Test Generator Skill

Purpose

Generate production-ready Playwright E2E tests from natural language specifications or requirements. Creates TypeScript test files following best practices including data-testid locators, proper async/await usage, test isolation, and the AAA (Arrange-Act-Assert) pattern.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Create new E2E tests from user stories or requirements
• Generate test files for new features or pages
• Convert manual test cases into automated tests
• Scaffold a complete test suite for a new application
• Create tests with proper fixtures and configuration

Do NOT use this skill when:

• You need to debug existing tests (use test-debugger skill)
• You want to refactor or maintain existing tests (use test-maintainer skill)
• You need to create Page Object Models (use page-object-builder skill)

Prerequisites

Before using this skill:

1. Playwright should be installed in the project (npm install -D @playwright/test)
2. Basic understanding of the application under test (URLs, main flows)
3. Knowledge of what functionality needs to be tested
4. Access to the application's UI or design documentation

Instructions

Step 1: Gather Test Requirements

Ask the user for:

• Feature/functionality to test
• User flow or scenario description
• Expected outcomes (what should happen)
• Test data requirements (if any)
• Page URL(s) involved in the test
• Data-testid values (or offer to suggest them based on element purpose)

Step 2: Analyze and Plan

Review the requirements and:

• Break down the user flow into discrete steps
• Identify all page elements that need interaction
• Determine what assertions are needed
• Plan the test structure (setup, actions, verifications)
• Identify any fixtures or utilities needed

Step 3: Generate Test File

Create a TypeScript test file with:

File Structure:

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('Feature Name', () => {
  test('should <specific behavior>', async ({ page }) => {
    // Arrange: Setup

    // Act: Perform actions

    // Assert: Verify results
  });
});

Required Elements:

• Descriptive test names (what behavior is tested)
• Proper async/await usage
• data-testid locators ONLY
• Explicit waits (waitForSelector, waitForLoadState)
• Clear assertions with expect()
• Comments for AAA sections
• TypeScript types

Locator Strategy (MANDATORY):

// ✅ CORRECT: Always use data-testid
await page.locator('[data-testid="submit-button"]').click();
await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="success-message"]')).toBeVisible();

// ❌ WRONG: Never use CSS selectors, XPath, or text selectors
await page.locator('.submit-btn').click(); // NO
await page.locator('//button[@type="submit"]').click(); // NO
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click(); // NO

Step 4: Add Configuration (if needed)

If this is the first test, generate playwright.config.ts:

• Base URL configuration
• Timeout settings (30s default)
• Retry logic (2 retries for flaky tests)
• Screenshot on failure
• Trace on first retry
• Parallel execution settings

Step 5: Include Fixtures (if needed)

For complex setups, create custom fixtures:

import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';

type MyFixtures = {
  authenticatedPage: Page;
};

export const test = base.extend<MyFixtures>({
  authenticatedPage: async ({ page }, use) => {
    // Setup: login
    await page.goto('/login');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="username"]').fill('testuser');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="password"]').fill('password');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="login-button"]').click();
    await page.waitForURL('/dashboard');

    await use(page);

    // Teardown (if needed)
  },
});

Step 6: Validate Generated Test

Ensure the test includes:

• Descriptive test name
• Proper test.describe grouping
• Only data-testid locators
• No hardcoded waits (no page.waitForTimeout())
• Explicit waits for elements
• Clear AAA structure
• TypeScript types
• Meaningful assertions
• Comments for complex logic

Step 7: Provide Usage Instructions

Tell the user:

• Where the test file was created
• How to run the test: npx playwright test <filename>
• How to run in debug mode: npx playwright test --debug <filename>
• How to view traces: npx playwright show-trace trace.zip
• What data-testid values need to be added to the UI (if suggesting new ones)

Examples

Example 1: Simple Login Test

Input: "Create a test for the login flow. User enters username and password, clicks login button, and should see the dashboard."

Output:

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('Authentication', () => {
  test('should successfully login with valid credentials', async ({ page }) => {
    // Arrange: Navigate to login page
    await page.goto('/login');
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="login-form"]')).toBeVisible();

    // Act: Enter credentials and submit
    await page.locator('[data-testid="username-input"]').fill('testuser@example.com');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="password-input"]').fill('SecurePass123');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="login-button"]').click();

    // Assert: Verify successful login
    await page.waitForURL('/dashboard');
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="dashboard-header"]')).toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="user-welcome"]')).toContainText('Welcome');
  });
});

Required data-testid values:

• login-form - The login form container
• username-input - Username/email input field
• password-input - Password input field
• login-button - Submit button
• dashboard-header - Dashboard page header
• user-welcome - Welcome message element

Example 2: E-commerce Product Purchase

Input: "Test the product purchase flow: search for 'laptop', select first result, add to cart, checkout, and verify order confirmation."

Output:

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('E-commerce Purchase Flow', () => {
  test('should complete product purchase from search to confirmation', async ({ page }) => {
    // Arrange: Navigate to homepage
    await page.goto('/');
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="search-bar"]')).toBeVisible();

    // Act: Search for product
    await page.locator('[data-testid="search-input"]').fill('laptop');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="search-button"]').click();
    await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');

    // Act: Select first product
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="product-card"]').first()).toBeVisible();
    await page.locator('[data-testid="product-card"]').first().click();

    // Act: Add to cart
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="add-to-cart-button"]')).toBeEnabled();
    await page.locator('[data-testid="add-to-cart-button"]').click();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="cart-count"]')).toContainText('1');

    // Act: Proceed to checkout
    await page.locator('[data-testid="cart-icon"]').click();
    await page.locator('[data-testid="checkout-button"]').click();

    // Act: Fill checkout form
    await page.locator('[data-testid="shipping-name"]').fill('John Doe');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="shipping-address"]').fill('123 Main St');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="shipping-city"]').fill('New York');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="shipping-zip"]').fill('10001');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="payment-card"]').fill('4242424242424242');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="payment-expiry"]').fill('12/25');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="payment-cvc"]').fill('123');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="place-order-button"]').click();

    // Assert: Verify order confirmation
    await page.waitForURL(/\/order\/confirmation/);
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="order-success-message"]')).toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="order-number"]')).toContainText(/ORD-\d+/);
  });
});

Example 3: Form Validation Test

Input: "Create a test for contact form validation. Test that empty fields show error messages."

