Testing Library

Testing Library Best Practices

Overview

This skill enforces best practices for unit testing in Expo applications using Jest, @testing-library/react-native, and jest-expo. Tests should be user-centric, accessible, and behavior-focused rather than implementation-focused.

Core Principles

1. Test User Behavior, Not Implementation

Focus on what the component does from a user's perspective, not how it achieves it internally.

// Correct - tests visible behavior
expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Submit" })).toBeEnabled();

// Incorrect - tests implementation details
expect(component.state.isSubmitting).toBe(false);

2. Use Accessible Queries

Queries should reflect how users and assistive technologies interact with the UI.

// Correct - uses accessible role and name
screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i });

// Incorrect - relies on implementation detail
screen.getByTestId("save-btn");

3. One Assertion Per Behavior

Each test should verify one behavior. Multiple assertions are acceptable when verifying different aspects of the same behavior.

// Correct - focused test
test("displays error message when submission fails", async () => {
  render(<Form />);
  await userEvent.press(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Submit" }));
  expect(await screen.findByRole("alert")).toHaveTextContent("Failed");
});

// Incorrect - testing multiple behaviors
test("form works correctly", async () => {
  // Tests validation, submission, success, and error handling...
});

4. Prefer userEvent Over fireEvent

userEvent simulates realistic user interactions including the full event sequence.

// Correct - realistic interaction
const user = userEvent.setup();
await user.press(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Submit" }));

// Less ideal - simplified event
fireEvent.press(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Submit" }));

Query Priority

Choose queries based on accessibility, following this priority order:

For detailed query patterns, see references/query-priority.md.

Async Testing Patterns

Use findBy for Async Assertions

// Correct - waits for element to appear
expect(await screen.findByRole("alert")).toBeOnTheScreen();

// Incorrect - may fail if element appears async
expect(screen.getByRole("alert")).toBeOnTheScreen();

Use waitFor for Side Effects

// Correct - assertion inside waitFor
await waitFor(() => {
  expect(mockCallback).toHaveBeenCalledWith("success");
});

// Incorrect - side effect inside waitFor
await waitFor(() => {
  fireEvent.press(button); // Never do this
});

For comprehensive async patterns, see references/async-patterns.md.

Mocking Patterns

Required Global Mocks

These must be configured in jest/setup-jest.ts:

// AsyncStorage
jest.mock("@react-native-async-storage/async-storage", () =>
  require("@react-native-async-storage/async-storage/jest/async-storage-mock")
);

// Expo Fonts (to avoid async icon assertions)
jest.mock("expo-font", () => ({
  ...jest.requireActual("expo-font"),
  isLoaded: jest.fn(() => true),
}));

For complete mocking patterns, see references/mocking-patterns.md.

Expo Router Testing

Use renderRouter from expo-router/testing-library instead of render when testing components that use Expo Router.

import { renderRouter, screen } from "expo-router/testing-library";

test("navigates to player detail", async () => {
  renderRouter({
    index: () => <PlayerList />,
    "players/[id]": () => <PlayerDetail />,
  });

  await userEvent.press(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "View Player" }));
  expect(screen).toHavePathname("/players/123");
});

For Expo Router testing details, see references/expo-router-testing.md.

Test Structure

File Organization

• Place test files in __tests__/ directories, not alongside source files
• Never place tests inside the app/ directory (Expo Router constraint)
• Use .test.ts or .test.tsx extensions

AAA Pattern

Structure every test with Arrange-Act-Assert:

test("increments counter when button pressed", async () => {
  // Arrange
  const user = userEvent.setup();
  render(<Counter initialCount={0} />);

  // Act
  await user.press(screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Increment" }));

  // Assert
  expect(screen.getByRole("text", { name: "Count: 1" })).toBeOnTheScreen();
});

Descriptive Test Names

Use descriptive names that explain the expected behavior:

// Correct - describes behavior
test("displays validation error when email format is invalid", () => {});
test("disables submit button while form is submitting", () => {});

// Incorrect - vague or implementation-focused
test("email validation works", () => {});
test("sets isSubmitting to true", () => {});

Jest Configuration

Manual React Native Resolution (No Preset)

Lisa configures Jest manually instead of using the jest-expo preset to avoid jsdom incompatibility with react-native/jest/setup.js. The configuration in jest.expo.ts provides haste, resolver, transform, and setupFiles that match the preset's behavior without redefining window.

Use Fake Timers with userEvent

jest.useFakeTimers();

test("handles debounced input", async () => {
  const user = userEvent.setup();
  render(<SearchInput />);

  await user.type(screen.getByRole("textbox"), "query");
  jest.runAllTimers();

  expect(await screen.findByText("Results")).toBeOnTheScreen();
});

Anti-Patterns

Never Test Implementation Details

// Wrong - testing internal state
expect(wrapper.state().isLoading).toBe(true);

// Wrong - testing component methods
expect(wrapper.instance().handleSubmit).toHaveBeenCalled();

// Correct - testing visible behavior
expect(screen.getByRole("progressbar")).toBeOnTheScreen();

Never Use getByTestId as Default

// Wrong - using testID when semantic query exists
screen.getByTestId("submit-button");

// Correct - using accessible query
screen.getByRole("button", { name: "Submit" });

Never Wrap render or fireEvent in act()

// Wrong - unnecessary act wrapper
await act(async () => {
  render(<Component />);
});

// Correct - render already wraps in act
render(<Component />);

Never Put Side Effects in waitFor

// Wrong - side effect in waitFor
await waitFor(() => {
  fireEvent.press(button);
  expect(result).toBeOnTheScreen();
});

// Correct - side effect before waitFor
fireEvent.press(button);
await waitFor(() => {
  expect(result).toBeOnTheScreen();
});

Never Use Multiple Assertions in waitFor

// Wrong - multiple assertions
await waitFor(() => {
  expect(title).toBeOnTheScreen();
  expect(subtitle).toBeOnTheScreen();
  expect(button).toBeEnabled();
});

// Correct - single assertion, chain with findBy
expect(await screen.findByRole("heading")).toBeOnTheScreen();
expect(screen.getByText("Subtitle")).toBeOnTheScreen();
expect(screen.getByRole("button")).toBeEnabled();

Quick Reference

Common Matchers

Query Variants

References

• Query Priority - Detailed query selection guidance
• Async Patterns - Comprehensive async testing patterns
• Mocking Patterns - Common mocking configurations
• Expo Router Testing - Testing with Expo Router

Source: CodySwannGT/lisa — distributed by TomeVault.