author-e2e-tests

name	author-e2e-tests
description	This skill should be used when writing, debugging, or maintaining Playwright e2e tests for Positron. Load this skill when creating new test files, adding test cases, fixing flaky tests, or understanding the test infrastructure.

Positron Playwright E2E Testing

Purpose

Provides specialized knowledge and patterns for writing correct, reliable Playwright e2e tests that follow Positron's established conventions and avoid common mistakes.

When to Use This Skill

Load this skill when:

• Creating new e2e test files
• Adding test cases to existing test files
• Debugging flaky or failing tests
• Understanding the test fixture system
• Working with page objects
• Choosing correct selectors and assertions

Critical: Test File Structure

Every test file MUST follow this structure:

import { test, expect, tags } from '../_test.setup';

// REQUIRED: Each test file needs a unique suiteId
test.use({
	suiteId: __filename
});

test.describe('Feature Name', {
	tag: [tags.WEB, tags.WIN, tags.CRITICAL, tags.FEATURE_TAG]
}, () => {

	test.beforeEach(async function ({ app }) {
		// Optional setup for each test
	});

	test.afterEach(async function ({ app, hotKeys }) {
		// Cleanup after each test
		await hotKeys.closeAllEditors();
	});

	test('Test description', async function ({ app, python }) {
		// Test implementation
	});
});

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS:

1. Import from ../_test.setup - NOT from @playwright/test
2. Set suiteId: __filename - Required for app isolation
3. Use function syntax for tests (not arrow functions) - Required for fixtures
4. Add appropriate tags for platform filtering

Quick Reference: Available Fixtures

Fixture	Use Case
app	Access workbench page objects: app.workbench.console, etc.
page	Direct Playwright page access: page.getByLabel(...)
python	Auto-start Python interpreter before test
r	Auto-start R interpreter before test
sessions	Manual session management: await sessions.start('python')
executeCode	Execute code: await executeCode('Python', 'print("hi")');
openFile	Open file: await openFile('workspaces/test/file.py');
hotKeys	Keyboard shortcuts: await hotKeys.closeAllEditors();
settings	Change settings: await settings.set({ 'key': value });

See references/fixtures.md for complete fixture documentation.

Quick Reference: Page Objects

Access via app.workbench.*:

const { console, variables, dataExplorer, plots, notebooks, sessions } = app.workbench;

// Execute code
await console.executeCode('Python', 'x = 1');

// Wait for content
await console.waitForConsoleContents('expected text');

// Variable interaction
await variables.doubleClickVariableRow('df');

// Data explorer
await dataExplorer.grid.verifyTableData([{ col: 'value' }]);

See references/page-objects.md for complete page object documentation.

Quick Reference: Assertions

// Visibility with timeout
await expect(locator).toBeVisible({ timeout: 30000 });

// Text content
await expect(locator).toHaveText('expected');
await expect(locator).toContainText('partial');

// Count
await expect(locator).toHaveCount(3, { timeout: 15000 });

// Retry pattern for flaky operations
await expect(async () => {
	await someAction();
	await expect(resultLocator).toBeVisible();
}).toPass({ timeout: 15000 });

See references/assertions.md for complete assertion patterns.

Quick Reference: Test Tags

Feature tags (what the test covers):

• tags.CONSOLE, tags.DATA_EXPLORER, tags.NOTEBOOKS, tags.PLOTS, tags.VARIABLES
• tags.CRITICAL - High priority tests

Platform tags (where the test runs):

• tags.WEB - Enable web browser testing
• tags.WIN - Enable Windows testing
• Default: Linux/Electron only

test.describe('Console Tests', {
	tag: [tags.WEB, tags.WIN, tags.CRITICAL, tags.CONSOLE]
}, () => { ... });

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Critical (will break tests):

1. Wrong imports - use ../_test.setup, not @playwright/test
2. Missing suiteId - must have test.use({ suiteId: __filename })
3. Arrow functions - use function syntax, not async ({ app }) =>
4. Missing platform tags - add tags.WEB, tags.WIN for cross-platform

Quality issues: 5. No timeout on assertions - use { timeout: 30000 } for async operations 6. No test.step() - wrap complex multi-action sequences for better reports

See references/common-mistakes.md for 26 detailed gotchas with code examples.

Running Tests

# Run specific test file
npx playwright test <test-name>.test.ts --project e2e-electron

# Run all tests in a category
npx playwright test test/e2e/tests/<category>/

# Run with specific tags
npx playwright test --grep @:critical

# Run in headed mode (see browser)
npx playwright test --headed

# Run with debug mode
npx playwright test --debug

# Show test report
npx playwright show-report

Progressive Documentation

For detailed information, read the bundled reference docs:

• references/test-setup.md - How to configure the local machine environment to run tests
• references/test-structure.md - Complete test file structure and organization
• references/fixtures.md - All available fixtures and their usage
• references/page-objects.md - Page object patterns and available POMs
• references/assertions.md - Assertion patterns and waiting strategies
• references/common-mistakes.md - Comprehensive list of gotchas to avoid

Key Architecture Principles

1. Worker-scoped app - One app instance per test file (suite)
2. Test-scoped fixtures - page, sessions, etc. fresh per test
3. Page Object Model - UI interactions wrapped in POMs via app.workbench.*
4. Tag-based filtering - Tests tagged for platform and feature filtering
5. Automatic cleanup - Tracing, screenshots attached on failure

Getting Help

1. Look at existing tests in test/e2e/tests/<feature>/ for patterns
2. Check page object source in test/e2e/pages/ for available methods
3. Read test/e2e/tests/_test.setup.ts for fixture definitions
4. Use --debug flag to step through tests interactively