# Automated Tests

Automated Tests can be added to your scenarios to verify they are working as expected. Each time the scenario is changed, the tests are re-run and the results displayed in the dashboard.

# Cypress

https://www.cypress.io/ is a complete end-to-end testing experience which can be used to verify that the Katacoda scenarios are working as expected.

You can learn more about Cypress at https://docs.cypress.io/guides/overview/why-cypress.html

# Cypress Test Helpers

A collection of Cypress test helpers have been created to take the heavy lifting out of creating tests for your scenarios. These helpers capture the core functionality required to

Function Details Example
startScenario Trigger the start of the scenario navigation. This will automatically go to the scenario being tested on Katacoda cy.startScenario()
terminalType Type and execute commands within the Terminal cy.terminalType("uname");
terminalShouldContain Asset the terminal commands certain text cy.terminalShouldContain('Linux');
contains Asset the scenario steps contains certain text cy.contains('Start Scenario');
editFile Open a file in the editor cy.editFile('app.js')
writeToEditor Use the editor to write to a file cy.writeToEditor('Start Scenario');

These helpers can be combined with the built-in functionality of Cypress to meet your requirements. More details of the built-in helpers can be found at https://docs.cypress.io/api/api/table-of-contents.html

# Creating The First Test

  1. Within the scenario you want to test, add a folder called .cypress.
  2. Create a file with the suffix _spec.js such as test1_spec.js. This will contain your Cypress tests you want to run. Katacoda supports splitting your tests over multiple files but subdirectories are not supported.
  3. Create your Cypress test using the helpers above. Ensure that cy.startScenario() is called to load your scenario.
  4. Commit the test to Git and push to the remote Git Repository to trigger Katacoda re-processing.
  5. Visit the Dashboard to view the results.

A complete example can be found at https://github.com/katacoda/scenario-examples/tree/main/automatedtest

# Example

Below is an example of a test to verify the Katacoda scenario.

describe('My First Test', () => {
  before(() => {
    cy.startScenario() // This would automatically go to the scenario being tested. Without this the test will fail.
  });

  it('finds the content "Start Scenario"', () => {
    cy.contains('Start Scenario');
  });

  it('finds can run commands', () => {
    cy.terminalType("uname");

    cy.terminalShouldContain('Linux');
  })
})

A complete example can be found at https://github.com/katacoda/scenario-examples/tree/main/automatedtest

More examples of using Cypress can be found at https://docs.cypress.io/examples/examples/recipes.html#Fundamentals

# View Results

The results of the test execution can be viewed in the Dashboard at https://dashboard.katacoda.com/content/testruns. From the dashboard, you can also re-run all of your tests at once.

Katacoda Testruns Dashboard

When you go into the testruns logs you will see the output from Cypress execution so if a failure happens, you will be able to debug the issue.

Katacoda Testruns Logs

# Under the Covers

What is happening under the covers? See the video of a test execution below.

This is happening on every change to make sure your scenarios and environments are ready for your learners.