Why cy.contains() for text matching in Cypress? - Purpose & Use Cases

The Big Idea

Discover how a single command can save you hours of frustrating searching in your tests!

The Scenario

Imagine you have a webpage with many buttons and links, all with different texts. You want to check if a button with the text "Submit" is present. Manually searching through the HTML code or clicking every button to find it is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The Problem

Manually scanning the page or writing long selectors for each element is slow and tiring. You might miss the exact text or pick the wrong element. This causes mistakes and wastes time, especially when the page changes often.

The Solution

The cy.contains() command in Cypress lets you quickly find any element by its visible text. It works like a smart search that finds the right element without complicated selectors. This makes tests faster, clearer, and less error-prone.

Before vs After

✗ Before

cy.get('button').eq(3).click(); // guessing the button position

✓ After

cy.contains('button', 'Submit').click(); // directly finds button by text

What It Enables

With cy.contains(), you can write simple, reliable tests that focus on what users see and interact with, not on complex code details.

Real Life Example

Testing a signup form where the "Register" button might move or change style, but the text stays the same. Using cy.contains('button', 'Register') ensures your test clicks the right button every time.

Key Takeaways

Manually finding elements by text is slow and error-prone.

cy.contains() finds elements by visible text easily.

This makes tests simpler, faster, and more reliable.

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