File upload (cy.selectFile) in Cypress - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test automates uploading a file using Cypress's cy.selectFile command. It verifies that the file input accepts the file and that the file name is displayed correctly after upload.

Test Code - Cypress

Cypress

describe('File upload test', () => {
  it('uploads a file and verifies the file name', () => {
    cy.visit('https://example.com/upload')
    cy.get('input[type="file"]').selectFile('cypress/fixtures/sample.txt')
    cy.get('#file-name-display').should('contain.text', 'sample.txt')
  })
})

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.com/upload'	Upload page is loaded with a file input and a file name display element	Page loaded successfully	PASS
3	Finds the file input element using selector 'input[type="file"]'	File input element is visible and enabled	File input element exists	PASS
4	Uploads the file 'cypress/fixtures/sample.txt' using cy.selectFile	File input now contains the selected file	File input value updated with 'sample.txt'	PASS
5	Finds the element with id 'file-name-display' to verify uploaded file name	Element visible on page showing uploaded file name	Element text contains 'sample.txt'	PASS
6	Test ends with all assertions passing	File upload verified successfully	All assertions passed	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: File input element not found or file path incorrect

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the command cy.selectFile('cypress/fixtures/sample.txt') do in this test?

A It types the file name into a text input.

B It downloads the file 'sample.txt' from the server.

C It selects and uploads the file 'sample.txt' to the file input element.

D It clicks a button to open the file dialog.

Key Result

Always verify that the file input selector matches the actual element on the page and that the file path used in cy.selectFile exists in your test fixtures folder.