Testing Supplier Portal

This article will describe the process for being able to test the Supplier Portal.

Logging in as a Supplier User is a key aspect of testing how workflow interactions will take place between them and users of the Gatekeeper application.
Here we will quickly show how to add a dummy supplier user for testing purposes

Points to note

When adding the supplier user, it will need to be a unique email address. i.e. it cannot have been used for another user within Gatekeeper
When logging in as this supplier, it is wise to use a different browser since Gatekeeper will only allow one user to be logged in at a time per session (incognito/private mode can also be used for this)

Methods for getting a unique email account

There are several ways to get a usable unique email address for testing purposes.

The email+ address

This simplest method is to set a supplier up with your email address using the '+' character followed by some more text to distinguish the account:

All emails sent to the address with a +someText will be directed to the main inbox.
For instance, in the above example, all emails sent to john.smith+TestSupplier@gatekeeperhq.com will be received by john.smith@gatekeeperhq.com

Email Aliases

If you have admin control over your email account, you can create some aliases for your email address.
In Gmail, these can be found at

Google Account > Personal Info > Contact Info > Email > Alternative emails

Every address you add here will be able to receive mail and direct it to your inbox

Your company's IT department may manage this so please get in contact with them if you cannot do it yourself

Temporary inboxes

There are some online services which can create temporary custom inboxes for free
One such service is mailinator.com

After typing a string into their "Check any Inbox!" text box, you will have an inbox with the address [your string]@mailinator.com created for 24 hours:

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

Logging in

Once you have your new unique email address, you can use it to sign up a supplier user and "Invite to Gatekeeper" will allow you to log in with their invitation email

See this article for the full instructions on creating supplier users

Aspects you can test

Once you have created your Supplier login and have accessed the Portal, you can then test the processes which will involve their interaction, such as:

Reviewing/accessing a workflow form
Receiving a workflow notification email
Submitting a form on a workflow