cy.url() assertions in Cypress - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test opens a webpage, clicks a link, and verifies the URL changes as expected using cy.url() assertions.

Test Code - Cypress

Cypress

describe('URL Assertion Test', () => {
  it('should navigate to Actions page and verify URL', () => {
    cy.visit('https://example.cypress.io')
    cy.get('a[href="/commands/actions"]').click()
    cy.url().should('include', '/commands/actions')
    cy.url().should('eq', 'https://example.cypress.io/commands/actions')
  })
})

Execution Trace - 6 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts	Test runner initialized, no browser opened yet	—	PASS
2	Browser opens and navigates to 'https://example.cypress.io'	Browser shows the Cypress example homepage	—	PASS
3	Finds link with href '/commands/actions' using cy.get	Link element is found on the page	—	PASS
4	Clicks the found link	Browser navigates to the Actions commands page	—	PASS
5	Asserts URL includes '/commands/actions' using cy.url().should('include', ...)	Current URL is 'https://example.cypress.io/commands/actions'	URL contains '/commands/actions'	PASS
6	Asserts URL equals 'https://example.cypress.io/commands/actions' using cy.url().should('eq', ...)	Current URL is exactly 'https://example.cypress.io/commands/actions'	URL equals 'https://example.cypress.io/commands/actions'	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: The link with href '/commands/actions' is missing or the URL does not update correctly after click

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does cy.url().should('include', '/commands/actions') check?

A The page title includes '/commands/actions'

B The current URL contains the string '/commands/actions'

C The URL exactly equals '/commands/actions'

D The page has a link with href '/commands/actions'

Key Result

Always verify the URL after navigation to confirm the page changed as expected. Using cy.url() assertions helps catch navigation issues early.

Practice

1. What does cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard') check in a Cypress test?

easy

A. It checks if the current URL contains '/dashboard' anywhere in it.

B. It verifies the URL exactly equals '/dashboard'.

C. It asserts the URL starts with '/dashboard'.

D. It confirms the URL ends with '/dashboard'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the 'include' assertion

   The 'include' assertion checks if the given string is part of the actual URL anywhere.

2. Step 2: Apply to the example

   Using 'include' with '/dashboard' means the URL must contain '/dashboard' anywhere, not necessarily exactly or at start/end.

3. Final Answer:

   It checks if the current URL contains '/dashboard' anywhere in it. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard') = contains '/dashboard' [OK]

Hint: Remember 'include' means substring anywhere in URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'include' with exact match
• Thinking 'include' checks start or end only
• Using 'eq' when 'include' is needed

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to assert the URL exactly equals 'https://example.com/home' in Cypress?

easy

A. cy.url().should('contain', 'https://example.com/home')

B. cy.url().should('include', 'https://example.com/home')

C. cy.url().should('match', 'https://example.com/home')

D. cy.url().should('eq', 'https://example.com/home')

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify exact match assertion

   The 'eq' assertion checks if the actual URL exactly equals the given string.

2. Step 2: Match syntax to requirement

   Using cy.url().should('eq', 'https://example.com/home') asserts the URL is exactly that string.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.url().should('eq', 'https://example.com/home') -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exact URL match uses 'eq' [OK]

Hint: Use 'eq' for exact URL match, not 'include' or 'match' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'include' instead of 'eq' for exact match
• Using 'match' without regex
• Using 'contain' which is not a valid Cypress assertion

3. Given the code snippet:

cy.visit('/login')
cy.url().should('match', /\/login$/)

What will the assertion check?

medium

A. The URL contains '/login' anywhere.

B. The URL ends with '/login'.

C. The URL exactly equals '/login'.

D. The URL starts with '/login'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the 'match' assertion with regex

   The 'match' assertion checks if the URL matches the given regular expression.

2. Step 2: Analyze the regex /\/login$/

   The regex ends with '$' which means the URL must end with '/login'.

3. Final Answer:

   The URL ends with '/login'. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Regex with $ means URL ends with pattern [OK]

Hint: Regex ending with $ means URL ends with that string [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking 'match' checks substring anywhere without regex
• Confusing regex anchors like ^ and $
• Assuming 'match' equals exact string match

4. Identify the error in this Cypress assertion:

cy.url().should('equals', 'https://example.com/home')

medium

A. 'equals' is not a valid assertion keyword in Cypress.

B. The URL string is missing a trailing slash.

C. The method 'should' cannot be used with 'url'.

D. The URL must be checked with 'include' instead of 'equals'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check valid assertion keywords for cy.url()

   Cypress supports 'eq', 'include', 'match', but not 'equals'.

2. Step 2: Identify the invalid keyword usage

   Using 'equals' causes a syntax error because it's not recognized by Cypress.

3. Final Answer:

   'equals' is not a valid assertion keyword in Cypress. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use 'eq' for exact match, not 'equals' [OK]

Hint: Use 'eq' not 'equals' for exact URL check [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'equals' instead of 'eq'
• Confusing assertion keywords
• Assuming 'should' can't be chained with 'url'

5. You want to verify that after login, the URL contains '/dashboard' but may have query parameters like '?user=123'. Which assertion is best to use?

hard

A. cy.url().should('eq', 'https://example.com/dashboard')

B. cy.url().should('contain', '/dashboard?user=123')

C. cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard')

D. cy.url().should('match', /^https:\/\/example\.com\/dashboard\?user=\d+$/)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the URL with query parameters

   The URL may have extra parts after '/dashboard', so exact match ('eq') won't work.

2. Step 2: Choose assertion allowing partial match

   'include' checks if '/dashboard' is anywhere in the URL, ignoring query parameters.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard') -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use 'include' to ignore query parameters [OK]

Hint: Use 'include' to ignore query parameters in URL check [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'eq' which fails with query parameters
• Trying complex regex without need
• Using invalid 'contain' assertion