Common assertions (exist, be.visible, have.text) in Cypress - Build an Automation Script

Verify visibility and text of a welcome message on homepage

Preconditions (1)

Step 1: Open the homepage URL 'http://localhost:3000/'

Step 2: Locate the element with id 'welcome-msg'

Step 3: Check that the element exists in the DOM

Step 4: Check that the element is visible on the page

Step 5: Check that the element's text is exactly 'Welcome to Our Site!'

✅ Expected Result: The element with id 'welcome-msg' exists, is visible, and displays the text 'Welcome to Our Site!'

Automation Requirements - Cypress

Assertions Needed:

Element exists in the DOM

Element is visible

Element has exact text 'Welcome to Our Site!'

Best Practices:

Use cy.get() with a stable selector (id)

Chain assertions for readability

Avoid using arbitrary waits; rely on Cypress automatic waits

Automated Solution

Cypress

describe('Homepage welcome message test', () => {
  it('should verify the welcome message exists, is visible, and has correct text', () => {
    cy.visit('http://localhost:3000/')
    cy.get('#welcome-msg')
      .should('exist')
      .and('be.visible')
      .and('have.text', 'Welcome to Our Site!')
  })
})

This test opens the homepage URL using cy.visit(). Then it finds the element with id welcome-msg using cy.get(). The test chains three assertions: exist to confirm the element is in the page's HTML, be.visible to confirm the user can see it, and have.text to check the exact text content. Chaining assertions improves readability and efficiency. Cypress automatically waits for elements to appear, so no manual waits are needed.

Common Mistakes - 3 Pitfalls

{'mistake': 'Using cy.get() without waiting for element to appear', 'why_bad': 'The test may fail if the element loads slowly and is not yet in the DOM.', 'correct_approach': "Rely on Cypress's built-in automatic waiting with cy.get() and assertions chained."}

Using contains() instead of get() for exact text match

{'mistake': "Checking visibility with .should('exist') only", 'why_bad': 'Element may exist but be hidden, so test misses visibility check.', 'correct_approach': "Add .should('be.visible') to confirm user can see the element."}

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different welcome messages for different user roles

Show Hint

Practice

1. Which Cypress assertion checks if an element is present in the DOM, regardless of visibility?

easy

A. should('contain.text')

B. should('be.visible')

C. should('have.text')

D. should('exist')

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the meaning of exist assertion

   The exist assertion checks if the element is present in the DOM, even if it is hidden.

2. Step 2: Compare with other assertions

   be.visible checks if the element is visible, have.text checks exact text content, and contain.text checks partial text. Only exist fits the question.

3. Final Answer:

   should('exist') -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Check presence = should('exist') [OK]

Hint: Exist means element is in DOM, visible or not [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'exist' with 'be.visible'
• Using 'have.text' to check presence
• Thinking 'contain.text' checks existence

2. Which of the following is the correct Cypress syntax to assert that an element with id submitBtn is visible?

easy

A. cy.get('#submitBtn').should('exist')

B. cy.get('#submitBtn').should('contain', 'Submit')

C. cy.get('#submitBtn').should('be.visible')

D. cy.get('#submitBtn').should('have.text', 'Submit')

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the assertion for visibility

   The assertion should('be.visible') checks if the element is visible on the page.

2. Step 2: Match syntax with element selector

   cy.get('#submitBtn') selects the element by id. Combining with should('be.visible') is correct syntax to check visibility.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('#submitBtn').should('be.visible') -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Visible check = should('be.visible') [OK]

Hint: Use should('be.visible') to check if element shows on page [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'exist' instead of 'be.visible' for visibility
• Confusing 'have.text' with visibility check
• Using 'contain' without 'text' for exact text check

3. What will be the result of this Cypress test code?

cy.get('.message').should('have.text', 'Welcome!')

Assuming the element <div class='message'>Welcome!</div> is present and visible.

medium

A. Test passes because text matches exactly

B. Test fails because element is not checked for visibility

C. Test fails because 'have.text' is incorrect syntax

D. Test passes but ignores text content

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand have.text assertion

   This assertion checks if the element's text content exactly matches the given string.

2. Step 2: Check element and text

   The element <div class='message'>Welcome!</div> matches the text 'Welcome!' exactly, so the assertion passes.

3. Final Answer:

   Test passes because text matches exactly -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Exact text match = test passes [OK]

Hint: Exact text match means test passes with have.text [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming visibility must be checked separately
• Thinking 'have.text' is invalid syntax
• Confusing 'have.text' with partial text check

4. Identify the error in this Cypress test code:

cy.get('.alert').should('be.visible').should('have.text', 'Error occurred')

Given the element <div class='alert' style='display:none'>Error occurred</div> is hidden.

medium

A. The element selector is incorrect

B. The element is hidden, so 'be.visible' assertion fails

C. 'have.text' assertion syntax is wrong

D. Chaining assertions is not allowed in Cypress

Solution

1. Step 1: Check element visibility

   The element has style='display:none', so it is hidden and not visible.

2. Step 2: Understand assertion failure

   The should('be.visible') assertion will fail because the element is hidden, causing the test to fail before checking text.

3. Final Answer:

   The element is hidden, so 'be.visible' assertion fails -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Hidden element fails 'be.visible' [OK]

Hint: Hidden elements fail 'be.visible' assertion [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 'have.text' runs even if visibility fails
• Thinking chaining assertions is invalid
• Ignoring element's CSS display property

5. You want to write a Cypress test to confirm a button with class .save-btn exists, is visible, and has the exact text Save. Which code snippet correctly performs all these checks?

hard

A. cy.get('.save-btn').should('exist').should('be.visible').should('have.text', 'Save')

B. cy.get('.save-btn').should('be.visible').should('contain.text', 'Save')

C. cy.get('.save-btn').should('exist').should('have.text', 'Save')

D. cy.get('.save-btn').should('have.text', 'Save').should('be.visible')

Solution

1. Step 1: Check presence, visibility, and exact text

   We need to confirm the element exists, is visible, and has exact text 'Save'.

2. Step 2: Verify chaining of assertions

   cy.get('.save-btn').should('exist').should('be.visible').should('have.text', 'Save') chains should('exist'), should('be.visible'), and should('have.text', 'Save') correctly to check all conditions.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('.save-btn').should('exist').should('be.visible').should('have.text', 'Save') -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Chain exist, visible, exact text for full check [OK]

Hint: Chain all assertions to check presence, visibility, and text [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Skipping 'exist' check before visibility
• Using 'contain.text' instead of 'have.text' for exact match
• Not chaining all required assertions