Playwright Test Generation

Playwright Test Generation

Purpose

Generate production-quality Playwright automated test scripts for the Talosix EDC platform. Tests follow the Page Object Model pattern, use data-testid selectors, and cover both happy path and error scenarios for clinical trial workflows.

Context: Talosix EDC UI Patterns

The Talosix EDC frontend presents clinical trial-specific UI patterns that require specialized testing approaches:

• CRF Forms: Multi-section forms with conditional fields, repeating groups, edit checks firing on blur/save.
• Validation Messages: Inline field errors, form-level warnings, and query-generating violations.
• E-Signature Dialogs: Modal requiring username + password + meaning selection, per 21 CFR Part 11.
• Audit Trail Viewer: Expandable history panel showing change history for each field.
• Query Panels: Side panels for viewing, responding to, and managing data queries.
• Role-Based UI: Features and actions shown/hidden based on user role and study permissions.
• Data Tables: Paginated, sortable, filterable tables for subjects, visits, queries, etc.
• Wizards: Multi-step configuration wizards for study build.

Workflow

1. Analyze the feature: Read the source code, component files, and/or Jira story to understand the UI behavior.
2. Identify existing page objects: Search the test directory for reusable page objects and utilities.
3. Design test structure: Plan the test file with describe blocks for happy path and error scenarios.
4. Generate page objects (if needed) following the existing POM pattern.
5. Write test cases with proper assertions, waits, and cleanup.
6. Add test data fixtures for deterministic execution.

Project Structure Convention

tests/
  e2e/
    pages/                    # Page Object Models
      login.page.ts
      dashboard.page.ts
      crf-form.page.ts
      query-inbox.page.ts
      subject-list.page.ts
      ...
    fixtures/                 # Test data and setup utilities
      test-data.ts
      auth.setup.ts
      study.setup.ts
    specs/                    # Test specifications
      auth/
        login.spec.ts
        session.spec.ts
      crf/
        data-entry.spec.ts
        edit-checks.spec.ts
      queries/
        query-workflow.spec.ts
      ...
    utils/                    # Shared helpers
      api-helpers.ts
      date-helpers.ts
      wait-helpers.ts

Before generating, use Glob and Grep to discover the actual project structure and conventions.

Page Object Model Pattern

Every page object must follow this structure:

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

export class CrfFormPage {
  readonly page: Page;

  // Locators -- always use data-testid
  readonly formTitle: Locator;
  readonly saveButton: Locator;
  readonly submitButton: Locator;
  readonly fieldError: (fieldName: string) => Locator;
  readonly formField: (fieldName: string) => Locator;

  constructor(page: Page) {
    this.page = page;
    this.formTitle = page.getByTestId('crf-form-title');
    this.saveButton = page.getByTestId('crf-save-btn');
    this.submitButton = page.getByTestId('crf-submit-btn');
    this.fieldError = (fieldName: string) =>
      page.getByTestId(`field-error-${fieldName}`);
    this.formField = (fieldName: string) =>
      page.getByTestId(`field-${fieldName}`);
  }

  async navigate(subjectId: string, visitId: string, formId: string) {
    await this.page.goto(
      `/subjects/${subjectId}/visits/${visitId}/forms/${formId}`
    );
    await this.formTitle.waitFor({ state: 'visible' });
  }

  async fillField(fieldName: string, value: string) {
    const field = this.formField(fieldName);
    await field.clear();
    await field.fill(value);
    // Trigger blur to fire edit checks
    await field.blur();
  }

  async save() {
    await this.saveButton.click();
    await this.page.getByTestId('save-confirmation').waitFor({
      state: 'visible',
    });
  }

  async expectFieldError(fieldName: string, message: string) {
    await expect(this.fieldError(fieldName)).toHaveText(message);
  }

  async expectNoFieldError(fieldName: string) {
    await expect(this.fieldError(fieldName)).not.toBeVisible();
  }
}

Page Object Rules

• All selectors use data-testid attributes. Never use CSS classes, tag names, or XPath for primary selectors.
• Use getByTestId(), getByRole(), getByLabel(), and getByText() in order of preference.
• Encapsulate navigation, actions, and assertions as page object methods.
• Page objects do not contain test logic (no test() blocks).
• Return this from action methods to allow chaining where appropriate.
• Include waitFor calls inside page object methods so tests do not need manual waits.

