flow.type

Introduction

flow.type is a Flow Command that enters text into an input field.

It is commonly used to populate forms, search boxes, login pages, registration screens, and any workflow that requires user input.

Like every Flowstride UI command, flow.type uses Flowstride's natural language locator engine instead of requiring CSS selectors or XPath expressions.

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Syntax

flow.type "<locator>" "<value>";

flow.type <element> "<locator>" "<value>";

flow.type "<locator>" <locator-modifier> "<value>";

flow.type < element > "<locator>" < locator - modifier > "<value>";

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Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
Element	Optional	Narrows the search to a specific Flow Element such as input or field.
Locator	✅	The text used to identify the input element.
Value	✅	The value to type into the element. This may be plain text, a Runtime Variable, Dynamic Variable, or Environment Variable.
Locator Modifier	Optional	Additional locator such as under, inside, near, leftOf, rightOf, above, below, or an index.

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Supported Flow Elements

flow.type supports every Flow Element recognised by the Flowstride parser.

Examples include:

• input
• field
• div
• span

See Flow Elements for the complete reference.

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Examples

Type plain text

flow.type "Email" "john@example.com";

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Type into an input

flow.type input "Email" "john@example.com";

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Type into a field

flow.type field "Password" "MySecurePassword";

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Type using an Environment Variable

flow.type "Email" "{{env.EMAIL}}";

flow.type "Password" "{{env.PASSWORD}}";

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Type using a Dynamic Variable

flow.type "Email" "$randomEmail";

flow.type "Username" "$randomUsername";

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Reuse a generated value

flow.type "Email" "$randomEmail";

flow.type "Confirm Email" "@randomEmail";

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Type using a relative locator

flow.type "input" under "Available Seats" "56";

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Complete Example

Feature: User Login

Scenario: Login successfully

Given "Open the login page"
  flow.open "/login";

When "Enter user credentials"
  flow.type "Email" "{{env.EMAIL}}";
  flow.type "Password" "{{env.PASSWORD}}";

When "Submit the form"
  flow.click button "Login";

Then "Verify login"
  flow.expect visible "Logout";

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Type using a Spatial Locator

Spatial Locators can also be used while entering data, allowing Flowstride to identify the correct input field when similar fields exist on the same page.

Feature: User Registration

Scenario: Enter an email address

Given "User opens the registration page"
  flow.open "/signup";

When "User enters an email address"
  flow.type input "Email Address" below "Personal Information" "$randomEmail";

Then "The email field contains the entered value"
  flow.expect input "Email Address" value "$randomEmail";

Supported Values

flow.type accepts any valid string value, including:

- Plain text
- Environment Variables (`{{env.*}}`)
- Runtime Variables (`@...`)
- Dynamic Variables (`$...`)
- Extracted values
- Generated values

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Common Use Cases

Use flow.type to:

• Fill login forms.
• Complete registration forms.
• Enter search terms.
• Populate profile information.
• Enter payment details.
• Fill checkout forms.

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Common Mistakes

Use the field label whenever possible

Prefer descriptive locators:

flow.type "Email" "john@example.com";

instead of generic locators unless necessary.

Reuse generated values when needed

If a generated value must appear more than once, reuse it instead of generating a new one.

flow.type "Email" "$randomEmail";

flow.type "Confirm Email" "@randomEmail";

Use flow.forceType only when necessary

flow.type performs a normal typing interaction.

If your application prevents standard typing, use flow.forceType instead.

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