cy.siblings() and cy.closest() in Cypress - Build an Automation Script

Verify siblings and closest ancestor elements using Cypress

Preconditions (3)

Step 1: Locate the list item with class 'active'

Step 2: Use cy.siblings() to get all sibling items of the active item

Step 3: Verify that the siblings do not have the 'active' class

Step 4: Use cy.closest() on the active item to find the container with id 'list-container'

Step 5: Verify that the closest container has the correct id

✅ Expected Result: The siblings of the active item are found and none have the 'active' class. The closest container element with id 'list-container' is correctly identified.

Automation Requirements - Cypress

Assertions Needed:

Siblings of the active item do not have 'active' class

Closest container element has id 'list-container'

Best Practices:

Use cy.get() with clear selectors

Chain commands properly

Use assertions with should()

Avoid hardcoded waits, rely on Cypress automatic waits

Automated Solution

Cypress

describe('Test cy.siblings() and cy.closest()', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    cy.visit('/test-page') // Replace with actual URL or path
  })

  it('should verify siblings and closest container', () => {
    // Locate the active item
    cy.get('.item.active')
      .as('activeItem')

    // Verify siblings do not have 'active' class
    cy.get('@activeItem')
      .siblings('.item')
      .should('not.have.class', 'active')

    // Verify closest container has id 'list-container'
    cy.get('@activeItem')
      .closest('#list-container')
      .should('have.id', 'list-container')
  })
})

The test starts by visiting the target page.

We locate the active list item using cy.get('.item.active') and save it as an alias @activeItem for reuse.

Using cy.siblings(), we get all sibling elements with class item and assert none have the active class.

Then, we use cy.closest() on the active item to find the nearest ancestor with id list-container and assert it has the correct id.

This approach uses clear selectors, chaining, and Cypress best practices for reliable and readable tests.

Common Mistakes - 3 Pitfalls

Using cy.get() again inside siblings() instead of chaining

Using hardcoded waits like cy.wait(1000) before assertions

Using incorrect selectors that do not match the actual elements

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing to verify siblings and closest container for three different active items with different classes.

Show Hint

Practice

1. What does the Cypress command cy.siblings() do in a test?

easy

A. Finds all elements on the page

B. Finds the closest parent element matching a selector

C. Finds child elements inside the current element

D. Finds all elements at the same level as the current element

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of cy.siblings()

   This command selects all elements that share the same parent as the current element, meaning they are at the same level in the DOM tree.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   cy.closest() finds a parent, not siblings. Child elements are found with cy.children(). Finding all elements on the page is not related.

3. Final Answer:

   Finds all elements at the same level as the current element -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   cy.siblings() = same-level elements [OK]

Hint: Siblings share the same parent element [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing siblings with parents
• Thinking siblings are child elements
• Assuming it finds all elements on the page

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find the closest parent with class .container using Cypress?

easy

A. cy.get('.container').closest()

B. cy.closest('.container')

C. cy.get('.child').closest('.container')

D. cy.siblings('.container')

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the element to start from

   You must start from a known element, for example cy.get('.child'), then find its closest parent matching .container.

2. Step 2: Use closest() with selector

   The correct syntax is cy.get('.child').closest('.container'). cy.get('.container').closest() is wrong because closest() needs to be called on an element, not on the selector itself. cy.closest('.container') is invalid syntax. cy.siblings('.container') uses siblings(), which finds siblings, not parents.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('.child').closest('.container') -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Start element + closest('.container') = cy.get('.child').closest('.container') [OK]

Hint: Call closest() on a found element with selector [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling closest() without a starting element
• Using siblings() instead of closest()
• Passing no selector to closest()

3. Given this HTML snippet:

<div class='container'>
  <ul>
    <li class='item selected'>Item 1</li>
    <li class='item'>Item 2</li>
    <li class='item'>Item 3</li>
  </ul>
</div>

What will cy.get('.selected').siblings('.item').should('have.length', ?) assert?

medium

A. 2

B. 3

C. 1

D. 0

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify siblings of the selected element

   The element with class .selected is the first <li>. Its siblings with class .item are the other two <li> elements.

2. Step 2: Count matching siblings

   There are exactly 2 siblings with class .item besides the selected one.

3. Final Answer:

   2 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Siblings with class '.item' count = 2 [OK]

Hint: Count siblings with matching class [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Counting the selected element itself
• Confusing siblings with children
• Miscounting the number of siblings

4. You wrote this Cypress code:

cy.get('.button').closest('.container').siblings('.container').click()

But the test fails with an error that no elements are found. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The click() command is not valid after siblings()

B. There are no sibling elements with class '.container' next to the closest parent

C. The siblings() command only works on child elements, not parents

D. The closest() command cannot be chained after get()

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the chaining of commands

   cy.get('.button') finds the button, closest('.container') finds its nearest parent container, then siblings('.container') looks for containers at the same level as that parent.

2. Step 2: Reason about the DOM structure

   If no sibling containers exist next to the closest parent, siblings('.container') returns empty, causing click() to fail.

3. Final Answer:

   There are no sibling elements with class '.container' next to the closest parent -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   No siblings found = test fails [OK]

Hint: Check if siblings actually exist in DOM [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking closest() can't chain after get()
• Believing siblings() works on parents
• Assuming click() is invalid after siblings()

5. You want to test that a clicked button highlights its sibling buttons but not buttons in other containers. Which Cypress command chain correctly finds only sibling buttons inside the same container?

hard

A. cy.get('.button.clicked').siblings('.button')

B. cy.get('.button.clicked').closest('.container').siblings('.button')

C. cy.get('.button.clicked').closest('.container').find('.button').siblings()

D. cy.get('.button.clicked').siblings().closest('.container')

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the target buttons

   You want siblings of the clicked button that share the same parent container, so siblings('.button') after selecting the clicked button is correct.

2. Step 2: Analyze other options

   cy.get('.button.clicked').closest('.container').siblings('.button') finds sibling containers, not buttons. cy.get('.button.clicked').closest('.container').find('.button').siblings() finds buttons inside the container but then calls siblings() without a selector, which may include unrelated elements. cy.get('.button.clicked').siblings().closest('.container') finds siblings first, then closest container, which does not select sibling buttons correctly.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('.button.clicked').siblings('.button') -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Siblings with class '.button' = cy.get('.button.clicked').siblings('.button') [OK]

Hint: Use siblings() directly on clicked button for siblings [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using closest() before siblings() incorrectly
• Selecting sibling containers instead of buttons
• Calling siblings() without a selector