Today we updated the Alexa Developer Console with new testing tools to help you identify and correct common errors before you submit your skill for certification. We also updated the top navigation in the developer console to make it easier for you to find these and other tools. By using these new features, you can certify your skills faster.
We added a new Certification page with two tools that can help you identify errors before you submit your skill for certification. First, using the validation section, you can verify that all required skills store fields are complete, including validating that you’ve selected a skill category and have included a proper skill icon. It also validates that your skill endpoint and interaction model are working prior to submitting for certification. You should fix these errors and re-validate to proceed.
Second, using the functional test section, you can perform a set of pre-certification tests on your skill. These tests send requests to your skill’s endpoint. For example, they test that your endpoint is valid and can return responses. They also verify that your end-point only accepts incoming requests with valid signature URLs, and that it works with additional parameters in the JSON request that we may add in the future. We run tests on all locales that your skill supports, and list issues by locale. For a smoother certification process, fix any issues identified via the functional tests before you certify – your skill must pass the functional tests before it can be certified.
You can learn more about both validation and functional tests in our documentation.
As noted above, you can find validation and functional tests on the new Certification tab in the developer console. The console now includes five tabs:
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