Screenshot capture (cy.screenshot) in Cypress - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test opens a webpage, clicks a button, and captures a screenshot to verify the page state visually.

Test Code - Cypress

Cypress

describe('Screenshot capture test', () => {
  it('should capture screenshot after button click', () => {
    cy.visit('https://example.cypress.io')
    cy.get('a[href="/commands/actions"]').click()
    cy.screenshot('after-click')
    cy.get('.action-email').should('be.visible')
  })
})

Execution Trace - 5 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'	Example Cypress homepage loaded	Page loaded successfully	PASS
3	Finds link with href '/commands/actions' and clicks it	Navigated to Actions commands page	Link found and clicked	PASS
4	Captures screenshot named 'after-click'	Screenshot saved in Cypress screenshots folder	Screenshot file created	PASS
5	Finds input with class '.action-email' and checks visibility	Input field visible on page	Input field is visible	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: The link with href '/commands/actions' is not found or not clickable

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does cy.screenshot('after-click') do in this test?

A It saves a screenshot of the current page state with the name 'after-click'.

B It clicks a button named 'after-click'.

C It verifies the page URL contains 'after-click'.

D It waits for an element with id 'after-click' to appear.

Key Result

Always verify elements exist and are interactable before taking screenshots to ensure meaningful visual validation.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of using cy.screenshot() in Cypress tests?

easy

A. To capture a picture of the app's current state during a test

B. To pause the test execution

C. To clear the browser cache

D. To simulate user clicks

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the function of cy.screenshot()

   This command takes a screenshot of the app at the moment it is called during the test.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Options B, C, and D describe actions unrelated to capturing images.

3. Final Answer:

   To capture a picture of the app's current state during a test -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Screenshot = Capture app image [OK]

Hint: Screenshots = pictures of app state during tests [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing screenshot with pausing tests
• Thinking it clears cache
• Assuming it simulates clicks

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to take a screenshot with a custom file name in Cypress?

easy

A. cy.screenshot = 'homepage'

B. cy.screenshot: 'homepage'

C. cy.screenshot('homepage')

D. cy.screenshot['homepage']

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the correct method call syntax

   In Cypress, methods are called with parentheses and arguments inside, like cy.screenshot('filename').

2. Step 2: Check each option's syntax

   cy.screenshot('homepage') uses correct function call syntax. Options A, C, and D use invalid JavaScript syntax for method calls.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.screenshot('homepage') -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Method call uses parentheses [OK]

Hint: Use parentheses to pass file name in cy.screenshot() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using assignment (=) instead of function call
• Using colon (:) instead of parentheses
• Using brackets [] incorrectly

3. Consider this Cypress code snippet:

cy.get('button.submit').click();
cy.screenshot('after-click');

What will happen when this test runs?

medium

A. The test fails because cy.screenshot needs no arguments.

B. The test clicks the submit button but does not take any screenshot.

C. The test takes a screenshot before clicking the button.

D. The test clicks the submit button and saves a screenshot named 'after-click'.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the code sequence

   The code first clicks the button with class 'submit', then calls cy.screenshot('after-click') to take a screenshot with that name.

2. Step 2: Understand the effect of cy.screenshot()

   The screenshot is taken after the click, so the file will be named 'after-click'.

3. Final Answer:

   The test clicks the submit button and saves a screenshot named 'after-click'. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Click then screenshot with name [OK]

Hint: Commands run in order; screenshot after click saves named image [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking screenshot happens before click
• Believing screenshot requires no arguments
• Assuming no screenshot is taken

4. You wrote this code:

cy.screenshot('login-page', { capture: 'viewport' });

But the screenshot file is not saved. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. The capture option value is incorrect; it should be 'runner'.

B. The capture option 'viewport' is valid; the problem is elsewhere.

C. The cy.screenshot command must be chained after cy.get().

D. The file name must not have a dash ('-').

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the capture option values

   Cypress supports 'viewport', 'runner', and 'fullPage' as valid values for capture. 'viewport' is valid.

2. Step 2: Review other options

   File names can include dashes. cy.screenshot does not require chaining after cy.get(). So these are not issues.

3. Final Answer:

   The capture option 'viewport' is valid; the problem is elsewhere. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Valid options mean issue is not in syntax [OK]

Hint: Check option values; 'viewport' is valid for capture [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming 'viewport' is invalid
• Thinking file names cannot have dashes
• Believing chaining is mandatory

5. You want to take a screenshot only of a specific element with class .profile-pic and save it as 'profile.png'. Which code snippet correctly does this?

hard

A. cy.get('.profile-pic').screenshot('profile');

B. cy.screenshot('.profile-pic', { capture: 'element', fileName: 'profile.png' });

C. cy.get('.profile-pic').screenshot('profile.png.png');

D. cy.screenshot('profile.png', { element: '.profile-pic' });

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand element screenshot syntax

   To screenshot a specific element, first select it with cy.get(), then call .screenshot() on that element. The argument is the file name without extension.

2. Step 2: Evaluate each option

   cy.get('.profile-pic').screenshot('profile.png.png'); uses file name with extension, which is incorrect; Cypress adds extension automatically. cy.screenshot('.profile-pic', { capture: 'element', fileName: 'profile.png' }); uses invalid syntax; cy.screenshot does not accept selector as first argument. cy.get('.profile-pic').screenshot('profile'); correctly selects element and calls .screenshot('profile'). cy.screenshot('profile.png', { element: '.profile-pic' }); uses invalid options.

3. Final Answer:

   cy.get('.profile-pic').screenshot('profile'); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Element screenshot = get element then .screenshot(name) [OK]

Hint: Select element first, then call .screenshot with name (no extension) [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Passing file extension in screenshot name
• Calling cy.screenshot with selector argument
• Using invalid options for element capture