Test Work Groups Overview
Test work groups provide an environment in HotDocs Advance where template authors can safely test templates before publishing them. These groups function like standard work groups but allow users to load unpublished template versions during interviews, enabling validation before a template version is made live.
Overview
Test work groups offer a controlled space for testing templates without affecting production work groups or live interviews. They are especially useful during development, testing or validation phases. When you create a work item in a test work group, the interview loads the most recent version of the template - even if that version is not yet live.
This allows authors to:
- Validate template changes in a realistic environment.
- Test interview behavior across different deployment methods.
- Ensure compatibility with custom integrations before release.
You can use test work groups without enabling template approval. However, it is strongly recommended to enable template approval to prevent unreviewed templates being made live.
Common Tasks
Among others, the test work group feature enables you to perform the following common tasks:
- Create a test work group
- Launch an interview for an unpublished template
Workflow
To use a test work group, you create a work group, enabling the Test work group setting. Then, create a work item in that group. When you launch the interview - whether from Advance, a client interview, a public link or a custom integration - it will load the most recently updated version of the template, even if that version is not currently live. This lets you test changes safely before making a template live. Once you are confident the template works as expected, assign it to a work group or quick group to make it available to users.
Test work groups are identified with [TEST] appended to their name.
How Interviews Load in Test Work Groups
When you launch an interview for a test work group, Advance loads the most recent version of the template available at that time - even if it hasn't been made live. This behavior applies whether you launch the interview from Advance, a client interview, public interview link or programmatically using the Advance API or a custom integration.
Once the interview is created, it locks in the template version. Any changes you make to the the template afterward will not affect that existing interview or work item.
To test a newer template version, you must create a new work item in the test work group.
Any work items or interviews created in a test work group are intended for testing purposes only.
Related Topics
Among others, the following reference topics may relate to this conceptual area: