# How to build Test Plan via CLI

**URL:** <https://forum.opentap.io/t/how-to-build-test-plan-via-cli/932>\
**Category:** Technical\
**Created:** [November 16, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://forum.opentap.io/t/how-to-build-test-plan-via-cli/932 "2022-11-16T13:15:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![reelthymeos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@reelthymeos](https://forum.opentap.io/u/reelthymeos)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://forum.opentap.io/t/how-to-build-test-plan-via-cli/932/1 "2022-11-16T13:15:07Z")

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Hi,

Is there an instructional video or portion of the development documentation that anyone can point me to which explains how to develop test plans using the CLI? (also, is a TestPlan an XML document, a built object?)

Thanks

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**Author:** ![rolf\_madsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@rolf\_madsen](https://forum.opentap.io/u/rolf_madsen)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 2:27pm UTC](https://forum.opentap.io/t/how-to-build-test-plan-via-cli/932/2 "2022-11-16T14:27:51Z")

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Hi @reelthymeos and welcome to the forum.

If you just want to use the CLI for editing test plans, I suggest you install the text based user interface (TUI).

It is not in a release version yet, but you can download it doing `tap package install TUI --version rc`.

Run it by executing `tap tui`.

You can also edit the XML test plans by hand but this is generally not very easy.

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**Author:** ![brennen\_direnzo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.opentap.io/brennen_direnzo/32/6_2.png) [@brennen\_direnzo](https://forum.opentap.io/u/brennen_direnzo)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://forum.opentap.io/t/how-to-build-test-plan-via-cli/932/3 "2022-11-16T14:39:34Z")

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And just so you have all the options you can also just use the OpenTAP API. There is a simple example here:

> <https://github.com/opentap/opentap/blob/main/sdk/Examples/TestPlanExecution/BuildTestPlan.Api/Program.cs>

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**Author:** ![reelthymeos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@reelthymeos](https://forum.opentap.io/u/reelthymeos)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2022, 6:22pm UTC](https://forum.opentap.io/t/how-to-build-test-plan-via-cli/932/4 "2022-11-16T18:22:58Z")

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Thanks for both of your suggestions! This is very helpful. It’s also great to know that everything can be done programmatically using the API. I will first test drive editor.exe and the TUI, then take a look at programmatically doing it.