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What challenges do we face when testing multiple tabs in Cypress?

Often when performing automated testing with Cypress, we encounter the challenge of handling the behavior when a web application opens new links in different browser tabs. This usually happens when an HTML link has a target="_blank" attribute, which typically opens the link in a new tab or window. Cypress, for security reasons, runs the tests within a single tab, which can complicate testing applications that rely on this behavior. However, there is a trick we can use to avoid this behavior by keeping everything within the Cypress context.

How to control the opening of new tabs in Cypress tests?

To handle this particular case, we can modify the link behavior before Cypress triggers it. The strategy is to use the invoke method to remove the target attribute from the links.

cy.get('selector').invoke('removeAttr', 'target').click();

With this code snippet, what we do is select the link and use the invoke method to remove the target attribute. Thus, we ensure that the link is opened in the same tab as the application we are testing, and we can continue to validate the functionality without leaving the Cypress context.

How to properly configure the test environment?

Before implementing the above solution, it is critical that our test environment is properly configured. This includes making sure you have Cypress installed and updated. Occasionally, if an installation error occurs, the error message provided is usually descriptive and guides us on how to resolve it.

In the event that running Cypress detects that some installation is missing, the error usually mentions the need to reinstall Cypress. Regularly, this is because the machine's cache has been cleared and some files needed for execution have been lost. Here's how to do it in general:

1. Check to see if you receive a message that requires reinstallation.
2. Follow the instructions in the error to reinstall.
3. Validate that everything works before testing.

Navigability testing within the same window

Once we have our configuration ready, we can proceed with the tests. By operating within the Cypress context and having controlled the opening of new tabs, we can perform additional validations such as verifying the presence of certain elements or validating the expected behavior when interacting with the application.

It is important to always remember to run only the tests relevant to the changes we make, to avoid confusion and ensure that the test is actually running as expected.

By applying this knowledge, users will benefit by getting more robust and secure tests within the environment that Cypress provides. These tips not only improve testing efficiency, but also provide an additional layer of security and control over how our scripts interact with the browser. Keep learning and optimizing your approach to automated testing!