TestRail YAML Connection Credentials

Use a TestRail YAML Connection Credentials file to provide TestRail credentials and related settings when executing a compiled Ranorex test suite. This article explains how to pass the file at execution time, how priority resolution works, and provides ready-to-use examples for common CI/CD systems.

TestRail YAML Connection Credentials with -tryamlfile

The -tryamlfile command-line parameter allows you to specify a custom YAML configuration file at runtime when executing your compiled Ranorex test suite. This is particularly useful for:

CI/CD Pipelines: Different configuration files for different environments
Portable Executables: Configuration files separate from the executable
Team Collaboration: Each team member can have their own configuration
Security: Keep sensitive credentials outside the project directory

Priority Order

Before you choose how to configure credentials, it helps to understand how Ranorex resolves them at runtime. When executing a test suite, TestRail credentials are loaded in this priority order:

-tryamlfile parameter (HIGHEST PRIORITY) - TestRail YAML Connection Credentials
Auto-sync configuration - Studio-configured settings with Windows Credential Manager

Usage

This section shows basic invocation patterns and how to combine the parameter with other common execution options, such as run configurations and reporting.

Basic Syntax

# Using full parameter name
MyTestSuite.exe -tryamlfile="C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Ranorex\RanorexStudio Projects\<solution-name>\TestRail.yaml”

With Other Parameters

# Combine with run configuration
MyTestSuite.exe -runconfig:"Release" -tryamlfile="C:\configs\prod-testrail.yaml"

# Combine with report settings
MyTestSuite.exe -reportfile:"results.rxlog" -tryamlfile=".\testrail.yaml"

Use the examples below as a starting point for your configuration.

Complete Example

credentials:
  use_environment_variables: false
  url: https://yourcompany.testrail.io/
  username: api-user@example.com
  password: your_api_key_here
project_id: 10
test_suite_id: 17
test_case_id: 34
automatic_sync_enabled: true
proxy:
  enabled: false
  use_environment_variables: true
  address: TESTRAIL_PROXY_ADDRESS
  username: TESTRAIL_PROXY_USERNAME
  password: TESTRAIL_PROXY_PASSWORD
  bypass_on_local: true

Using Environment Variables

Use this variant when you want to avoid storing credentials in files.

credentials:
  use_environment_variables: true
  url: TESTRAIL_URL
  username: TESTRAIL_USERNAME
  password: TESTRAIL_PASSWORD
project_id: 10
test_suite_id: 17
automatic_sync_enabled: true

Then set environment variables before running:

# PowerShell
$env:TESTRAIL_URL = "https://yourcompany.testrail.io/"
$env:TESTRAIL_USERNAME = "api-user@example.com"
$env:TESTRAIL_PASSWORD = "your_api_key"


# Run test
.\MyTestSuite.exe -tryamlfile="config.yaml"


# Bash/Linux
export TESTRAIL_URL="https://yourcompany.testrail.io/"
export TESTRAIL_USERNAME="api-user@example.com"
export TESTRAIL_PASSWORD="your_api_key"


# Run test
./MyTestSuite.exe -tryamlfile="config.yaml"

Path Resolution

You can pass either absolute or relative paths. UNC paths are supported for shared locations.

The -tryamlfile parameter supports:

Absolute paths: C:\configs\testrail.yaml
Relative paths: .\configs\testrail.yaml (relative to executable location)
UNC paths: \\server\share\configs\testrail.yaml

Security Best Practices

Follow these recommendations to keep credentials secure and maintain clean version control practices.

1. Use Environment Variables in CI/CD

credentials:
  use_environment_variables: true  # Recommended for CI/CD
  url: TESTRAIL_URL
  username: TESTRAIL_USERNAME
  password: TESTRAIL_PASSWORD

2. Protect Configuration Files

Add *.yaml to .gitignore to avoid committing credentials
Use CI/CD secrets for environment variables
Set appropriate file permissions (read-only for execution user)

3. Template Configuration

Provide a template without credentials:

testrail-config.template.yaml:

credentials:
  use_environment_variables: true
  url: TESTRAIL_URL  # Set via environment variable
  username: TESTRAIL_USERNAME  # Set via environment variable
  password: TESTRAIL_PASSWORD  # Set via environment variable
project_id: 10  # Update with your project ID
test_suite_id: 17  # Update with your test suite ID
automatic_sync_enabled: true

Troubleshooting

If your configuration is not being applied or credentials are not resolved, work through the checks below:

Configuration Not Loaded

Check 1: File Path

# Verify file exists
Test-Path "C:\configs\testrail.yaml"

Check 2: YAML Syntax

Ensure proper indentation (use spaces, not tabs)
Validate YAML format using online validators

Check 3: Environment Variables

# Check if environment variables are set
Get-ChildItem Env: | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "TESTRAIL_*" }

Command-Line Parameter Reference

Use this quick reference when adding parameters to your execution commands.

Parameter	Description
`-tryamlfile`	Path to TestRail YAML Connection Credentials

Example:

MyTestSuite.exe -tryamlfile="C:\config\testrail.yaml"

Notes

The -tryamlfile parameter has absolute priority over all other credential sources
Studio configuration (auto-sync) is used as a fallback if YAML file is not specified or fails to load
The YAML file is only used at runtime - Studio still uses its own configuration
All fields in the YAML file (project_id, test_suite_id, etc.) are loaded, but only credentials are currently used for runtime execution