Maximizing Test Efficiency with Cypress: Best Practices for Fast, Reliable Results

Efficient test automation is key to ensuring smooth software testing, and Cypress provides a range of powerful features to help. This blog will explore best practices that enhance the performance and maintainability of your test automation efforts. We’ll look at organizing test suites for better structure, using Cypress fixtures to manage test data, and leveraging custom commands to boost reusability. You’ll also learn how to handle timing issues using Cypress’s retry mechanism and incorporate API testing to expand your test coverage.

Additionally, we’ll cover parallel test execution for faster results, testing across multiple viewports and devices, and CI/CD integration to ensure continuous delivery. We’ll also focus on optimizing test performance and dealing with flaky tests, providing practical tips to increase the reliability and speed of your tests.

🎯Choosing Best-Suited Locators in Cypress

Selecting the right locators for elements is crucial for building stable, reliable, and maintainable test automation scripts in Cypress. Efficient locators help minimize the chances of flaky tests, which can break when there are changes in the web application, such as the structure or attributes of HTML elements. Cypress offers several ways to locate elements, and choosing the best locator depends on the scenario and the structure of the application under test.

Here are the most common types of locators used in Cypress, along with tips and examples on when and how to use them.

1️⃣Using data-* Attributes
data-* attributes (e.g., data-test-id) are one of the best practices for creating stable locators in Cypress. These attributes are added specifically for testing purposes, and they remain unaffected by UI changes, ensuring that the test scripts remain stable over time.
Use data-* attributes when the development team can collaborate and include these attributes in the HTML specifically for testing.

Example: Submit

Cypress Command: cy.get(‘[data-test-id=”submit-btn”]’).click();

Since data-* attributes are intended solely for automation, they are less likely to change and won’t interfere with UI development. It makes the locator strategy resilient to front-end changes.

2️⃣Using Unique IDs
Using unique id attributes is another reliable method to locate elements in Cypress. HTML id attributes are supposed to be unique within a page, making them a strong candidate for element identification.

Example:

Cypress Command: cy.get(‘#username’).type(‘testUser’);

IDs are unique, making them reliable for locating elements. However, they might be less flexible compared to data-* attributes if the design changes frequently.

3️⃣Using Class Selectors
Classes are commonly used for styling purposes, and while they can be used as locators in Cypress, they might change frequently during UI updates. It’s important to ensure that the class names you use for locators are stable.
Use class selectors when you need to target multiple elements with the same class or when no better locators (like data-* or id) are available.

Example: Submit

Cypress Command: cy.get(‘.btn.primary’).click();

4️⃣Using cy.contains() for Text-Based Locators
Cypress provides the cy.contains() method to locate elements based on visible text. This is particularly useful for buttons, links, or elements with dynamic classes where the text is the only stable property. Use cy.contains() when the text inside the element is unique and reliable.

Example: Submit Order

Cypress Command: cy.contains(‘Submit Order’).click();

Text-based locators are generally stable and are often unchanged in the application. However, be careful when using this approach in multilingual applications where the text could change depending on the language.

5️⃣Using Attribute Selectors
Cypress allows you to locate elements by attributes other than id, class, or data-. Attributes like name, type, or aria-label can be useful when other locators are not available.
Use attribute selectors when you cannot rely on data-, id, or text and when attributes like name or type are consistent.

Example:

Cypress Command: cy.get(‘input[name=”email”]’).type(‘[e-mail]’);

Attribute selectors are flexible, and as long as they don’t change frequently, they can be an efficient way to locate elements. However, they’re not as reliable as data-* attributes.

6️⃣Using DOM Traversal Methods
Sometimes, there is no direct attribute that you can use to locate an element. In such cases, you can rely on DOM traversal methods like parent(), find(), and children() to navigate the HTML structure.

Use DOM traversal methods when you need to find an element relative to another element.

Example:

Cypress Command: cy.get(‘.form’).find(‘input’).type(‘[e-mail]’);

Traversal methods are helpful when dealing with elements nested within complex structures. They ensure that your locator is flexible enough to adapt to changes in the DOM structure, but they may require more maintenance.

🎗️Best Practices for Choosing Locators in Cypress

- Prioritize data-* Attributes:
Collaborate with developers to add data-test-id attributes for critical elements in your application. These attributes offer the most stability.

- Use Unique IDs Sparingly:
IDs are often reliable but should only be used when guaranteed to be unique across the page.

- Avoid Over-reliance on Class Names:
Classes are primarily for styling and may change. If using class selectors, ensure the class names won’t be refactored often.

- Use Text-Based Locators When the Text is Unique:
cy.contains() is handy for buttons, links, or other elements that have consistent, meaningful text.

- Avoid XPath:
While XPath is supported in Cypress, it is often more complex and harder to maintain than CSS selectors. Stick to CSS selectors for simplicity and better performance.
Real-World Example

Imagine you’re working on automating an online banking application. In the application, there’s a button that appears based on different user roles. Each button looks the same but appears under different conditions, making it challenging to identify with typical locators like class or id. You can solve this by asking developers to add data-test-id attributes to each button.

By following this approach, your locators are clear, maintainable, and less prone to breaking when minor UI changes occur.

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