E2E Testing with Playwright and BasePage

VerifiedSafe

Write E2E tests using Playwright and the BasePage pattern for page objects.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
TestingIntermediate
107/23/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurfCopilotCodex
#e2e-testing#playwright#page-object-model#test-automation

Recommended for

Our review

This skill describes best practices for writing E2E tests with Playwright using the BasePage pattern, a page hierarchy, and centralized test context.

Strengths

  • Centralizes common UI interactions in BasePage, reducing duplication
  • Robust handling of loading states, modals, and API waits
  • Test context with user factory simplifies test data setup and cleanup

Limitations

  • Requires familiarity with Playwright and the Page Object Model
  • Does not cover cross-browser or advanced parallel execution
  • Assumes a specific project structure with extended fixtures
When to use it

When you need to write or maintain reliable E2E tests for a web application with a consistent page object architecture.

When not to use it

For simple unit or integration tests, or if the project does not use Playwright and the BasePage pattern.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score90/100

This skill provides documentation and code examples for writing Playwright E2E tests. It contains no executable instructions, dangerous commands, or data exfiltration risks. It is purely an informational guide.

No concerns found

Examples

Create a new page object
Create a new page object for the profile settings page following the BasePage pattern. Include locators for name, email, and save button, and methods for updating the profile and asserting success toast.
Write an E2E test for login
Write an E2E test that verifies a user can log in with Google OAuth, using the LoginPage page object and TestContext for user creation.
Add a wait for network request
In the BasePage, add a method to wait for a specific API response and use it in a test that submits a form and waits for the server confirmation.

E2E Testing Skill

When writing E2E/client tests for this codebase, follow the established patterns using Playwright and the BasePage pattern.

Overview

  • Framework: Playwright E2E tests (tests/e2e/*.e2e.spec.ts)
  • Pattern: Enhanced Page Object Model with BasePage class
  • Test Context: TestContext - centralized resource management
  • Fixtures: Extended Playwright fixtures in tests/test-fixtures.ts

Directory Structure

tests/
├── e2e/              # End-to-end browser tests (.e2e.spec.ts)
├── pages/            # Page object models
│   └── BasePage.ts   # Base class with common UI patterns
├── helpers/
│   └── TestContext.ts # User factory and cleanup
└── test-fixtures.ts  # Playwright fixture extensions

BasePage Pattern

All page objects extend BasePage for common functionality:

import { BasePage } from '@tests/pages/BasePage';

export class LoginPage extends BasePage {
  // Locators
  get googleSignInButton(): Locator {
    return this.page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Continue with Google' });
  }

  get emailInput(): Locator {
    return this.page.getByPlaceholder(/email/i);
  }

  // Actions
  async openLoginModal(): Promise<void> {
    await this.signInButton.click();
    await this.waitForModal();
  }

  async fillLoginForm(email: string, password: string): Promise<void> {
    await this.fillField(/email/i, email);
    await this.fillField(/password/i, password);
  }

  async submitForm(): Promise<void> {
    await this.clickButton('Sign In');
  }

  // Assertions
  async assertModalVisible(): Promise<void> {
    await expect(this.modal).toBeVisible();
  }
}

BasePage Available Methods

Navigation

await page.goto('/'); // Navigate to path
await page.waitForURL('/dashboard'); // Wait for URL

Modal Handling

await this.waitForModal(); // Wait for modal to appear
await this.closeModal(); // Close active modal
await this.clickModalButton('Submit'); // Click button in modal

Toast/Notifications

await this.waitForToast('Success!'); // Wait for toast with text
await this.dismissToast(); // Dismiss active toast

Loading States

await this.waitForLoadingComplete(); // Wait for page load
await this.waitForAuthLoadingComplete(); // Wait for auth load

Network Handling

await this.waitForApiResponse('/api/user'); // Wait for API response
await this.waitForApiRequest('/api/upscale'); // Wait for API request

Form Helpers

await this.fillField(/email/i, 'test@example.com');
await this.selectOption(/country/i, 'United States');

Accessibility

await this.checkBasicAccessibility(); // Basic a11y checks
await this.checkAriaLabels(); // Verify ARIA labels

Writing E2E Tests

Basic Test Structure

import { test, expect } from '@tests/e2e/fixtures';
import { LoginPage } from '@tests/pages/LoginPage';

test.describe('Authentication', () => {
  test('should show login form when clicking sign in', async ({ page }) => {
    const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
    await loginPage.goto('/');
    await loginPage.openLoginModal();
    await loginPage.assertModalVisible();
  });
});

TestContext Setup

import { TestContext } from '@tests/helpers/TestContext';

let ctx: TestContext;

test.beforeAll(async () => {
  ctx = new TestContext();
});

test.afterAll(async () => {
  await ctx.cleanup();
});

User Factory

// Simple user
const user = await ctx.createUser();

// Fluent builder API
const user = await ctx.createUser().withSubscription('active', 'pro').withCredits(500).build();

// Preset configurations
const proUser = await ctx.userFactory.proUser(500);
const businessUser = await ctx.userFactory.businessUser(1000);

Common E2E Test Patterns

Form Submission

test('should submit login form', async ({ page }) => {
  const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
  await loginPage.goto('/');

  await loginPage.openLoginModal();
  await loginPage.fillLoginForm('user@example.com', 'password123');
  await loginPage.submitForm();

  await loginPage.waitForToast('Welcome back!');
});

Navigation

test('should navigate to dashboard', async ({ page }) => {
  const dashboardPage = new DashboardPage(page);
  await dashboardPage.goto('/');
  await dashboardPage.clickNavLink('Dashboard');
  await dashboardPage.waitForURL('/dashboard');
});

