Negative assertions (not) in Cypress

Introduction

Negative assertions check that something does not happen or exist. They help catch errors by confirming unwanted things are absent.

Check that a button is not visible before a user action

Verify that an error message does not appear on valid input

Ensure a checkbox is not checked by default

Confirm a link does not exist on a page

Test that a modal is not open before clicking a trigger

Syntax

Cypress

cy.get('selector').should('not.exist')
cy.get('selector').should('not.be.visible')
cy.get('selector').should('not.have.class', 'className')

Use should('not.exist') to check element absence in the DOM.

Use should('not.be.visible') to check element is hidden but present.

Examples

Check that the submit button is hidden on page load.

Cypress

cy.get('#submit-button').should('not.be.visible')

Verify no error message is shown before form submission.

Cypress

cy.get('.error-message').should('not.exist')

Confirm the checkbox is unchecked by default.

Cypress

cy.get('input[type="checkbox"]').should('not.be.checked')

Sample Program

This test visits a page and checks two things: the disabled button is hidden and no error message is present initially.

Cypress

describe('Negative assertions example', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    cy.visit('https://example.cypress.io/commands/actions')
  })

  it('checks that the disabled button is not visible', () => {
    cy.get('#disabled-button').should('not.be.visible')
  })

  it('verifies error message does not exist initially', () => {
    cy.get('.error-message').should('not.exist')
  })
})

Important Notes

Negative assertions help confirm the absence or invisibility of elements.

Use clear selectors to avoid false positives in negative checks.

Combine with positive assertions for thorough testing.

Summary

Negative assertions check that something is not present or visible.

Use should('not.exist') for absence in the DOM.

Use should('not.be.visible') for hidden elements.

Practice

1. What does the Cypress command cy.get('button').should('not.exist') check for?

easy

A. It checks that the button is disabled.

B. It checks that the button is visible on the page.

C. It checks that the button is not present in the page DOM.

D. It checks that the button is clickable.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command should('not.exist')

   This assertion checks that the selected element does not exist in the DOM at all.

2. Step 2: Apply to the element button

   The command cy.get('button').should('not.exist') verifies that no button element is present in the page.

3. Final Answer:

   It checks that the button is not present in the page DOM. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   should('not.exist') = element absent [OK]

Hint: Use 'not.exist' to check element absence in DOM [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'not.exist' with 'not.be.visible'
• Thinking it checks if element is disabled
• Assuming it checks element visibility

2. Which of the following is the correct Cypress syntax to assert that an element with id #modal is hidden?

easy

A. cy.get('#modal').should('not.be.visible')

B. cy.get('#modal').should('not.visible')

C. cy.get('#modal').should('be.hidden')

D. cy.get('#modal').should('not.exist')

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct negative visibility assertion

   In Cypress, to check if an element is hidden but still in the DOM, use should('not.be.visible').

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   cy.get('#modal').should('not.exist') checks for absence, not hidden. cy.get('#modal').should('be.hidden') uses invalid assertion be.hidden. cy.get('#modal').should('not.visible') has incorrect syntax not.visible.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('#modal').should('not.be.visible') -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Hidden element = should('not.be.visible') [OK]

Hint: Use 'not.be.visible' to check hidden elements [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'not.exist' to check hidden instead of absent
• Writing incorrect assertion names like 'be.hidden'
• Missing 'be' in visibility assertion

3. Consider this Cypress code snippet:

cy.get('.alert').should('not.exist')
cy.get('.alert').should('not.be.visible')

What will happen if the element .alert is present but hidden?

medium

A. The first assertion fails, the second passes.

B. The first assertion passes, the second fails.

C. Both assertions pass.

D. Both assertions fail.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze should('not.exist') when element is present but hidden

   This assertion fails because the element exists in the DOM, even if hidden.

2. Step 2: Analyze should('not.be.visible') when element is hidden

   This assertion passes because the element is present but not visible.

3. Final Answer:

   The first assertion fails, the second passes. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Existence vs visibility differ: exist fails, visibility passes [OK]

Hint: Existence and visibility are different checks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 'not.exist' passes if element is hidden
• Confusing visibility with existence
• Thinking both assertions behave the same

4. You wrote this Cypress test:

cy.get('.popup').should('not.exist')

But the test fails even though the popup is hidden. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The selector '.popup' is incorrect.

B. The popup element exists but is hidden, so 'not.exist' fails.

C. The test should use 'should('not.be.visible')' instead.

D. Cypress cannot check hidden elements.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand difference between 'not.exist' and hidden elements

   'not.exist' fails if element is present in DOM, even if hidden.

2. Step 2: Apply to the popup element

   The popup is hidden but still in DOM, so assertion fails because element exists.

3. Final Answer:

   The popup element exists but is hidden, so 'not.exist' fails. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   'not.exist' means element absent, hidden still exists [OK]

Hint: Hidden elements still exist; use 'not.be.visible' for hidden check [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'not.exist' to check hidden elements
• Assuming hidden means not in DOM
• Ignoring difference between visibility and existence

5. You want to verify that a div with class .notification is neither present nor visible on the page. Which Cypress code correctly checks both conditions?

hard

A. cy.get('.notification').should('not.exist').and('not.be.visible')

B. cy.get('.notification').should('not.exist'); cy.get('.notification').should('not.be.visible')

C. cy.get('.notification').should('not.be.visible')

D. cy.get('.notification').should('not.exist')

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand that if element does not exist, it cannot be visible

   If the element does not exist in the DOM, it is automatically not visible.

2. Step 2: Check which assertion covers both absence and visibility

   Using should('not.exist') alone is enough to confirm element is absent and thus not visible.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('.notification').should('not.exist') -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Not existing means not visible too [OK]

Hint: Check 'not.exist' alone to confirm absence and invisibility [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Chaining 'not.exist' with 'not.be.visible' unnecessarily
• Running two separate assertions causing flaky tests
• Using only 'not.be.visible' when element might exist