The test is not routinely done. The main reason to come to mind is to determine if an outbreak is the first one or not (there's a few others but I cant remember). Given that 7 out or 10 people have type one, it's nothing to worry about. People get it from their mother kissing them good night. If you get outbreaks often, you can talk to your doctor about getting antiviral treatment for it. It's something you'll carry indefinitely, but, again, so many people have it that it's not worth worrying about. Our society has a habit of stigmatizing these things, similar to HPV, which is carried by roughly 80% of the population.

Important to know is that open sores are a portal for other viruses, namely HIV, to enter your body, so it's important to abstain from sex during an outbreak if you can. Try and use protection if this isn't an option for you.

To answer your question, it's really your choice whether or not to share with potential partners that you're infected. So many people have the virus that it is hard to assume people are free of it, along with hpv. Hope that helps.

I think it's really a good idea to share this info. I share it, because I have symptoms. I didn't know they were caused by type 1 until a few years ago, and spent a long time thinking it was type 2. When I found out it was type 1, I had two partners I didn't tell at my doc's advice, and I felt awful about it. Asymptomatic people shed virus just as frequently as people with symptoms, and while it's no big deal, I think disclosure is smart. Only the least educated folks you run into will have a problem with the idea that you're positive for HSV1, and that is a great filter for folks who really need to know more anyway.