cy.contains() for text matching in Cypress - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does cy.contains() do in Cypress?

cy.contains() finds an element that contains specific text on the page. It helps you locate elements by their visible text.

beginner

How do you use cy.contains() to find a button with text 'Submit'?

You write cy.contains('button', 'Submit'). This finds a <button> element that has the text 'Submit'.

intermediate

Can cy.contains() find partial text matches?

Yes! cy.contains() matches elements that contain the given text anywhere inside. It does not need to be an exact match of the whole text.

intermediate

What happens if cy.contains() does not find any matching element?

The test will fail with an error saying no element with the specified text was found. Cypress waits a short time before failing to allow the page to load.

advanced

How can you use cy.contains() with a regular expression?

You can pass a regular expression instead of a string, like cy.contains(/submit/i) to find text ignoring case.

What does cy.contains('Login') do?

A Finds any element containing the text 'Login'

B Finds only buttons with text 'Login'

C Finds elements with the exact text 'Login' only

D Clicks on the element with text 'Login'

cy.contains('Login') finds any element that contains the text 'Login' anywhere inside it.

How do you find a <div> containing 'Welcome' using cy.contains()?

A cy.contains('div', 'Welcome')

B cy.contains('Welcome')

C cy.get('div').contains('Welcome')

D cy.find('div').contains('Welcome')

Use cy.contains('div', 'Welcome') to find a <div> with the text 'Welcome'.

What will cy.contains(/submit/i) match?

A Elements with text exactly 'submit'

B Elements with text starting with 'submit'

C Elements with text containing 'submit' ignoring case

D Elements with text 'Submit' only

The regular expression with i flag matches text containing 'submit' ignoring case.

If cy.contains() does not find the text, what happens?

A Test retries forever

B Test fails with an error

C Test passes silently

D Test skips the step

Cypress fails the test with an error if cy.contains() cannot find the text after waiting.

Which is a correct way to find a button with text 'Cancel'?

A cy.contains('Cancel')

B cy.get('button').contains('Cancel')

C cy.find('button').contains('Cancel')

D cy.contains('button', 'Cancel')

cy.contains('button', 'Cancel') finds a <button> with text 'Cancel'.

Explain how cy.contains() helps in locating elements by text in Cypress tests.

Think about how you find a button or link by its label on a webpage.

Describe how you would use cy.contains() to find a case-insensitive match for the text 'submit'.

Remember regex flags for ignoring case.

Practice

1. What does cy.contains('Submit') do in a Cypress test?

easy

A. Finds the first element containing the visible text 'Submit'.

B. Clicks the button named 'Submit' automatically.

C. Types 'Submit' into an input field.

D. Checks if the page URL contains the word 'Submit'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cy.contains() basic function

   The command searches the page for an element that has visible text matching the given string.

2. Step 2: Analyze the given text 'Submit'

   It finds the first element that contains the text 'Submit' anywhere inside it.

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the first element containing the visible text 'Submit'. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   cy.contains('text') finds element by visible text [OK]

Hint: cy.contains() finds elements by visible text quickly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking cy.contains() clicks automatically
• Confusing cy.contains() with typing commands
• Assuming it checks URL instead of page content

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find a button with text 'Login' using cy.contains()?

easy

A. cy.contains(button, Login)

B. cy.contains('button', 'Login')

C. cy.contains('Login', 'button')

D. cy.contains('button' + 'Login')

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall cy.contains() syntax with selector

   The correct syntax is cy.contains(selector, text) where selector is a string like 'button'.

2. Step 2: Match the correct option

   cy.contains('button', 'Login') uses cy.contains('button', 'Login') which is correct. Other options misuse quotes or argument order.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.contains('button', 'Login') -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   cy.contains('selector', 'text') correct syntax [OK]

Hint: Use cy.contains('selector', 'text') to narrow search [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around selector or text
• Swapping the order of selector and text
• Concatenating strings incorrectly inside cy.contains()

3. What will the following Cypress code do?

cy.contains('Submit').click()

medium

A. Types 'Submit' into the focused input field.

B. Throws an error because click() cannot be chained.

C. Finds the first element with text 'Submit' and clicks it.

D. Finds all elements with 'Submit' text but does not click.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand cy.contains() chaining

   cy.contains('Submit') finds the first element with visible text 'Submit'.

2. Step 2: Analyze the chained click()

   Calling .click() on the found element triggers a click event on it.

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the first element with text 'Submit' and clicks it. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   cy.contains('text').click() clicks matched element [OK]

Hint: Chain .click() after cy.contains() to click element [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking click() types text instead
• Assuming click() cannot be chained
• Believing it clicks multiple elements

4. You wrote cy.contains(button, 'Save').click() but the test fails with a syntax error. What is the problem?

medium

A. You must use cy.get() before cy.contains().

B. cy.contains() cannot be chained with click().

C. The text 'Save' must be uppercase.

D. The selector button should be a string: 'button'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check argument types in cy.contains()

   The selector argument must be a string, so 'button' needs quotes.

2. Step 2: Identify the syntax error cause

   Using button without quotes causes a syntax error because it's treated as a variable.

3. Final Answer:

   The selector button should be a string: 'button'. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Selector must be string in cy.contains() [OK]

Hint: Always quote selectors in cy.contains() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting quotes around selector
• Thinking click() can't be chained
• Assuming text case matters in cy.contains()

5. You want to verify that a page contains a link with text 'Learn More' inside a <nav> element. Which Cypress command is best?

hard

A. cy.get('nav').contains('a', 'Learn More').should('exist')

B. cy.contains('nav a', 'Learn More').click()

C. cy.contains('Learn More').should('be.visible')

D. cy.get('a').contains('nav', 'Learn More')

Solution

1. Step 1: Narrow search inside <nav> for link text

   Use cy.get('nav') to select the nav element first.

2. Step 2: Use contains() with selector 'a' and text 'Learn More'

   Calling .contains('a', 'Learn More') inside nav finds the link with that text.

3. Step 3: Assert existence with should('exist')

   This confirms the link is present inside nav.

4. Final Answer:

   cy.get('nav').contains('a', 'Learn More').should('exist') -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Use get() then contains() to scope text search [OK]

Hint: Use cy.get() then contains() to scope text search [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using contains() without scoping to nav
• Trying to chain contains() incorrectly
• Assuming contains() alone checks element existence