If a request gets a response returned with a status code that indicates a failure or a response doesn’t return in 35 seconds (timeout), then the vuser continues to move to the next step in its scenario. For instance, if a JavaScript file fails to download during step 3:
- That error will be logged in LoadStorm for reporting
- That request will be terminated
- All other requests for step 3 will be attempted as usual
- The vuser will begin step 4 as defined in the scenario
If any particular resource times out within a step, some of the step processing may not finish. This depends on what kind of resource fails and at what point in the step. If an image fails, this is relatively harmless. The images following will not be requested, but everything else will continue normally. If the html fails with a timeout, then the step will stop and no images or other resources will be requested. Images, javascript and css all depend on the html, so none will be requested for that step unless the html is received without error.
The step following a step with an error will work normally to the extent that it can. As with a browser, you cannot click on a link or submit a form if you do not currently have a valid page available with which to work. You can always type in a new url and go from there. Likewise, in LoadStorm if the next step is an open step, then previous steps will have no effect except for possibly login or cookie state. If the next step is a click or form, then the previous html must have been received for the step to function. If the step cannot work because the previous html timed out or otherwise failed, then that step will show no requests or errors and the next step will be attempted after the expected pause.
There is currently only one situation where a scenario will restart before all of its steps have run. This is a step timeout where a step starts but does not finish before 5 minutes have passed. A step includes getting all resources within the step such as html, javascript, images, css, etc. So, it is not inconceivable that this timeout occurs if there are 50, 100 or more resources in a step, but it is long enough that it is pretty rare.