# Test a Sequence Use sequence testing to verify the appearance and behavior of your messages, as well as channel configuration, tag conditions, and conversion or cancellation events. You can send a sequence to a test audience according to your specified timing, then view versions of the [Performance Report](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence_performance) and message reports based on the test audience. You can also test individual messages in the sequence. ## Your test audience You can send a test to either a single [Named User](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#named_user) or to a [Test Group](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#preview_test_groups). * If you used tag conditions in your sequence, make sure you know which users in your test audience have which tags. * If you personalized messages using attributes, assign the relevant attributes to your test audience. * There may be a discrepancy between the number of intended recipients and the number of actual devices if members of the test audience have uninstalled. * Users in an active [Holdout Experiment](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#holdout_experiment) will not receive a test message. You can view a user's current holdout group status and history when [viewing their channel details in Contact Management](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/audience/contact-management/#viewing-channel-details). ## Test a sequence Follow these steps to test a sequence that has never been started, or started but never edited. > **Note:** The option to test a sequence is not available until the sequence is configured with the minimum requirements to start it. If you just created the sequence, you will already be on the *Manage* screen. Otherwise, first go to **Messages**, then **Messages Overview**, and then select the pencil icon ( ) for a sequence. Then: 1. Click **Test Run** in the leftside drawer. 1. Click **Set up a test run**. 1. Enter at least one named user or test group and select from the results. 1. Specify the amount of time you want between delivery of each message in your test sequence. 1. Click **Create test**. 1. Click **Start test** on the *Test* screen. You can repeat this step to restart the test. Now you can [evaluate the test](#evaluate). ### Test your changes after editing a sequence Follow these steps to test your changes after editing a started or paused sequence. If you just edited the sequence, you will already be on the *Manage* screen. Otherwise, first go to **Messages**, then **Messages Overview**, and then select the pencil icon ( ) for a sequence. Then: 1. Click **Test changes** next to the notice *You have unpublished changes.* 1. If you have created a test for this sequence before, click **Yes, create new test** to confirm deleting previous test data. 1. Enter at least one named user or test group and select from the results. 1. Specify the amount of time you want between delivery of each message in your test sequence. 1. Click **Create test**. 1. Click **Start test run**. You can repeat this step to restart the test. Now you can [evaluate the test](#evaluate). ## Test a message in a sequence Send a test message, then verify its appearance and behavior on each channel the message is configured for. The message is sent to your selected recipients immediately, and it appears as a test in [Messages Overview](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#messages_overview). Send a test from the *Review* step when composing a message: 1. Select **Send Test**.

  1. Under Test audience, enter at least one [Named User](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#named_user) or [Test Group](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#preview_test_groups) and select from the results. If your message includes email, you can also search for email addresses. If no matches appear for an address, you can select Create channel for <address>, and the channel will be registered for your project and opted in to transactional messaging.

    Users in an active [Holdout Experiment](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#holdout_experiment) will not receive a test message. You can view a user’s current holdout group status and history when viewing their channel details in Contact Management.

  2. (If your message contains [Handlebars](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#handlebars)) Under Personalization, select and configure a personalization data source:

    Data source Description Steps
    Test message recipient The message will be personalized using information associated with each test audience member. n/a
    Preview Data tool The message will be personalized using the data currently entered in the Preview Data tool. The same values will apply to all test message recipients. You can also manually edit the JSON. (Optional) Edit the JSON data.

  3. Select Send.

Send a test from the [Sequence Manager](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence_manager): 1. Go to **Messages**, then **Messages Overview**. 1. Select the pencil icon ( ) for a sequence. 1. Click for the message you want to test, and select *Send Test Message*. 1. Enter at least one named user or test group and select from the results. 1. Click **Send**. ## Evaluate a sequence test {#evaluate} Sequence tests are manually triggered, so the first message in the sequence is sent to every member of the test audience, then the audience is filtered by channel availability and tag conditions. After you start a sequence test, verify: * **Channels and tag conditions:** Were your messages received on intended channels and according to tag conditions you set? * **Conversion or cancellation events:** Were users funneled out of the sequence as expected? * **Message content:** Do your messages appear and behave as intended on each channel the message was configured for? * **Personalization:** Do messages personalized using [Handlebars](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#handlebars) make sense? * You cannot simulate a custom event in your test. Messages personalized using custom event properties will display their default values in your test messages. Any variable without a default value will instead appear empty. * **Performance:** Do the [Test report](#test-report) metrics represent your expected test results? ### View a sequence Test report {#test-report} A sequence's Test report is available after you [create and start a test](#test-a-sequence). It is identical to the [Performance Report](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence_performance), but the data is based on your test audience. 1. Go to **Messages**, then **Messages Overview**. 1. Select the pencil icon ( ) for a sequence. 1. Click **Test Run**, then **View test report**. 1. Click ** Report** to open an individual [message report](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/reports/message/). Previous Test report data is cleared when you create a new test.