Best practices for selectors in Cypress

Introduction

Selectors help tests find elements on a webpage. Good selectors make tests reliable and easy to maintain.

When writing a test to click a button on a webpage

When checking if a form input has the correct value

When verifying that a message appears after an action

When selecting a list item to test its content

When automating navigation through menus

Syntax

Cypress

cy.get('selector')

Use cy.get() to find elements by CSS selectors.

Choose selectors that are stable and unique to avoid test failures.

Examples

Selects an element with the unique ID submit-button. IDs are best for uniqueness.

Cypress

cy.get('#submit-button')

Selects an element using a custom attribute data-cy. This is a recommended practice for test selectors.

Cypress

cy.get('[data-cy=login-input]')

Selects an element with class nav-item that contains the text 'Home'. Useful when classes are shared.

Cypress

cy.get('.nav-item').contains('Home')

Selects the first button element on the page. Use carefully as order can change.

Cypress

cy.get('button').eq(0)

Sample Program

This test visits a login page, types username and password using stable selectors, clicks login, and checks for a welcome message.

Cypress

describe('Login form test', () => {
  it('should find and type in the username input', () => {
    cy.visit('https://example.com/login')
    cy.get('[data-cy=username-input]').type('testuser')
    cy.get('[data-cy=password-input]').type('password123')
    cy.get('#login-button').click()
    cy.get('.welcome-message').should('contain.text', 'Welcome, testuser')
  })
})

Important Notes

Avoid using selectors based on text that might change often.

Prefer custom attributes like data-cy for test selectors to separate test code from styling.

Do not rely on element order unless necessary, as it can make tests fragile.

Summary

Use unique and stable selectors like IDs or custom attributes.

Keep selectors simple and clear to make tests easy to read and maintain.

Test selectors should not depend on styling or text that changes frequently.

Practice

1. Which of the following is the best practice for choosing selectors in Cypress tests?

easy

A. Use text content that may change frequently.

B. Use CSS classes that might change with styling updates.

C. Use element positions like :nth-child() selectors.

D. Use unique IDs or custom data attributes for selectors.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand selector stability

   Selectors should be stable and unique to avoid breaking tests when UI changes.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for stability

   IDs and custom data attributes are stable and unique, unlike classes or text that can change.

3. Final Answer:

   Use unique IDs or custom data attributes for selectors. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Stable selectors = IDs or data attributes [OK]

Hint: Pick selectors that rarely change, like IDs or data attributes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using CSS classes that change with styling
• Selecting by visible text that may vary
• Relying on element order which can shift

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to select an element with a custom attribute data-test='submit-btn' in Cypress?

easy

A. cy.get('[data-test=submit-btn]')

B. cy.get('data-test=submit-btn')

C. cy.get('#submit-btn')

D. cy.get('.submit-btn')

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall attribute selector syntax

   In CSS selectors, attributes are selected with square brackets and quotes if needed.

2. Step 2: Match correct Cypress syntax

   cy.get('[data-test=submit-btn]') correctly uses attribute selector syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('[data-test=submit-btn]') -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Attribute selectors use brackets [] [OK]

Hint: Use brackets [] around attribute selectors in cy.get() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting brackets for attribute selectors
• Using ID or class selectors incorrectly
• Missing quotes around attribute values

3. Given the HTML snippet:

<button data-cy='login-btn' class='btn primary'>Login</button>

What will cy.get('.btn.primary').click() do if the class changes to btn secondary later?

medium

A. The test will fail because the selector no longer matches.

B. The test will still pass because class selectors are stable.

C. The test will click a different button automatically.

D. The test will ignore the class and find the button by text.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand selector dependency on class names

   The selector '.btn.primary' depends on the button having both classes 'btn' and 'primary'.

2. Step 2: Analyze effect of class change

   If the class changes to 'btn secondary', the selector '.btn.primary' no longer matches, causing failure.

3. Final Answer:

   The test will fail because the selector no longer matches. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Class selectors break if classes change [OK]

Hint: Avoid class selectors that can change with styling [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming class selectors are stable
• Expecting automatic fallback to other selectors
• Thinking text selectors are used automatically

4. You wrote this Cypress selector: cy.get('button.submit-btn') but the test fails because the button has no class submit-btn. How can you fix it following best practices?

medium

A. Add the class submit-btn to the button in HTML.

B. Change selector to use a stable attribute like data-cy='submit-btn'.

C. Use cy.get('button') to select all buttons.

D. Use cy.contains('Submit') to select by text.

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the problem with class selector

   The button lacks the class 'submit-btn', so the selector fails.

2. Step 2: Apply best practice for stable selectors

   Using a custom attribute like data-cy='submit-btn' is stable and recommended.

3. Final Answer:

   Change selector to use a stable attribute like data-cy='submit-btn'. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Stable selectors use custom attributes [OK]

Hint: Use custom data attributes for stable selectors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Relying on missing or changing classes
• Selecting too broadly causing flaky tests
• Using text selectors that may change

5. You want to write a Cypress test that clicks the 'Save' button inside a form. The button has no ID but has data-test='save-btn'. The form has multiple buttons with different data-test attributes. Which selector is best to ensure you click the correct button inside the form?

hard

A. cy.get('form button').eq(0).click()

B. cy.get('[data-test=save-btn]').click()

C. cy.get('form').find('[data-test=save-btn]').click()

D. cy.get('button').contains('Save').click()

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the need for context-specific selection

   Since multiple buttons have data-test attributes, selecting within the form narrows scope.

2. Step 2: Choose selector that scopes to form and targets correct button

   Using cy.get('form').find('[data-test=save-btn]') ensures the button inside the form is selected.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('form').find('[data-test=save-btn]').click() -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Scoped selectors avoid ambiguity [OK]

Hint: Scope selectors inside containers to avoid ambiguity [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Selecting buttons globally causing wrong clicks
• Using text selectors that may match multiple elements
• Using index-based selectors that can break easily