different data, create a template once and select it with the Existing option in subsequent steps.
• Reference the output variable in later AI Agent steps to upload the generated file. The variable holds the file reference that the upload step uses.
• Match the file format to what your application expects. If the import feature requires semicolon-delimited CSV, set the delimiter to Semicolon. If it validates workbook uploads, choose excel and use an .xlsx file name.

Troubleshooting

The uploaded file is rejected by the application Check that the document type, delimiter, and column names match the format your application expects. Generate the file, download it from the execution report artifacts, and inspect its contents.

Variable values are not substituted in the file Verify the variable name syntax (${variableName}) and that the referenced variable is set by an earlier step. Variable names are case-sensitive.

Template not found If using the Existing template option, confirm the template was saved in the same workspace. Templates are scoped to the workspace version.

Related pages

• Test Steps Editor
• Test Data Management
• Creating Test Cases

70% less manual test maintenance with AI self-healing. Book a Demo → — See ContextQA create and maintain tests for your web application.