[Webtest] [webtest][JIRA] Created: (WT-232) Configure steps before execution rather that when added to <webtest>

[Marc Guillemot (JIRA)]

Configure steps before execution rather that when added to <webtest>
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         Key: WT-232
         URL: http://webtest-community.canoo.com/jira/browse/WT-232
     Project: WebTest
        Type: Task

    Versions: 2.1    
    Reporter: Marc Guillemot


WebTest configures its nested steps at the time Ant added them to <webtest>. This is not the normal/best way to process (at least since an t 1.6) and has many consequences (properties evaluated to early, all steps held in memory, ...).

The normal way to process would be to avoid forcing instantiation of the tasks. When Ant parses a <something someAttr=".."/> it first creates an 
UnknownElement holding the information found in the xml file. When this UnknownElement gets executed, it looks for the "something" task to 
instantiate, configures it, execute it and releases it. This is what WebTest should do/allow.

This has many consequences like:
- ${} properties are evaluated just in time before task execution
- memory consumption should be really smaller, particularly for long 
<webtest> as tasks are made available for garbage collection as soon as 
they have been executed. Only the execution result is conserved.
- #{} properties get evaluated in nested non webtest tasks too

and offers new possibilities


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