Loading States

test('should show loading state during upload', async ({ page }) => {
  const uploadPage = new UploadPage(page);
  await uploadPage.goto('/upload');

  await uploadPage.uploadImage(testImage);
  await uploadPage.waitForLoadingComplete();

  await expect(uploadPage.resultPreview).toBeVisible();
});

Network Requests

test('should handle API errors gracefully', async ({ page }) => {
  const uploadPage = new UploadPage(page);

  // Intercept and mock API response
  await page.route('**/api/upscale', route =>
    route.fulfill({ status: 500, body: '{"error":"Server error"}' })
  );

  await uploadPage.goto('/upload');
  await uploadPage.uploadImage(testImage);

  await uploadPage.waitForToast('Something went wrong');
});

Keyboard Navigation

test('should handle keyboard navigation properly', async ({ page }) => {
  const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
  await loginPage.goto('/');
  await loginPage.openLoginModal();

  await page.keyboard.press('Tab');
  await expect(loginPage.emailInput).toBeFocused();

  await page.keyboard.press('Tab');
  await expect(loginPage.passwordInput).toBeFocused();
});

Accessibility Testing

Always include accessibility checks in E2E tests:

test('should have proper accessibility attributes', async ({ page }) => {
  const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
  await loginPage.goto('/');
  await loginPage.openLoginModal();

  // Check basic accessibility
  await loginPage.checkBasicAccessibility();

  // Check ARIA labels
  await loginPage.checkAriaLabels();
});

Manual Accessibility Checks

test('should be keyboard accessible', async ({ page }) => {
  const page = new BasePage(page);
  await page.goto('/');

  // Test Tab navigation
  await page.keyboard.press('Tab');
  // Verify focus indicator visible
});

test('should have proper ARIA labels', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');

  const button = page.getByRole('button', { name: /submit/i });
  await expect(button).toHaveAttribute('aria-label', 'Submit form');
});

Mobile Testing

The Playwright config includes mobile device projects. Tests automatically run on:

  • Desktop (chromium)
  • Mobile iPhone (iPhone 12)
  • Mobile Android (Pixel 5)
  • Tablet (iPad)

Write mobile-specific tests:

test.describe('Mobile Navigation', () => {
  test('should show hamburger menu on mobile', async ({ page }) => {
    // This test runs on mobile devices
    const nav = new Navigation(page);
    await nav.goto('/');

    await expect(nav.hamburgerMenu).toBeVisible();
    await nav.openMobileMenu();
    await expect(nav.mobileMenuItems).toBeVisible();
  });
});

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Fragile Selectors

Bad: Text-based selectors break easily

await page.click('Submit');

Good: Role-based selectors

await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();

Good: Test IDs (most stable)

await page.getByTestId('submit-button').click();

2. Hardcoded Waits

Bad: Fixed timeouts are flaky

await page.waitForTimeout(2000);

Good: Wait for specific condition

await page.waitForURL('/dashboard');
await expect(element).toBeVisible();
await this.waitForLoadingComplete();

3. Not Cleaning Up

Always clean up test data:

let ctx: TestContext;

test.beforeAll(async () => {
  ctx = new TestContext();
});

test.afterAll(async () => {
  await ctx.cleanup(); // Don't forget this!
});

4. Skipping Accessibility

Don't skip accessibility checks:

test('should work', async ({ page }) => {
  // Missing accessibility checks!
  await page.goto('/');
});

test('should work with accessibility', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  await new BasePage(page).checkBasicAccessibility();
});

5. Ignoring Mobile

Don't only test desktop - tests run on all devices:

// This runs on desktop AND mobile/tablet
test('should work on all devices', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  // Test works on all screen sizes
});

Best Practices

Test Naming

  • Use descriptive names: "should show login form when clicking sign in"
  • Group by feature: test.describe('Authentication')
  • Test user flows: "should complete checkout flow"

Page Object Structure

export class FeaturePage extends BasePage {
  // Locators (getters for lazy evaluation)
  get element(): Locator {
    return this.page.locator('...');
  }

  // Actions (async methods)
  async doSomething(): Promise<void> {}

  // Assertions (async methods with 'assert' prefix)
  async assertSomething(): Promise<void> {
    await expect(this.element).toBeVisible();
  }
}

Selector Priority

  1. Test IDs - Most stable: getByTestId()
  2. Role + Name - Semantic: getByRole('button', { name })
  3. Labels/Placeholders - Form inputs: getByPlaceholder(), getByLabel()
  4. Text - Only when necessary: getByText()
  5. CSS - Last resort: locator()

Testing Commands

# Run all E2E tests
yarn test:e2e

# Run specific test file
yarn test:e2e tests/e2e/auth.e2e.spec.ts

# Playwright UI mode (interactive)
yarn test:e2e:ui

# Debug mode with inspector
yarn test:e2e:debug

# Run on specific device
yarn test:e2e --project=mobile-iphone

# Full verification suite
yarn verify

Before Finishing

  1. Write tests for your changes following the patterns above
  2. Run tests: yarn test:e2e
  3. Check accessibility: Include checkBasicAccessibility() in relevant tests
  4. Run verify: yarn verify (required before completing any task)

Key Files to Reference

  • tests/pages/BasePage.ts - Base class with common UI patterns
  • tests/helpers/TestContext.ts - User factory and cleanup
  • tests/test-fixtures.ts - Playwright fixture extensions
  • tests/e2e/fixtures.ts - Reusable test fixtures
  • playwright.config.ts - Playwright configuration (devices, projects)
Related skills