Writing Tests
Working with Elements
Click, type, read text, assert visibility, and interact with form controls safely.
Documentation goal: this page is written as practical product documentation, with enough context to help a real QA engineer decide how to use the feature in a maintainable test suite.
Common interactions
Most tests need a small set of operations: open a page, click a control, type text, wait for an outcome, read visible text, and assert state. Keeping interactions simple makes tests easier to maintain.
Form controls
Use visible labels when filling forms. This makes the test read like the form itself and catches user-facing label changes that may matter for accessibility or product copy.
Stable waits
Wait for a meaningful state, not a fixed delay. Waiting for visible text or a specific element is more reliable than sleeping for an arbitrary number of milliseconds.
await orbit.click('Create project');
await orbit.type('Project name', 'Release smoke test');
await orbit.click('Save');
await orbit.waitForText('Release smoke test');
expect(await orbit.exists('Release smoke test')).toBe(true);Practical checklist
- Keep the workflow readable enough that a QA engineer, developer, or product teammate can understand the intent without opening application source code.
- Prefer user-visible names, stable configuration, and clear evidence over hidden assumptions or brittle implementation details.
- Run the smallest useful check locally before adding it to CI, then verify that failures produce screenshots, logs, traces, or reports that explain what happened.
- Review this part of the suite regularly so outdated examples, stale setup, and obsolete workarounds do not reduce trust in the automation.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not add automation only to increase test count. Each page and test should protect a clear user journey, release risk, or debugging need.
- Do not hide important behavior inside helpers so deeply that the test no longer explains what the user is doing.
- Do not rely on fixed sleeps when the application can expose a meaningful ready state such as visible text, URL change, element availability, or completed evidence capture.
- Do not ignore failing artifacts. A report, screenshot, trace, or log entry should feed back into better product code, better waits, or clearer test data setup.
Was this page useful?
Your response is saved in this browser and helps shape the docs experience.