Negative assertions (not) in Cypress - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a negative assertion in Cypress?

A negative assertion checks that something does NOT happen or exist, like an element not being visible or not containing certain text.

beginner

How do you write a negative assertion to check an element is not visible in Cypress?

Use .should('not.be.visible') on the element to assert it is hidden or not visible on the page.

intermediate

Example: <br> cy.get('#submit').should('not.be.disabled') <br> What does this check?

It checks that the element with id 'submit' is not disabled, meaning it should be enabled and clickable.

beginner

Why use negative assertions in testing?

Negative assertions help confirm that unwanted states or elements are absent, ensuring the app behaves correctly by not showing errors or disabled buttons when it shouldn't.

intermediate

Write a Cypress negative assertion to check that a button does NOT contain the text 'Submit'.

Use cy.get('button').should('not.contain', 'Submit') to assert the button does not have the text 'Submit'.

Which Cypress command checks that an element is NOT visible?

A .should('not.be.visible')

B .should('be.hidden')

C .should('not.exist')

D .should('be.visible')

The correct commands to check an element is not visible are .should('not.be.visible') and .should('be.hidden').

What does cy.get('#login').should('not.be.disabled') verify?

A The login element is disabled

B The login element is visible

C The login element is enabled

D The login element does not exist

The assertion checks that the element with id 'login' is NOT disabled, meaning it is enabled.

Why are negative assertions important in tests?

A To confirm elements are present

B To check unwanted states are absent

C To speed up tests

D To ignore errors

Negative assertions confirm that unwanted states or elements are absent, ensuring correct app behavior.

Which is the correct way to assert a button does NOT contain the text 'Cancel'?

A cy.get('button').should('have.text', 'Cancel')

B cy.get('button').should('contain', 'Cancel')

C cy.get('button').should('not.have.text', 'Cancel')

D cy.get('button').should('not.contain', 'Cancel')

Use .should('not.contain', 'Cancel') to assert the button does NOT contain the text 'Cancel'.

What happens if a negative assertion fails during test execution?

A Test fails

B Test passes

C Test is skipped

D Test retries automatically

If a negative assertion fails, it means the unwanted condition was found, so the test fails.

Explain how to use negative assertions in Cypress with examples.

Think about how to confirm something is NOT present or NOT true.

Describe a real-life scenario where negative assertions help improve test quality.

Imagine testing a form where a submit button should only be enabled after filling fields.