Testing React Components

Now that the component is mounted, the next step is to start selecting and interacting with parts of the component. This is the Act step in "Arrange, Act, Assert".

Once we are done acting on the component, we can then verify the expected state of the component is what we think it should be. This is the Assert step.

Selecting the Stepper Component

By default, the Stepper component's counter is initialized to "0". It also has a prop that can specify an initial count.

Let's test that mounting the component (Arrange) in its default state has a count of "0" (Assert).

Then, we will test that setting the initial count also works.

In your spec file, add the following inside the existing describe block:

// Set up some constants for the selectors
const counterSelector = '[data-cy=counter]'
const incrementSelector = '[aria-label=increment]'
const decrementSelector = '[aria-label=decrement]'

it('stepper should default to 0', () => {
  // Arrange
  cy.mount(<Stepper />)
  // Assert
  cy.get(counterSelector).should('have.text', '0')
})

it('supports an "initial" prop to set the value', () => {
  // Arrange
  cy.mount(<Stepper initial={100} />)
  // Assert
  cy.get(counterSelector).should('have.text', '100')
})

What Else Should You Test in This Component?

In the above tests, we arranged and asserted, but didn't act on the component. We should should also test that when a user interacts with the component by clicking the "increment" and "decrement" buttons that the value of count changes.

I want to pause here, though.

You'll notice that we're talking about how a user would interact with the component, and not technical, React-specific concepts.

You can do a well-written, comprehensive test for our Stepper component by approaching this test as a user would.

Don't think about data, methods, or props. Think solely about the UI and use your test to automate what you would naturally do as a user.

You'll test the component thoroughly without getting bogged down in details. All that matters is that if the developer uses the component with a given API, the end-user will be able to use it as expected.

Now, let's test the Stepper component! Add the following tests:

1. You can increment and decrement the stepper

it('when the increment button is pressed, the counter is incremented', () => {
  // Arrange
  cy.mount(<Stepper />)
  // Act
  cy.get(incrementSelector).click()
  // Assert
  cy.get(counterSelector).should('have.text', '1')
})

it('when the decrement button is pressed, the counter is decremented', () => {
  // Arrange
  cy.mount(<Stepper />)
  // Act
  cy.get(decrementSelector).click()
  // Assert
  cy.get(counterSelector).should('have.text', '-1')
})

2. Next, run through the behavior of the Stepper as a user would. There is duplication of coverage here -- but that's okay because it exercises the component in a more real-world usage. This test is more likely to fail if there are any issues in the component, not just with specific buttons or text rendered.

it('when clicking increment and decrement buttons, the counter is changed as expected', () => {
  cy.mount(<Stepper initial={100} />)
  cy.get(counterSelector).should('have.text', '100')
  cy.get(incrementSelector).click()
  cy.get(counterSelector).should('have.text', '101')
  cy.get(decrementSelector).click().click()
  cy.get(counterSelector).should('have.text', '99')
})

Learn More

The Introduction to Cypress guide goes deeper into how to write tests with Cypress.

What's Next?

We're going to emit a custom event from our Stepper component and learn how to test that it was called.