Test File Pattern

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
import { CrfFormPage } from '../pages/crf-form.page';
import { LoginPage } from '../pages/login.page';
import { testData } from '../fixtures/test-data';

test.describe('CRF Data Entry - Lab Values', () => {
  let crfForm: CrfFormPage;

  test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
    // Authentication via stored state or API setup
    const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
    await loginPage.loginAs(testData.users.siteCoordinator);

    crfForm = new CrfFormPage(page);
    await crfForm.navigate(
      testData.subjects.subject001,
      testData.visits.visit2,
      testData.forms.labResults
    );
  });

  test.describe('Happy Path', () => {
    test('should save valid lab values', async () => {
      await crfForm.fillField('hemoglobin', '14.5');
      await crfForm.fillField('wbc', '7.2');
      await crfForm.save();

      await crfForm.expectNoFieldError('hemoglobin');
      await crfForm.expectNoFieldError('wbc');
    });

    test('should display saved values on form reopen', async ({ page }) => {
      await crfForm.fillField('hemoglobin', '14.5');
      await crfForm.save();

      // Reopen
      await crfForm.navigate(
        testData.subjects.subject001,
        testData.visits.visit2,
        testData.forms.labResults
      );
      await expect(crfForm.formField('hemoglobin')).toHaveValue('14.5');
    });
  });

  test.describe('Error Scenarios', () => {
    test('should show validation error for out-of-range value', async () => {
      await crfForm.fillField('hemoglobin', '99.9');
      await crfForm.expectFieldError(
        'hemoglobin',
        'Value outside expected range (12.0 - 17.5 g/dL)'
      );
    });

    test('should prevent save with required field empty', async () => {
      await crfForm.fillField('hemoglobin', '');
      await crfForm.save();
      await crfForm.expectFieldError('hemoglobin', 'This field is required');
    });

    test('should reject non-numeric input', async () => {
      await crfForm.fillField('hemoglobin', 'abc');
      await crfForm.expectFieldError(
        'hemoglobin',
        'Please enter a valid number'
      );
    });
  });
});

Clinical Trial UI Testing Patterns

E-Signature Testing

async signRecord(username: string, password: string, meaning: string) {
  await this.page.getByTestId('sign-btn').click();
  await this.page.getByTestId('esig-dialog').waitFor({ state: 'visible' });
  await this.page.getByTestId('esig-username').fill(username);
  await this.page.getByTestId('esig-password').fill(password);
  await this.page.getByTestId('esig-meaning').selectOption(meaning);
  await this.page.getByTestId('esig-confirm').click();
  await this.page.getByTestId('esig-dialog').waitFor({ state: 'hidden' });
}

Test scenarios for e-signatures:

• Successful signature with valid credentials.
• Rejected signature with wrong password.
• Signature invalidated after record modification.
• Signature meaning recorded in audit trail.
• Concurrent signature attempt by another user.

Audit Trail Verification

async verifyAuditEntry(fieldName: string, expectedValues: {
  user: string;
  action: string;
  oldValue?: string;
  newValue: string;
}) {
  await this.page.getByTestId(`audit-toggle-${fieldName}`).click();
  const auditPanel = this.page.getByTestId(`audit-panel-${fieldName}`);
  await auditPanel.waitFor({ state: 'visible' });

  const latestEntry = auditPanel.getByTestId('audit-entry').first();
  await expect(latestEntry.getByTestId('audit-user')).toContainText(expectedValues.user);
  await expect(latestEntry.getByTestId('audit-action')).toContainText(expectedValues.action);
  await expect(latestEntry.getByTestId('audit-new-value')).toContainText(expectedValues.newValue);

  if (expectedValues.oldValue) {
    await expect(latestEntry.getByTestId('audit-old-value')).toContainText(expectedValues.oldValue);
  }
}

