UI Tests Bypassing Quasar Datetime Pickers By Manipulating Vue Data Directly
Hey guys! Today, we're diving deep into a fascinating discussion about how our UI tests currently interact with Quasar datetime pickers. Specifically, we're talking about why our Playwright tests bypass the UI components and manipulate Vue data directly, and what the implications are. We'll explore the benefits and drawbacks of this approach, and discuss a potential shift towards a more user-centric testing strategy. Let's get started!
The Current Implementation: Direct Vue Data Manipulation
Currently, our UI tests use a clever trick to set dates and times within our Quasar datetime pickers. Instead of interacting with the UI elements like a user would, we're directly manipulating the underlying Vue data. Think of it as going behind the scenes and changing the variables that control the picker's state. This is achieved using page.evaluate()
in Playwright, which allows us to execute JavaScript code within the browser context. Let's break down how this works and why it might be a double-edged sword.
// Bypass UI - set Vue data directly
await page.evaluate(({ field, value }) => {
const vueEl = document.querySelector('#vue');
const vueInstance = vueEl.__vnode?.component;
if (vueInstance && vueInstance.data && vueInstance.data.formDialog) {
vueInstance.data.formDialog.data[field] = value;
}
}, { field: 'end_datetime', value: '2025-10-01 15:30' });
This snippet of code essentially finds the Vue instance, navigates to the relevant data within the component (in this case, formDialog
), and directly sets the end_datetime
field to a specific value. This method is fast and reliable, ensuring that our tests execute quickly and consistently. We're essentially skipping the entire UI interaction process, which can be prone to timing issues and flakiness. Moreover, this approach is relatively simple to maintain, as the code is straightforward and doesn't require complex UI interaction logic. The great thing is that it tests the data layer and form submission logic effectively, ensuring that the correct data is being processed and submitted.
However, the key question here is: are we really testing the UI? While we're verifying the data flow, we're not actually interacting with the Quasar datetime picker components as a user would. This leads us to the desired implementation and its potential advantages.
The Desired Implementation: Interacting with Quasar UI Components
Now, let's imagine a different scenario. What if our tests were to mimic a real user's interaction with the datetime picker? This means clicking the calendar icon, navigating through the months and years, selecting a date, clicking the time icon, choosing the hours and minutes, and finally, clicking the "Close" button. This is what we call a user-centric testing approach, and it offers a whole new perspective on our testing strategy.
This approach would involve a series of steps, meticulously simulating the actions a user would take:
- Clicking the calendar icon to open the QDate picker.
- Navigating the calendar to select the desired date. This might involve clicking on arrows to move between months and years.
- Clicking the time icon to open the QTime picker.
- Selecting the desired hours and minutes within the time picker.
- Clicking the "Close" button (or a similar confirmation button) to dismiss the picker and apply the selected date and time.
Why is this so important? Because it allows us to test the actual user experience. By interacting with the UI components directly, we can uncover potential issues that might be missed by simply manipulating the data. This leads us to the benefits of this desired approach.
Benefits of Each Approach: A Comparative Look
To truly understand the implications of our current and desired testing strategies, let's compare the benefits of each approach side-by-side. This will help us weigh the pros and cons and make informed decisions about our future testing efforts.
Benefits of Current Approach (Direct Vue Data Manipulation)
- Fast and reliable test execution: As mentioned earlier, bypassing the UI makes our tests run incredibly fast and consistently. We eliminate the potential for timing issues and UI-related flakiness.
- No flakiness from timing issues: UI interactions can be unpredictable. Elements might not load in time, animations might interfere, and so on. By bypassing the UI, we avoid these headaches.
- Simple to maintain: The code for directly manipulating Vue data is relatively straightforward, making it easier to understand, modify, and maintain.
- Tests the data layer and form submission logic: This approach excels at verifying that the correct data is being set and submitted, ensuring the core functionality of our forms.
Benefits of Desired Approach (Interacting with Quasar UI Components)
- Tests the actual user experience: This is the most significant advantage. We're ensuring that the datetime picker works as expected from the user's perspective.
- Catches UI component bugs: By interacting with the UI, we can uncover bugs within the Quasar datetime picker components themselves, such as incorrect display, broken navigation, or accessibility issues.
- Validates picker accessibility: A crucial aspect of modern web development is ensuring accessibility. UI-based testing allows us to verify that the picker is usable by people with disabilities, such as those using screen readers.
- Tests interaction patterns users will actually use: We're mimicking real user behavior, which provides a more realistic assessment of the application's usability.
As you can see, each approach has its strengths. The current method prioritizes speed and reliability, while the desired method prioritizes user experience and UI component integrity. So, where do we go from here?
Affected Test Files: A Practical Perspective
To put things into perspective, let's identify the specific test files that are currently using the direct data manipulation technique. This will give us a clearer picture of the scope of the potential changes. The affected test files are:
tests/ui/crud/create-minutely-allowance.js
tests/ui/crud/create-hourly-allowance.js
tests/ui/crud/update-allowance.js
These files are all related to CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations for allowances, which heavily rely on the datetime picker for setting start and end dates and times. This means that any changes to our testing strategy will directly impact these tests.
Notes: Prioritization and Related Issues
It's important to note that this issue is currently considered low priority. This doesn't mean it's not important, but rather that our current implementation is working well, and all tests are passing. We can afford to address this later when we have more time to dedicate to implementing proper Quasar component interaction in Playwright.
This issue is also related to a previous discussion about the Quasar datetime picker implementation (#22). This highlights the ongoing efforts to refine and improve our use of the Quasar framework.
Conclusion: A Balanced Approach to UI Testing
So, what's the takeaway from all of this? Should we abandon our current approach and switch to UI-based testing? Not necessarily. The ideal solution likely lies in a balanced approach. We can leverage the speed and reliability of direct data manipulation for core data validation, while also incorporating UI-based tests to ensure a smooth and user-friendly experience.
This might involve a phased approach, where we gradually introduce UI interaction into our tests, starting with the most critical user flows. We could also consider using a combination of techniques, such as using direct data manipulation for initial setup and then switching to UI interaction for specific scenarios.
The key is to continuously evaluate our testing strategy and adapt it to meet the evolving needs of our application and our users. By understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each approach, we can make informed decisions that lead to a more robust and reliable testing process.
What do you guys think? How should we approach this? Let's continue the discussion and share our ideas! Remember, the goal is to create high-quality software that provides value to our users, and effective testing is a crucial part of that journey. Thanks for reading!