Output:

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('Contact Form Validation', () => {
  test('should display validation errors for empty required fields', async ({ page }) => {
    // Arrange: Navigate to contact page
    await page.goto('/contact');
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="contact-form"]')).toBeVisible();

    // Act: Submit form without filling any fields
    await page.locator('[data-testid="submit-button"]').click();

    // Assert: Verify error messages appear
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="name-error"]')).toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="name-error"]')).toContainText('Name is required');

    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="email-error"]')).toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="email-error"]')).toContainText('Email is required');

    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="message-error"]')).toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="message-error"]')).toContainText('Message is required');

    // Act: Fill fields correctly
    await page.locator('[data-testid="name-input"]').fill('John Doe');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="email-input"]').fill('john@example.com');
    await page.locator('[data-testid="message-input"]').fill('Hello, this is a test message.');

    // Assert: Verify errors disappear
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="name-error"]')).not.toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="email-error"]')).not.toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="message-error"]')).not.toBeVisible();

    // Act: Submit form
    await page.locator('[data-testid="submit-button"]').click();

    // Assert: Verify success
    await expect(page.locator('[data-testid="success-message"]')).toBeVisible();
  });
});

Best Practices

Test Structure

1. One scenario per test: Each test should verify one specific behavior
2. Descriptive names: Use "should [expected behavior]" format
3. AAA pattern: Always follow Arrange-Act-Assert structure
4. Independent tests: Tests should not depend on each other
5. Clean state: Each test should start with a clean state (use fixtures)

Locators

1. data-testid ONLY: Never use CSS selectors, XPath, or text-based locators
2. Semantic naming: Use descriptive testid names (e.g., "submit-button" not "btn1")
3. Stable locators: data-testid values should not change with UI updates
4. Unique identifiers: Each testid should be unique on the page

Async/Await

1. Always await: Every Playwright action should be awaited
2. No hardcoded waits: Use waitForSelector, waitForLoadState, not waitForTimeout
3. Wait for elements: Explicitly wait for elements before interaction
4. Wait for navigation: Use waitForURL after actions that navigate

Assertions

1. Explicit expectations: Use expect() with specific matchers
2. Wait for conditions: Assertions automatically wait (default 5s)
3. Multiple assertions: It's OK to have multiple assertions per test
4. Negative assertions: Use .not.toBeVisible() for negative cases

Error Handling

1. Screenshot on failure: Configure in playwright.config.ts
2. Trace on retry: Enable trace recording for debugging
3. Meaningful errors: Assertions should provide clear error messages
4. Timeout configuration: Set appropriate timeouts (30s default)

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Test Times Out

Problem: Test fails with "Timeout 30000ms exceeded" error

Solutions:

• Add explicit waits before interactions: await page.waitForSelector('[data-testid="element"]')
• Increase timeout for slow operations: { timeout: 60000 }
• Wait for network to be idle: await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle')
• Check if element is actually present in the page
• Verify the data-testid value is correct

Issue 2: Element Not Found

Problem: "Element not found" or "locator.click: Target closed" errors

Solutions:

• Verify the data-testid value matches the HTML attribute
• Add wait before interaction: await expect(locator).toBeVisible()
• Check if element is in a frame/iframe (requires frame handling)
• Ensure page has loaded: await page.waitForLoadState('domcontentloaded')
• Verify element isn't dynamically loaded (wait for it explicitly)

Issue 3: Flaky Tests

Problem: Test passes sometimes but fails randomly

Solutions:

• Remove all page.waitForTimeout() calls (use explicit waits instead)
• Wait for specific conditions, not arbitrary time periods
• Use waitForLoadState('networkidle') for AJAX-heavy pages
• Enable retries in config (2 retries recommended)
• Check for race conditions (multiple elements with same testid)
• Ensure test isolation (clean state between tests)

Issue 4: Wrong Locator Strategy

Problem: Generated test uses CSS selectors or XPath

Solutions:

• ALWAYS use page.locator('[data-testid="element-name"]') format
• Never use page.locator('.class-name') or page.locator('#id')
• Never use page.getByRole(), page.getByText(), or page.getByLabel()
• If data-testid doesn't exist, suggest adding it to the UI code
• Document all required data-testid values for developers

Issue 5: Test Doesn't Match Requirements

Problem: Generated test doesn't fully cover the specified scenario

Solutions:

• Re-read the requirements carefully
• Break down complex flows into smaller steps
• Verify all user actions are included
• Ensure all expected outcomes have assertions
• Ask user for clarification if requirements are ambiguous
• Add comments explaining each step of the test

Resources

The resources/ directory contains templates for common patterns:

• test-template.ts - Basic test file structure
• playwright.config.ts - Recommended Playwright configuration
• fixtures.ts - Custom fixture examples (authentication, data setup)
• utils.ts - Helper functions for common operations