Managing test automation inside a growing codebase often turns chaotic, with scattered scripts. Context-switching between tools also slows down a team and leaves room for errors.
According to the World Quality Report 2023–24, 56% of organizations acknowledge that their quality engineering processes are under-automated, leading to inefficiencies in development cycles.
That’s where the vStellar IntelliJ Plugin is designed as a full-featured automated software testing plugin. It centralizes your entire automation workflow inside IntelliJ IDEA. This plugin makes automated software testing more reliable and accessible for both developers and QA engineers.
Quick Installation and Smart Onboarding
Getting started is as simple as installing the vStellar Test Plugin from the IntelliJ Marketplace. Once added and the IDE is restarted, a pop-up guide automatically appears.
This guide covers essential components:
- Defining locators and service endpoints
- Writing test cases in .feature files
- Setting test parameters in json
- Tagging tests in runner files
Centralized Plugin Panel Inside IntelliJ
After setup, the vStellar icon appears in IntelliJ’s side toolbar. Clicking it opens a tool window where you can configure and run tests.
Core features include:
- Runner Dropdown: Lists all available runner files in the project
- Select Tags Field: Accepts tags like @Smoke, @Regression, with operators (AND, OR, ,)
- Browser Dropdown: Supports Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, and Internet Explorer
- Parameter Overrides: Any values set in the plugin temporarily override those in json for that test run only
Easy Runner File Creation
If no runner file exists, click “+ Add Runner File” from the plugin interface.
The popup allows you to define:
- Testing Type: UI/Web/API or Mobile
- Runner File Name: Alphabet-only (A–Z, a–z)
- Directory: Must be within the src/ folder (preferably a Runner subfolder)
- Tags: Logical combinations allowed (@Smoke AND @Sanity)
- Feature File: Choose one from the list; multiple feature files can be added later manually using absolute paths
- Click “Save and Add” to create and load the new runner. Click “Cancel” to discard.
Accurate Test Execution Controls
With the runner and tags selected:
- The plugin executes your tests with the specified configurations.
- Tags control which scenarios run.
- The selected browser is used during UI-based test execution.
- Config changes made through the plugin do not modify json; they apply only during the current test run.
Why Use the vStellar IntelliJ Plugin?
- No manual setup of runner files or directories
- Onboard quickly with step-by-step instructions
- Run tests directly from IntelliJ without switching tools
- Override parameters safely without touching shared files
- Tag-based execution and multi-browser support from a unified interface
Conclusion
Setting up and running automated tests can quickly become frustrating when you’re juggling config files and scattered test data across tools. That is why the vStellar IntelliJ Plugin helps with everything, such as runner creation, test tagging, or browser selection, all within the IDE.
If you are testing UI, API, or mobile apps, vStellar helps you focus less on setup and more on actual testing. Nowadays, QA teams are looking to move faster without sacrificing control, and this plugin is the right starting point.
