September 2020 Summaries

Filip Hric, a QA lead at Slido, discusses the pros and cons of implementing test retries in software testing, particularly in the context of Cypress version 5.0.0, which introduced native support for this feature. He emphasizes that while retries can be beneficial if used correctly, they should not be relied upon to mask or ignore underlying issues with flaky tests, which remain an anti-pattern in test development. The post highlights the importance of diagnosing the root causes of test failures, such as server issues or improperly written tests, and not merely using retries as a shortcut to pass tests. Hric shares his personal experience of achieving stability in tests by addressing speed-related failures and advises leveraging test analytics to strengthen tests prone to retries. He encourages testers to view retries as a tool for improving test robustness and understanding of the code, rather than a remedy for inadequate code, promoting a pragmatic approach to software testing that fosters continuous improvement and confidence in releases.

GoFundMe's QA team and developers achieved significantly faster test runs, improving speed by 30 times, by utilizing Cypress, as discussed in a webcast hosted by Gleb Bahmutov and Todd Williams. The webcast covered key topics such as setting up testing frameworks for each project, organizing tests to run on multiple browsers, and collaborating with developers to ensure deployment confidence. Attendees participated actively, asking insightful questions via Slido, with responses available post-webcast. Feedback from viewers was highly positive, and those who completed a survey after the webcast were promised a special surprise. The event encouraged viewers to stay engaged for future broadcasts by following updates on Twitter.

Cypress has introduced a new feature for its Dashboard users, allowing them to embed README badges in their project's README files to showcase the project's test status and test count. These badges provide immediate visibility to other developers regarding the number of passed, failed, and skipped Cypress tests, enhancing the insight and perceived quality of the project. The badges can be customized in terms of styling and information displayed, with options ranging from simple pass/fail status to detailed test counts. This feature is currently available only for public projects, and once configured, the badge can be embedded into the README file using markdown, thereby increasing transparency and potentially appealing to collaborators or users.