university-of-denver/quicksilver-qa-prep

Prepare a non-live Pantheon environment for automated QA tests by enabling the testing module

1.0.0 2026-04-29 17:56 UTC

Requires

• composer/installers: ~1.0

MIT

Published on Packagist.org on 2026-04-29 20:24 UTC

README

This Quicksilver script automates the preparation of a Pantheon environment for running automated QA tests. It replaces a manual step that was previously run after every database clone:

1. Enable the du_functional_testing module – equivalent to:

   terminus drush "$SITE.$ENV" -- en du_functional_testing -y

The du_functional_testing module creates the qa_* test users and grants the role needed for local logins.

The script is triggered automatically by the Pantheon env:clone workflow (database clone), so no manual intervention is required after a sync.

Environment restriction: The script executes on any non-live Pantheon environment, including Multidevs. On live, it exits immediately without making changes.

Note: The du_functional_testing install hook is known to sometimes return a non-zero exit code. The script logs any such error and continues regardless, because the qa_* test users are still created even when the hook exits with an error.

This project was developed from a template for new Quicksilver projects to utilize so that Quicksilver scripts can be installed through Composer.

Original template: https://github.com/pantheon-quicksilver/quicksilver-template

Requirements

• PHP 8.0 or higher
• Composer
• Drupal 9+ site running on Pantheon with the du_functional_testing module available in the codebase

Installation

This project is designed to be included from a site's composer.json file, and placed in its appropriate installation directory by Composer Installers.

In order for this to work, you should have the following in your composer.json file:

{
  "require": {
    "composer/installers": "^1"
  },
  "extra": {
    "installer-paths": {
      "web/private/scripts/quicksilver/{$name}/": ["type:quicksilver-script"]
    }
  }
}

Then, install this package via Composer:

composer require university-of-denver/quicksilver-qa-prep:^1

Add to pantheon.yml

Choose the hooks that match when QA starts for your site. Pantheon's Quicksilver hook reference lists the supported workflows and where each hook runs.

Database clones

Use clone_database when QA follows a content sync, such as Live → Test, Test → Dev, or a database clone into a Multidev:

api_version: 1

workflows:
  clone_database:
    after:
      - type: webphp
        description: Prepare environment for QA tests
        script: private/scripts/quicksilver/quicksilver-qa-prep/qa-prep.php

This is the smallest recommended configuration for sites where every QA run starts with a database clone.

Autopilot

Autopilot applies updates in an isolated Multidev before running visual regression tests. Pantheon's documentation does not guarantee that Autopilot's internal environment clone invokes a site's clone_database hook, so do not rely on that hook alone for an Autopilot-triggered QA run.

For a separate QA workflow that starts after Autopilot VRT, add the explicit autopilot_vrt hook. Quicksilver scripts run sequentially, so list this script before the hook that starts the QA workflow:

api_version: 1

workflows:
  clone_database:
    after:
      - type: webphp
        description: Prepare environment for QA tests after a database clone
        script: private/scripts/quicksilver/quicksilver-qa-prep/qa-prep.php
  autopilot_vrt:
    after:
      - type: webphp
        description: Prepare environment for post-Autopilot QA tests
        script: private/scripts/quicksilver/quicksilver-qa-prep/qa-prep.php
      # Add the hook that starts the separate QA workflow after this entry.

The autopilot_vrt hook only supports the after stage. It prepares accounts for follow-on tests, not for Pantheon's VRT that just completed.

If accounts must exist before Autopilot VRT, add sync_code as an earlier preparation hook:

workflows:
  sync_code:
    after:
      - type: webphp
        description: Prepare environment for QA tests after a code sync
        script: private/scripts/quicksilver/quicksilver-qa-prep/qa-prep.php

Pantheon documents sync_code for Git pushes, upstream updates, Multidev merges, and automated workflows. On Integrated Composer sites it runs after build artifacts are deployed. Because it runs frequently, confirm in the site's workflow logs that it matches the intended Autopilot flow before adding it only for this purpose.

Other useful hooks

The script is safe to invoke repeatedly because enabling an already-enabled module is idempotent. Depending on the site's workflow, these hooks may also be useful:

Hook	Add it when
create_cloud_development_environment (after only)	A newly created Multidev must be ready for QA even when no separate database clone follows.
deploy	QA runs on Test after code is deployed without cloning the database. The script's environment guard makes a Live invocation a no-op.
sync_code	QA can follow a Git push, upstream update, Multidev merge, or automated code workflow. This hook runs frequently, so omit it if database-clone coverage is sufficient.

Do not use clear_cache as a general QA-preparation trigger; cache clears can happen often and do not indicate that a testable environment was created or updated.

What the script does

1. Runs drush en du_functional_testing -y to enable the functional testing module, which creates qa_* test user accounts and grants the role needed for local logins. Any errors from the install hook are logged but do not fail the workflow.

No Pantheon secrets are required.