How Screenplay logic executes

A Screenplay is always begun by some consuming logic. That consuming logic might be a Test Integration if Screenplay is being used for automated tests. The consuming logic might alternatively be hand-written code if Screenplay is being used for process automation and not for testing.

The consuming logic

When using Screenplay for automated testing, the test integration library code takes care of all the responsibilities of the consuming logic; developers need only write their tests using Screenplay syntax. Each test/scenario corresponds to a Performance.

If Screenplay is not being used for testing, then the consuming logic has the following responsibilities for the use of Screenplay:

1. Create the Screenplay object using the Create method
2. Execute BeginScreenplay before starting the first Performance
3. Execute each performance, such as via ExecuteAsPerformanceAsync<TPerformance> or ExecuteAsPerformance, or one of their overloads
4. Execute CompleteScreenplay after the last Performance has completed

Performances & lifetimes

The logic of each Performance is executed within its own dependency injection scope. The lifetime of this DI scope is matched with the lifetime of the Performance.

The diagram below illustrates the information in this article. It shows how the consuming logic creates and uses a Screenplay object and how this relates to Performances, Actors and Performables.

sequenceDiagram
    accDescr {
        A single instance of Screenplay runs each Performance.
        Each Performance contains scripts for one or more Actors.
        Within the Performance, the Actor(s) perform one or more Performables.
        The lifetime of a single performance is shown, to illustrate the DI lifetime scope.
    }
    participant Consumer
    participant Screenplay
    Consumer->>Screenplay: Create
    activate Screenplay
    Screenplay-->>Consumer: Screenplay instance
    Consumer->>Screenplay: BeginScreenplay
    loop For each Performance
        Consumer-)Screenplay: Execute performance
        note over Performance: DI scope lifetime =<br>Performance lifetime
        Screenplay-)Performance: Runs
        actor A as Actor
        activate Performance
        Performance-)A: Contains scripts for<br>one or more
        A-)Performable: Performs one<br>or more
        Performable--)A: Complete
        A--)Performance: Complete
        Performance--)Screenplay: Complete
        Screenplay--)Consumer: Done
        deactivate Performance
    end
    Consumer->>Screenplay: CompleteScreenplay
    deactivate Screenplay