December 2018 Summaries

In the blog post by Gleb Bahmutov, the author discusses the limitations of using code coverage as a metric for testing applications, particularly in the context of end-to-end tests with Cypress. The author argues that while code coverage can indicate which lines of code have been executed, it often fails to reflect whether the application has been thoroughly tested, especially for edge cases. Instead, Bahmutov proposes the concept of "element coverage" as a potentially more useful metric, which involves tracking interactions with page elements during tests. This approach could highlight untested elements, guiding more comprehensive test development. However, the author acknowledges that element coverage also has limitations, such as failing to differentiate between similar actions on different elements and not capturing multiple state changes on the same element. The blog entry is based on a proof of concept, and the author invites readers to follow future developments on this idea through Cypress's communication channels.

Cypress, an end-to-end testing tool, had a productive November as team members participated in conferences and meetups in Europe to share knowledge and gather user feedback. At Devoxx Belgium 2018, the Cypress team conducted a hands-on workshop for over 60 attendees, introducing new users to Cypress through practical exercises with an example React app. The workshop's success generated interest in a subsequent talk on next-generation web application testing, highlighting Cypress's capabilities, such as flake-free testing and test parallelization, which received recognition as one of Devoxx’s Top-100-Rated-Talks. Additionally, a visit to the Xebia headquarters in the Netherlands allowed the team to engage with users through a talk and a hands-on lab session, discussing Cypress features and best practices. The engagements provided valuable insights into user experiences and potential areas for enhancing Cypress documentation and product development. Overall, these events enabled the Cypress team to connect with the community, aligning their roadmap with user needs and promoting further education on test automation.