Test Organization

Test Organization Conventions

Apply these rules when writing any new test, structuring test.step calls, naming tests, classifying failures, or splitting oversized test files.

Test Naming Format

Every test name starts with a ticket key followed by a colon and a description:

test('PREFIX-12345: Search users by email', ...);

// Multiple scenarios for one ticket:
test('PREFIX-12345 Scenario 1: Add a user', ...);
test('PREFIX-12345 Scenario 2: Edit a user', ...);
test('PREFIX-12345 Scenario 3: Delete a user', ...);

The PREFIX matches the project's ticket system (configured via the plugin's userConfig.ticketPrefix). Examples: DEVQA-12345, JIRA-12345, LIN-12345, GH-12345.

test.describe Naming

• If the file covers one ticket, use the ticket key: test.describe('PREFIX-12345', ...)
• If the file covers a feature area spanning multiple tickets, describe the behavior under test: test.describe('Users grid filters', ...)
• Never copy a defect title verbatim into test.describe. Defect titles usually say "X is broken" — describe what should happen, not what shouldn't.

Gherkin Step Structure (mandatory)

Every test uses test.step with Gherkin keywords:

test('PREFIX-12345: Add a user', async ({ usersPage, userEditPage, newDescription }) => {
  await test.step('Given User on the Users page', async () => {
    // Empty body acceptable when beforeEach handled the precondition
  });
  await test.step('When User clicks Add New', async () => {
    await usersPage.addUserButton.click();
  });
  await test.step('And populates required fields', async () => {
    await userEditPage.emailInput.fill(`${newDescription}@example.com`);
  });
  await test.step('And saves the record', async () => {
    await userEditPage.saveAndClose();
  });
  await test.step('Then the record is displayed in the grid', async () => {
    await usersPage.verifyExists(`${newDescription}@example.com`);
  });
});

Gherkin Keywords

Rules

• Exactly one When per test. Each test verifies one behavior.
• User is referred to as "User" — never "a user", "the user", "I", "you", "we".
• Empty Given body is acceptable when beforeEach covers the precondition. Keep the step for documentation visibility.
• Step text comes verbatim from the ticket. No paraphrasing.
• Cleanup step is named just "Cleanup" — not "Cleanup: delete the record". Stable across tests.

Cleanup Pattern (try/finally)

Tests that modify data must clean up using try/finally:

test('PREFIX-12345: Add a user', async ({ usersPage, userEditPage, newDescription }) => {
  let cleanupNeeded = false;
  await test.step('When User clicks Add New', async () => {
    await usersPage.addUserButton.click();
  });
  try {
    await test.step('And saves the record', async () => {
      await userEditPage.emailInput.fill(`${newDescription}@example.com`);
      await userEditPage.saveAndClose();
      cleanupNeeded = true;
    });
    await test.step('Then the record is displayed in the grid', async () => {
      await usersPage.verifyExists(`${newDescription}@example.com`);
    });
  } finally {
    if (cleanupNeeded) {
      await test.step('Cleanup', async () => {
        await usersPage.deleteRow(`${newDescription}@example.com`);
      });
    }
  }
});

Cleanup rules

• Use try/finally, not try/catch. catch swallows errors and may skip cleanup.
• cleanupNeeded flag — only run cleanup if the data-modifying step actually succeeded. Prevents double-delete errors when the test fails before saving.
• No cleanup for read-only tests — explicitly documented; do not add empty cleanup blocks.
• Delete tests are self-cleaning — when delete IS the test action, no extra cleanup needed.

File Naming and Limits

• Pattern: ${pageName}-test.spec.ts → users-test.spec.ts, user-edit-test.spec.ts
• Multiple files per feature: add a descriptive suffix → users-crud-test.spec.ts, users-filters-test.spec.ts, users-sorting-test.spec.ts
• Hard limit: 50 tests per file.
• Hard limit: 1200 lines per file.
• Split when either limit is exceeded.

What Belongs Where

If a test needs a helper function, put it on the page object or in the utility module. Never declare function foo() { ... } inside a .spec.ts file.

Suite Tags

Use tags to enable selective execution:

test('PREFIX-12345: Critical path @smoke', async ({ ... }) => { ... });
test('PREFIX-12345: Full coverage @regression', async ({ ... }) => { ... });

Run with:

npx playwright test --grep "@smoke"

Common tags: @smoke, @regression, @critical, @flaky-watch.

Failure Classification

When a test fails, classify it before fixing. Three categories with distinct actions:

test.fail — known app bug

The app is broken; the test correctly catches it.

// Defect: DEFECT-67890
test.fail('PREFIX-12345: User can change email', async ({ ... }) => { ... });

• The test will fail (expected behavior).
• If it unexpectedly passes, either the bug was fixed (remove .fail) or the test is not actually testing what it claims.
• Always include a comment with the defect ticket key. No .fail without a key.

test.fixme — broken test, working app

The test is incorrectly written or the app changed in a way the test didn't catch up to.

test.fixme('PREFIX-12345: User can change email', async ({ ... }) => { ... });

• Create a Fix-me task in the project tracker.
• The test is skipped, but the reason is visible.

test.skip — sparingly

Use only when neither .fail nor .fixme fits, e.g., conditional skipping:

test.skip(!isHosted, 'Hosted-environment-only feature; un-skip when running against hosted env');
test('PREFIX-12345: Hosted-only feature', async ({ ... }) => { ... });

• Always include a comment explaining when this skip should be removed.
• Never use .skip for flaky tests — use .fixme instead, so the issue is tracked.

Parallel Safety

Tests in different files run in parallel; tests within a file run sequentially. Every test must be:

• Idempotent — running it twice produces the same result.
• Independent — does not depend on another test having run first.
• Data-unique — uses unique IDs (via common.randomNumber(), timestamps, or the newDescription fixture) so parallel runs don't collide.

If a suite must run serially, add --workers=1 to its npm script and a comment in playwright.config.ts or the npm script explaining why.

Common Anti-Patterns

Further Reading

• references/test-file-template.ts — copy-paste skeleton for a new test file