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Test Gatekeeper

Learn how to simulate the experience of other Gatekeeper users by creating a test user account.

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Estimated Read Time: 4 Minutes

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Introduction

When configuring Gatekeeper - whether setting user permissions or designing workflows - it's often helpful to test the system from different user perspectives. This helps to ensure that permissions, workflows, and notifications behave as expected for different user roles. This could include scenarios such as:

  • Submitting workflow forms or completing approvals
  • Receiving workflow notification emails
  • Browsing the repository or portals as various user types

The simplest way to do this is by using Gatekeeper’s Unlimited User pricing model to create dummy accounts for the roles you want to test.

Note: When creating a user account for testing purposes, a unique email address is required - it cannot be in use for any other Gatekeeper user.

Create a Unique Email Address

There are several ways to get a unique email address for testing purposes. Note that you require access to the email inbox for testing purposes. 

Use an Alternative Email

Your main Gatekeeper login will likely be that of your organisation. Therefore, to test Gatekeeper from another user's perspective, you could create a user account with an alternative email (e.g. your personal email account).

Use the + Method in Google Workspace

For Google Workspace accounts, you can create unlimited email aliases by adding + followed by any text to your email address.

Google ignores the +[text] portion, but Gatekeeper treats it as a unique address.

This means all notifications will still be delivered to your primary inbox, while Gatekeeper recognises each alias as a separate user account. 

For example, if your email is johnsmith@gmail.com:

  • johnsmith+collaborator@gmail.com can be used to test as a low-level collaborator

  • johnsmith+employeeportal@gmail.com can be used to test as an Employee Portal Only user

Note: This method only works if Email + Password login is enabled in your Gatekeeper tenant. If your account is restricted to SSO-only access, you won’t be able to use this method.

Create Email Aliases

If you have administrator control over your email account, you may be able to create aliases for your email address. The steps for doing this will depend on the system your organisation uses:

Every address you add as an alias will be able to receive mail and direct it to your inbox, but can be used as a separate login for Gatekeeper.

Note: Your company's IT department may manage this so please contact them if you cannot do it yourself.

Use a Temporary Inbox

There are some online services which can create temporary custom inboxes for free. These generally last for a short duration of time. 

Note: Your company's IT department may have a block on using this sort of service. Please check your IT policies and seek the necessary approval when using this method.

 

Test Gatekeeper Features

After selecting a unique email address for a test user account, it can be used to add a new user. Ensure the Invite to Gatekeeper checkbox is selected to trigger an activation email for the account.

💡Pro Tip: Naming a user after their Role makes it easier to identify them while testing. For example, using names like Larry Legal, Victor Vendor, and Connie Contract Manager is clearer than assigning identical names such as John Smith.

Gatekeeper does not support multiple simultaneous logins in the same browser. Logging in as a second user will automatically sign out the first. Therefore, it's recommended to use a different browser or incognito/private mode during testing. See Minimum System Requirements (Supported Web Browsers) for a list of compatible web browsers.

Once you have created the test user and have access to Gatekeeper, you can then test the processes which involve user input, such as:

  • Receiving a workflow notification email
  • Reviewing/accessing a workflow form
  • Submitting a form on a workflow
  • Messaging other users

You can also verify that the roles and permissions are working as expected, and the user has access to the correct records. 

💡Pro Tip: To avoid clutter and confusion when managing or messaging real users, test accounts should be archived or revoked once they’re no longer needed. For guidance, refer to Dealing with Movers and Leavers (Archiving Users).