Streaming Runner

Push test results to clients in real time via Server-Sent Events as each spec completes.

TestBox 7 introduces a brand-new StreamingRunner that pushes test results to the client as each spec completes via Server-Sent Events (SSE). You no longer have to wait for the entire suite to finish before seeing results — each spec result is streamed in real time. This opens up powerful workflows for CI pipelines, large test suites, and browser-based IDEs where immediate feedback is critical.

Spec results arrive in the terminal as each test completes

Where Streaming Is Used

The StreamingRunner is the engine behind two separate streaming experiences:

Consumer	How to activate
TestBox RUN IDE	Open bx/tests/index.bxm in your browser — streaming is always on
CommandBox CLI	testbox run --streaming
BoxLang CLI Runner	./testbox/run --stream

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Programmatic Usage

testbox.system.runners.StreamingRunner can be wired into any SSE-capable HTTP endpoint:

component {

    function streamTests( event, rc, prc ) {
        // Required SSE headers
        event.setHTTPHeader( name = "Content-Type",  value = "text/event-stream" );
        event.setHTTPHeader( name = "Cache-Control", value = "no-cache" );
        event.setHTTPHeader( name = "Connection",    value = "keep-alive" );

        new testbox.system.runners.StreamingRunner(
            bundles  = "tests.specs",
            options  = {},
            reporter = "text"
        ).run();
    }

}

BoxLang Example

In a BoxLang handler or script:

class {

    function streamTests( event, rc, prc ) {
        event.setHTTPHeader( name = "Content-Type",  value = "text/event-stream" )
        event.setHTTPHeader( name = "Cache-Control", value = "no-cache" )

        new testbox.system.runners.StreamingRunner(
            bundles = "tests.specs",
            options = {}
        ).run()
    }

}

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CLI Streaming

CommandBox (testbox run --streaming)

testbox run --streaming

# Include all passing specs in the live feed
testbox run --streaming --verbose

BoxLang CLI (./testbox/run --stream)

./testbox/run --stream
./testbox/run --directory=tests.specs --stream

See the BoxLang CLI Runner for the full set of output-control options (--show-failed-only, --stacktrace, etc.) that work alongside --stream.

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SSE Event Format

Each spec result is emitted as an SSE event with the following structure:

event: spec
data: {"name":"it should do something","status":"pass","durationMs":12,"suitePath":"My Suite > My Sub Suite"}

event: spec
data: {"name":"it should fail","status":"fail","durationMs":5,"message":"Expected true to be false"}

event: done
data: {"totalPass":42,"totalFail":1,"totalError":0,"totalSkipped":3,"totalDuration":1402}

Event types:

Event	Description
bundle-start	A new bundle begins execution
bundle-end	A bundle has finished; includes bundle-level stats
suite-start	A suite begins
suite-end	A suite completes
spec	A single spec result (pass/fail/error/skipped)
done	Full run complete; includes aggregate stats

The SSE format is consumed natively by the TestBox RUN IDE and by the streaming renderers in both CLI runners. You can also consume it from any SSE-capable HTTP client.