August 2022 Summaries

Cypress 10.7 introduces two major updates: the return of Cypress Studio and the addition of Svelte support for Component Testing. Cypress Studio, a visual tool for generating tests without writing code, has been reintroduced due to popular demand, although it remains an experimental feature that currently supports only End-to-End Testing. Svelte support for Component Testing allows developers to build and test front-end components using Cypress's browser-based Test Runner, offering a more isolated testing environment compared to traditional unit testing frameworks like Jest. This update follows previous support for React, Vue, and Angular, and emphasizes component-driven development by enabling components to be tested independently of the main application. The process involves setting up a development server to host the Svelte components and using Cypress's mount function to integrate the testing environment. Further details and demonstrations of these features are available through Cypress's documentation and related resources.

Cypress 10 has reintroduced the Studio feature, which facilitates the generation and saving of Cypress tests by interacting directly with the site, thereby accelerating the test authoring process and easing the transition to Cypress. While still experimental and currently only compatible with End-to-End Testing, Cypress Studio allows users to rapidly create test cases based on in-app behaviors. The blog demonstrates using Studio within a Cypress Real World App context, showing how to record actions like creating a new transaction and saving these interactions as test commands. The feature emphasizes using resilient test selectors, particularly data-* attributes, to ensure tests remain reliable despite potential changes in the application's design. Users are encouraged to explore the Cypress documentation for more detailed guidance and to provide feedback on GitHub.

The blog post introduces Ademola Bhadmus, a Cypress Ambassador who began his journey as a digital educator by producing videos on automated testing, particularly focusing on the lack of visibility for testing tools in Nigeria. He, along with his colleague Deborah Agboola, is actively working to expand and support the testing community in Nigeria. As a Cypress Ambassador, Ademola is motivated by the opportunity to reach a wider community and aid them in advancing as Test Automation Engineers. He creates instructional videos on Cypress, with a preference for features like cy.intercept() and best practices such as avoiding unnecessary waits. His involvement as a Cypress Ambassador is a professional milestone, highlighting his contributions to the community. The Cypress Ambassador program is designed to support advocates like Ademola by providing various resources, speaking opportunities, and a platform to enhance their visibility and contributions within the global Cypress network.

Mark Noonan's blog post discusses the significant impact Cypress Component Testing had on his previous team's workflow, ultimately leading him to join the Cypress Component Testing team. Initially, Noonan's team relied on three separate tools—Storybook, Jest/Vue Test Utils, and Cypress—for front-end development, which complicated onboarding and maintenance. The introduction of Cypress Component Testing streamlined their process by consolidating all testing needs into a single tool, allowing for a more efficient workflow and reducing the cognitive load on developers. This integration enabled comprehensive component testing within a real browser environment without the need for multiple setups, simplifying the testing of user interactions and component states. Noonan highlights the benefits of this approach for both developers and QA engineers, emphasizing the unified language and commands shared between component and end-to-end tests, facilitating collaboration and learning. He envisions Cypress's potential to enhance QA and development team collaboration and serve as an educational tool for newcomers to the industry, offering a standardized testing workflow that aligns with professional development practices.

Cypress 10.5.0 introduces Angular Component Testing, enhancing the testing experience with real-time browser rendering and intelligent feedback, while maintaining familiar ergonomics. This update streamlines the setup process by allowing users to scaffold spec files from components, and it offers faster workflows by integrating test flake insights directly into the app. Cypress Component Testing provides key advantages over traditional unit testing with Karma or Jest, such as a browser-based Test Runner that isolates component styles and APIs, promoting component-driven development for better UI quality. The update also simplifies Angular component mounting using a new @cypress/angular function, reducing the required code significantly. Users can now benefit from the Cypress Dashboard for deeper insights into testing processes and can engage with the community through webinars and conferences to explore further advancements in Angular testing with Cypress.

Chathuranga Jayasinghe is a prominent figure in the Cypress community, co-managing the Cypress Sri Lanka chapter and focusing on spreading knowledge about automated testing. His efforts include moderating online communities, writing articles, and speaking at events to assist others in using Cypress effectively. Chathuranga's favorite Cypress feature is its real-time capability, and he takes pride in having established a custom Cypress framework for test automation at Sana Commerce. Outside his professional life, he enjoys playing cricket and traveling. The Cypress Ambassador program, which supports top advocates like Chathuranga, offers opportunities for speaking engagements, personalized hubs, and greater visibility within the Cypress network, aiming to highlight and empower ambassadors who contribute significantly to the community.

Cypress has introduced a new feature to its Dashboard, enhancing the user experience by consolidating test results into a unified "Tests for review" section on the Run Overview page. This update allows users to efficiently filter and identify tests that require attention by categorizing them as failed, flaky, or changed. According to Peter Stakoun, Cypress Product Manager, this streamlined workflow is crucial for maintaining continuous integration (CI) velocity and benefits engineering and testing teams by organizing tests by spec file, test, and test group. Users can expand sections for detailed insights and access familiar test artifacts like screenshots and videos. The Cypress Dashboard aims to provide timely and powerful insights, enabling faster testing and debugging processes.

The Cypress Ambassador Spotlight highlights Estefania Fdez, an experienced professional with over a decade in automated testing, who actively contributes to the Cypress community through platforms like GitHub, Discord, and Twitter. As a Cypress Ambassador, she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and supporting new users, advocating for best practices such as using cy.request() with a token instead of GUI mode. Outside of her professional commitments, Estefania enjoys spending time with her family and dog, blogging, and engaging in activities like yoga and pilates. She is proud of her accomplishments as a QA leader and blogger and encourages new users to start with Cypress by exploring its documentation and creating example projects. The Cypress Ambassador program aims to support and highlight advocates like Estefania, offering them opportunities for visibility and engagement within the community.