{
  "$schema": "https://json-structure.org/meta/core/v0/#",
  "$id": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/test-cases/refs/heads/main/json-structure/test-cases-test-case-structure.json",
  "name": "TestCase",
  "description": "A structured test scenario that defines inputs, execution steps, and expected results to verify software functionality.",
  "properties": {
    "id": {
      "description": "Unique identifier for the test case.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "title": {
      "description": "Short descriptive title for the test case.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "description": {
      "description": "Detailed description of what the test case verifies.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "status": {
      "enum": [
        "draft",
        "active",
        "deprecated",
        "archived"
      ],
      "description": "Current lifecycle status of the test case.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "priority": {
      "enum": [
        "critical",
        "high",
        "medium",
        "low"
      ],
      "description": "Priority level of the test case for execution ordering.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "type": {
      "enum": [
        "functional",
        "regression",
        "smoke",
        "acceptance",
        "integration",
        "performance",
        "security",
        "usability"
      ],
      "description": "Category of testing performed by this test case.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "preconditions": {
      "description": "Conditions that must be true before the test case can be executed.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "steps": {
      "description": "Ordered list of steps to execute the test case.",
      "items": {
        "$ref": "#/definitions/TestStep"
      },
      "type": "array"
    },
    "expected_result": {
      "description": "The expected outcome when the test case is executed successfully.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "actual_result": {
      "description": "The actual outcome observed during test execution.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "tags": {
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      },
      "description": "Labels for categorizing and filtering test cases.",
      "type": "array"
    },
    "automation_status": {
      "enum": [
        "manual",
        "automated",
        "to-be-automated"
      ],
      "description": "Whether the test case is manual, automated, or planned for automation.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "created_by": {
      "description": "Username or identifier of the person who created the test case.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "created_at": {
      "description": "ISO 8601 timestamp when the test case was created.",
      "type": "datetime"
    },
    "updated_at": {
      "description": "ISO 8601 timestamp when the test case was last updated.",
      "type": "datetime"
    },
    "suite_id": {
      "description": "Identifier of the test suite this test case belongs to.",
      "type": "string"
    },
    "requirement_refs": {
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      },
      "description": "References to requirements or user stories this test case covers.",
      "type": "array"
    }
  },
  "required": [
    "id",
    "title",
    "status",
    "priority"
  ],
  "definitions": {
    "TestStep": {
      "properties": {
        "step_number": {
          "description": "Ordinal position of this step in the test case.",
          "type": "int32"
        },
        "action": {
          "description": "The action to perform in this step.",
          "type": "string"
        },
        "expected_result": {
          "description": "The expected result after performing this step.",
          "type": "string"
        }
      },
      "required": [
        "step_number",
        "action",
        "expected_result"
      ],
      "type": "object",
      "name": "TestStep"
    }
  },
  "type": "object"
}