Create Regression Test

Create Regression / Smoke Test

Generate a complete test spec with associated test data and fixture integration.

Workflow

1. Determine the feature name from the user's request
2. Determine the suite — regression (default) or smoke
3. Check if a POM exists in e2e/poms/{feature}.page.ts
   • If yes, read its public methods and JSDoc to understand available actions
   • If no, create one first using the create-pom skill
4. Check if test data exists in e2e/test-data/{feature}.json
   • If yes, read and use the existing data shape
   • If no, create the JSON file with template data
5. Check fixtures in e2e/fixtures/base.ts
   • If the feature is not yet registered, add the interface and loader
6. Create the spec file in the appropriate directory
7. Run the test to verify it passes:

   npx playwright test --project="chromium:regression" {feature}.spec.ts
   

Spec File Structure

Every spec follows this exact pattern:

import { test } from '../../fixtures/base';
import { getAuthFilePath } from '../../helpers/env-config';
import { FeaturePage } from '../../poms/feature.page';

const authFile = getAuthFilePath();

test.describe('Feature Name Tests', () => {
    // One-time setup: clean stale data from previous failed runs
    test.beforeAll(async ({ browser }) => {
        const context = await browser.newContext({
            storageState: authFile,
        });
        const page = await context.newPage();
        const pom = new FeaturePage(page);
        await pom.setUp();
        await page.close();
        await context.close();
    });

    test('should create a new item', async ({ page, testData }) => {
        const pom = new FeaturePage(page);
        const item = testData.feature.items[0];

        await pom.navigateToPage();
        await pom.createItem(item.name, item.value);
        await pom.verifyItemExists(item.name);
    });

    test('should edit an existing item', async ({ page, testData }) => {
        const pom = new FeaturePage(page);
        const item = testData.feature.items[0];
        const updated = testData.feature.updatedItem;

        await pom.navigateToPage();
        await pom.createItem(item.name, item.value);
        await pom.editItem(item.name, updated.name, updated.value);
        await pom.verifyItemExists(updated.name);
    });

    test('should delete an item', async ({ page, testData }) => {
        const pom = new FeaturePage(page);
        const item = testData.feature.items[1];

        await pom.navigateToPage();
        await pom.createItem(item.name, item.value);
        await pom.deleteItem(item.name);
        await pom.verifyItemNotExists(item.name);
    });
});

Critical Rules

No Raw Page Calls in Specs

A spec must NEVER call page.getByRole(), page.locator(), page.waitForTimeout(), or any raw Playwright page method. All interaction goes through the POM.

Only acceptable uses of page in a spec:

1. Passing it to the POM constructor: new FeaturePage(page)
2. Creating contexts in beforeAll: browser.newContext() / context.newPage()

Test Independence

• Every test navigates independently via pom.navigateToPage()
• Every test creates its own data — never rely on data from another test
• Tests run in parallel — use unique-suffixed test data to avoid collisions

Custom Test Import

Always import test from the project's custom fixtures:

// CORRECT
import { test } from '../../fixtures/base';

// WRONG — loses access to testData fixture
import { test } from '@playwright/test';

Test Data

JSON File: e2e/test-data/{feature}.json

{
    "items": [
        { "name": "ItemA", "key": "keyA", "value": "some-value" },
        { "name": "ItemB", "key": "keyB", "value": "other-value" }
    ],
    "updatedItem": { "name": "Updated", "value": "new-value" }
}

Rules

• Never hardcode data in spec or POM files
• All string values get unique suffixes automatically via the testData fixture
• Shape the data to match what the POM methods expect as parameters

See references/spec-template.md and references/test-data-template.md for full templates.

beforeAll Cleanup Pattern

The beforeAll block must:

1. Create a new browser context manually (not from the test's page fixture)
2. Load storageState for authentication
3. Instantiate the POM and call setUp()
4. Close the page and context when done

This ensures stale data from previous failed runs is cleaned before any test executes.

File Checklist

When creating a regression/smoke test, you should produce:

• e2e/poms/{feature}.page.ts — POM (create or update)
• e2e/test-data/{feature}.json — Test data
• e2e/fixtures/base.ts — Updated with feature interface and loader (if new feature)
• e2e/tests/regression/{feature}.spec.ts (or tests/smoke/) — Spec file
• All tests are independent and parallel-safe
• No raw page calls in the spec
• No hardcoded test data
• Tests pass on chromium: npx playwright test --project="chromium:regression" {feature}.spec.ts