Query Workflow Testing

async openQuery(fieldName: string, queryText: string) {
  await this.page.getByTestId(`query-icon-${fieldName}`).click();
  await this.page.getByTestId('query-panel').waitFor({ state: 'visible' });
  await this.page.getByTestId('query-text-input').fill(queryText);
  await this.page.getByTestId('query-submit-btn').click();
  await expect(this.page.getByTestId('query-status')).toHaveText('Open');
}

Data Table Testing

async verifyTableRow(rowIndex: number, expectedData: Record<string, string>) {
  const row = this.page.getByTestId('data-table-row').nth(rowIndex);
  for (const [column, value] of Object.entries(expectedData)) {
    await expect(row.getByTestId(`cell-${column}`)).toHaveText(value);
  }
}

async sortByColumn(columnName: string) {
  await this.page.getByTestId(`column-header-${columnName}`).click();
}

async filterTable(filterField: string, filterValue: string) {
  await this.page.getByTestId(`filter-${filterField}`).fill(filterValue);
  await this.page.getByTestId('apply-filter-btn').click();
  // Wait for table to reload
  await this.page.getByTestId('table-loading').waitFor({ state: 'hidden' });
}

Role-Based Access Testing

test.describe('Role-Based Access', () => {
  test('site user cannot access data manager functions', async ({ page }) => {
    const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
    await loginPage.loginAs(testData.users.siteCoordinator);

    // Verify restricted nav items are not visible
    await expect(page.getByTestId('nav-db-lock')).not.toBeVisible();
    await expect(page.getByTestId('nav-data-export')).not.toBeVisible();

    // Verify direct URL access is blocked
    await page.goto('/admin/database-lock');
    await expect(page.getByTestId('access-denied')).toBeVisible();
  });
});

Test Data Management

// fixtures/test-data.ts
export const testData = {
  users: {
    siteCoordinator: { username: 'site_coord_01', password: 'TestPass123!', role: 'Site Coordinator' },
    cra: { username: 'cra_01', password: 'TestPass123!', role: 'CRA' },
    dataManager: { username: 'dm_01', password: 'TestPass123!', role: 'Data Manager' },
  },
  subjects: {
    subject001: 'SUBJ-001',
    subject002: 'SUBJ-002',
  },
  visits: {
    screening: 'SCR',
    visit1: 'V1',
    visit2: 'V2',
  },
  forms: {
    demographics: 'DM',
    labResults: 'LB',
    adverseEvents: 'AE',
  },
} as const;

• Use deterministic test data, never random values.
• Clean up test data in afterEach or use isolated test contexts.
• Use API calls in beforeAll/beforeEach for fast setup instead of UI-driven setup.
• Store authentication state to avoid repeated login flows.

Selector Strategy

Priority order for selectors:

1. data-testid -- primary strategy, most stable.
2. getByRole() -- for accessible elements (buttons, links, headings).
3. getByLabel() -- for form fields with proper labels.
4. getByText() -- for static text content, use sparingly.

Never use:

• CSS class selectors (brittle, change with styling).
• XPath (hard to maintain).
• nth-child or positional selectors without testid context.

When generating tests, if a data-testid is not found in the source code, note it as a required addition and use the expected testid name following the convention: [component]-[element]-[qualifier].

Guidelines

• Use async/await consistently. Never use .then() chains.
• Prefer expect auto-retrying assertions over manual waitFor + assert.
• Set reasonable timeouts for clinical operations that may be slow (e.g., form save, data export).
• Group related tests in describe blocks.
• Each test must be independent. Use beforeEach for setup, not test order dependency.
• Include test.describe.configure({ mode: 'serial' }) only when tests genuinely depend on shared state (rare).
• Add JSDoc comments to page object methods describing the clinical workflow context.
• Tag tests with annotations: test('name', { tag: ['@smoke', '@regression', '@regulatory'] }, ...).