BaseConfiguration and appsettings

The BaseConfiguration class serves as the central configuration engine for Ocaramba. It leverages Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration to provide a unified, hierarchical access point for test settings defined in JSON files and environment variables OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs31-52 It abstracts the complexity of reading different configuration sections (like browser options, timeouts, and paths) and provides strongly-typed properties for the rest of the framework.

Configuration Architecture

Ocaramba uses a layered configuration approach. The BaseConfiguration class initializes a static IConfigurationRoot named Builder OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs49-52

Data Flow and Initialization

The configuration is built by loading files in the following order of precedence (later files override earlier ones):

1. appsettings.json: The default configuration file containing base values OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs50
2. appsettings.{Env}.json: Environment-specific overrides based on the ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT variable OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs44-51
3. Environment Variables: Can be used to inject values at runtime via the .NET configuration provider.

Configuration Mapping Diagram

This diagram shows how BaseConfiguration maps JSON keys to internal framework logic.

Configuration Mapping

Sources: OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs38-52 OcarambaLite/DriverContext.cs187

Supported Configuration Keys

The settings are primarily divided into the appSettings section for general framework behavior and browser-specific sections for driver-level customization.

Core Framework Settings (appSettings)

These keys reside under the "appSettings" node in the JSON files Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json2-39

Key	Description	Property in BaseConfiguration
browser	Target browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, RemoteWebDriver)	TestBrowser OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs65-83
protocol	Application protocol (http/https)	Protocol OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs132-143
host	Base domain for the application under test	Host OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs148-159
url	Full URL if host/protocol are not used	Url OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs164-175
longTimeout	Max wait time for long-running operations (seconds)	LongTimeout
mediumTimeout	Standard wait time (seconds)	MediumTimeout
shortTimeout	Quick check wait time (seconds)	ShortTimeout
ImplicitlyWaitMilliseconds	Selenium implicit wait setting	ImplicitlyWaitMilliseconds
SeleniumScreenShotEnabled	Global toggle for capturing screenshots on failure	SeleniumScreenShotEnabled
GetPageSourceEnabled	Global toggle for saving HTML source on failure	GetPageSourceEnabled
JavaScriptErrorLogging	Enables console error capture in Chrome	JavaScriptErrorLogging
JavaScriptErrorTypes	Comma-separated list of JS errors to monitor	JavaScriptErrorTypes Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json34

Sources: OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs65-175 Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json2-39

Driver Path and Executable Settings

These settings allow the framework to locate web drivers and browser binaries Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json7-13

• PathToChromeDriverDirectory: Directory containing chromedriver.exe Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json7
• ChromeBrowserExecutableLocation: Path to a specific Chrome binary Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json11
• PathToFirefoxProfile: Path to a custom Firefox profile directory OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs111-127
• PathToEdgeChromiumDriverDirectory: Path for Edge driver binaries Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json10

Platform-Specific Overrides (Linux)

Ocaramba supports cross-platform execution by utilizing the appsettings.Linux.json file. When the environment variable ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT is set to Linux, the framework loads this file to override Windows-specific paths and settings OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs44-52

Typical overrides in appsettings.Linux.json include:

• Headless Execution: Enabling -headless for Firefox or headless for Chrome/Edge Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.Linux.json41-62
• Docker/Linux Arguments: Adding no-sandbox and disable-dev-shm-usage for stable execution in containers Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.Linux.json49-50
• Linux Paths: Adjusting driver paths to match Linux filesystem structures (e.g., using / instead of \) Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.Linux.json34-36

Environment Selection Logic

Sources: OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs44-52 Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.Linux.json1-63

Advanced Driver Configuration

Beyond simple key-value pairs, BaseConfiguration handles complex objects for browser customization.

Browser Arguments and Preferences

The framework reads sections for specific browsers to inject arguments into DriverOptions Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json41-56

• Arguments: Command-line switches (e.g., headless, no-sandbox) Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.Linux.json47-52
• Preferences: Browser-specific settings (e.g., profile.password_manager_enabled: false) Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json50-54
• Extensions: Paths to extensions to be loaded during browser startup Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json45

Remote Execution

When browser is set to RemoteWebDriver, the framework uses the following keys:

• RemoteWebDriverHub: The URL of the Selenium Grid or Cloud provider (e.g., http://localhost:4444/wd/hub) Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json18
• DriverCapabilities: Defines the set of capabilities or the browser name to request from the remote hub Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json20
• environments: In cloud provider scenarios (like SauceLabs or BrowserStack), this section defines parallel execution targets such as ChromeWindows or FirefoxWindows Ocaramba.Tests.CloudProviderCrossBrowser/appsettings.Linux.json41-61

Extending Configuration

To add custom settings for a specific project:

1. Add the key to the appSettings section of appsettings.json.
2. Access the value via the static Builder property in BaseConfiguration OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs49-52

Example of framework internal access:

Internal Data Flow

Sources: OcarambaLite/DriverContext.cs101-102 OcarambaLite/BaseConfiguration.cs38-52 Ocaramba.Tests.NUnit/appsettings.json29