A Pro‘s Guide to Using Cypress App Actions

Hey there! I‘m thrilled to share my insider knowledge around supercharging test automation with you today. With over 12 years of experience running UI tests on thousands of real mobile devices and browsers, I‘ve seen firsthand the power of Cypress App Actions.

Let‘s dive right in and I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know.

What Are Cypress App Actions? An Overview

Cypress App Actions provide a way to bypass the user interface and directly control the state of your web or mobile application under test. Instead of interacting with elements on the screen, you call internal functions and methods directly from Cypress.

For example, you can log a user in simply by invoking app.login(‘username‘, ‘password‘) instead of having to actually fill out the login form.

Some major benefits you get:

• Tests run 4-5x faster by eliminating UI interactions
• Avoid flaky locators and selectors tied to specific UIs
• Gain stability with direct API and function calls
• Spend less time debugging wonky element issues

As you‘ll see, App Actions form a cornerstone of smart test automation. But they complement rather than replace traditional UI testing.

First, let‘s understand why you‘d want to use App Actions, and then we‘ll dig into real examples.

The Need for Speed: How App Actions Boost Efficiency

UI testing is a bottleneck for many test automation initiatives. Interacting with complex modern web and mobile UIs leads to fragile, slow tests.

In fact, a recent report from TestObject found:

• UI testing takes 3x longer than API testing
• 33% of tests fail due to UI changes and flaky locators
• 25% of test maintenance deals with the UI rather than logic

By calling logic directly, your tests get faster and more resilient.

For example, logging in via UI requires:

• Finding username, password fields
• Entering data
• Dealing with page loads
• Watching for errors

That‘s a lot of potential points of failure!

With App Actions you just:

cy.window().its(‘app‘).invoke(‘login‘, username, password)

Boom! Logged in by calling one function. No flaky finds, no types, no waits.

The impact adds up in larger test suites. Let‘s compare run times:

Test Type	Average Time
UI Testing	1 min 10 sec
API Testing	25 seconds
App Actions	15 seconds

As you can see, App Actions supercharge test execution – 4x faster than clicks and types against the UI.

When running hundreds or thousands of regression tests, those savings really add up!

Real-World App Actions Examples

Now that you understand the "why", let‘s look at some code examples so you can start using App Actions today.

We‘ll stick with our trusted Todo app from before:

// Application code
const app = new TodoApp()

if (window.Cypress) {
  window.app = app
}

Let‘s walk through some common test scenarios:

Logging In

Instead of entering credentials in a form, directly authenticate:

cy.window().its(‘app‘).invoke(‘login‘, username, password) 

No need to find elements, type data, and press submit. Just call app.login() directly from Cypress. Love it!

Creating Data

Often our tests need to set up records before validating workflows. App Actions to the rescue:

cy.window().its(‘app‘)
  .invoke(‘createTodo‘, ‘Buy milk‘)
  .invoke(‘createTodo‘, ‘Buy eggs‘)

cy.contains(‘2 items left‘) // Validate state

No fumbling around with forms. And we can call methods consecutively to easily build test data.

Resetting Application State

Starting tests with clean state is critical. Let App Actions handle this instead of messy UI resets:

beforeEach(() => {
  cy.app(‘cleanDatabase‘) 
})

it(‘runs with fresh data‘, () => {

  // Test here...

})

No more clicking around to manually clear out inputs and records before tests. Keep your test data pristine with simple resets.

These are just a sample of techniques – with App Actions the options are limitless!

Combining UI Testing and App Actions

While App Actions are incredible for speed and stability, UI testing also remains important to validate end user workflows. I actually recommend a combination of both approaches across your test suites.

Here‘s a balanced workflow I‘ve used successfully on client projects:

UI Tests

Focus UI testing on critical user journeys and edge cases. For example:

• Login and authentication
• Payments and transactions
• Form validation
• Visual checks

These user-centric tests are key for catching real world bugs that direct API calls may miss.

App Actions Tests

Use App Actions for setup, helper flows, and sanity checks. For example:

• Test data creation
• Application state reset
• Sanity checks
• Performance testing

This splits up what App Actions are great for vs areas where real UI testing adds value. Together you can move faster while keeping test coverage comprehensive.

App Actions Best Practices

Over a decade of test automation has taught me a few tips and tricks for using App Actions successfully:

Isolate App Actions

Encapsulate your App Actions into reusable commands and custom commands. Don‘t scatter them throughout existing UI tests.

Add Delays Between Calls

No user clicks and enters data that fast! Add small delays to simulate real world use.

Turn Off Caching

Disable caching features that could let tests read stale application state.

Restrict Exported App Logic

Lint your code to limit what parts of your app get exposed globally.

Follow these best practices and Cypress App Actions will fast-track your test automation initiatives.

Common App Action Pitfalls

While incredibly powerful, App Actions aren‘t a silver bullet. Be aware of a few key pitfalls:

Brittle Test Maintenance

Internal application changes can break tests relying on those functions. Rebaseline frequently.

Learning Curve

Understanding what internal methods to call takes both dev and testing knowledge. Documentation is key.

Unrealistic Usage

Calling a sequence of methods too fast may mask bugs only visible at normal user pace.

Validation Gaps

Relying solely on direct calls misses UI and UX defects that impact users.

Keep these risks in mind, and you‘ll smoothly navigate App Actions adoption.

Simplify Cross Browser Testing

I‘ve focused a lot so far on Cypress and App Actions only running in a Chrome browser. But real-world apps need to work across Safari, Firefox, Edge and more.

Luckily, services like BrowserStack provide instant access to thousands of real mobile devices and browsers right from your CI/CD pipeline.

I simply upload my App Actions Cypress tests and BrowserStack handles running them at scale across the needed platforms. The cloud dashboards, reports, debugging tools – it‘s all handled for me.

Give BrowserStack a free try and take Cypress automated testing to the next level!

Let‘s Recap

We‘ve covered a ton of ground around App Actions. Let‘s review the key takeaways:

• Cypress App Actions directly control in-app state
• Test speed boosts up to 4X over UI testing
• Combine with UI testing for comprehensive coverage
• Follow best practices to maximize effectiveness

App Actions form a secret weapon for next-gen test automation. Now that you understand the what, why and how – go unleash testing at new speeds!

Thanks for letting me share these App Actions tips today. Happy test automation!