TestBox RUN IDE

The BoxLang-native browser IDE for discovering, running, and streaming your test results in real time.

TestBox RUN is a brand-new, BoxLang-native test runner and IDE shipped as part of TestBox 7. It is a fully-featured browser-based interface for discovering, running, and streaming your test results in real time — all powered by BoxLang and the new StreamingRunner SSE engine.

TestBox RUN — real-time streaming test results in the browser

TestBox RUN is BoxLang-only. It requires a running web server and a runner.bxm (or runner.bx) endpoint that supports the SSE streaming protocol. For pure CLI applications, use the BoxLang CLI runner with --stream instead.

What Is It?

TestBox RUN is a self-hosted single-page web app (bx/tests/index.bxm) that you drop into your BoxLang project and open in your browser. It communicates with your existing runner.bxm endpoint and streams spec results as they complete via Server-Sent Events. No build toolchain, no external service — just BoxLang.

Getting Started

TestBox RUN is included automatically with every TestBox 7 installation under bx/tests/. Point your web server at bx/tests/index.bxm and open it in your browser.

Every ColdBox application generated with the ColdBox CLI also includes TestBox RUN out of the box.

You can also scaffold a new test harness with TestBox RUN support using the TestBox CLI:

testbox generate harness --boxlang

URL Parameters

Every setting can be overridden via URL query parameters for quick CI integration or bookmarking specific runs:

/tests/?directory=tests.specs.integration&labels=slow&runnerUrl=/tests/runner.bxm

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Feature Highlights

Real-Time Streaming Test Tree

Results appear as each spec finishes — no waiting for the full suite

Results appear in the UI as each spec finishes. The test tree updates live — passing specs turn green ✅, failures show red ❌, and errors surface immediately with their full message — long before the suite finishes.

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Beautiful, Responsive UI

Both dark and light themes are supported

• Dark / Light theme toggle with preference persistence in localStorage

• Keyboard-first UX — see keyboard shortcuts below

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
⌘/Ctrl + K	Focus the search bar
Esc	Clear search
⌘/Ctrl + Enter	Run all tests
⌘/Ctrl + .	Reload / rediscover tests
⌘/Ctrl + ,	Open Settings
⌘/Ctrl + B	Toggle expand/collapse all bundles
⌘/Ctrl + D	Toggle dark/light mode
⌘/Ctrl + H	Open the About / Help dialog

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Live Search & Filtering

Instantly filter by bundle, suite, or spec name

A search bar at the top lets you instantly filter the test tree by bundle, suite, or spec name. Combined with the status filter chips (Passed / Failed / Errored / Skipped), you can zero in on exactly the tests you care about.

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Per-Bundle Run

Re-run a single bundle without rerunning the entire suite

Each bundle card has its own ▶ Run button so you can re-run a single bundle without triggering the full suite. A compact results strip beneath each bundle header shows pass/fail/error/skipped counts and total duration at a glance.

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Debug Buffer Panel

Per-bundle debug output captured during a run

Any output captured in the TestBox debug buffer during a run is surfaced in a collapsible per-bundle Debug Panel, accessible via the bug icon on the bundle strip. Each entry is rendered with its label and a formatted data view.

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Floating Progress Widget

Live progress during an active run

A floating progress widget appears during active runs, showing:

• Current bundle running

• Specs completed vs. total

• Animated progress bar with percentage

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Configurable Settings

Configure runner URL, directory, bundles, labels, and more

Click the gear icon (or ⌘/Ctrl + ,) to open the Settings modal, where you can configure:

• Runner URL (relative path or absolute HTTP/S)

• Directory and bundles pattern

• Recurse toggle

• Labels and excludes

All settings are saved in localStorage and applied on the next visit.

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Coming Soon: TestBox RUN Desktop App

We are actively working on a native desktop application version of TestBox RUN, built entirely on the BoxLang Desktop Runtime. The desktop app will connect to any web-accessible runner URL — local or remote — and provide the same real-time streaming UI without a browser.

Stay tuned at testbox.run for announcements, early access, and previews.