How to Effectively Trigger select2 Events in Cypress Testing

Описание: Learn how to successfully trigger select events for `select2` components in Cypress. Solve issues related to dropdown selections that fail to execute event handlers.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/64139572/ asked by the user 'Ray' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/1050303/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/64232539/ provided by the user 'A J' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/9357839/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: cypress and select2 not triggering on select

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Effectively Trigger select2 Events in Cypress Testing

Testing web applications can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when dealing with complex components like select2 dropdowns. If you're using Cypress to automate your testing—particularly for dropdowns powered by jQuery's select2—you might find that selecting an item does not trigger the expected events. In this guide, we'll tackle the issue of Cypress not triggering events after selecting an item from a select2 dropdown and explore effective solutions.

The Problem: Selecting with Cypress Doesn’t Trigger Events

You have a select2 dropdown for your application that works as intended, but when you use Cypress to select an option, the event handlers do not get triggered. This can lead to an incomplete testing scenario where the actions (like updating a data table or UI components) based on the selection do not occur.

Your current Cypress code may look something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

While this code successfully selects an option from your dropdown, it does not trigger the necessary select events that your application relies on. Let's dive into how you can properly trigger these events.

The Solution: Properly Triggering Select Events

To ensure that your application responds correctly after making a selection with Cypress, you need to explicitly trigger the select events that the select2 component requires. Here’s a straightforward method that worked for me:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Solution

Locate the Dropdown: Use Cypress to find the select2 dropdown by its id or class.

For example: # select2-dummy-valuer

Simulate a Click Action: Trigger a click on the dropdown to open it. This is crucial since select2 operates on a custom element rather than a standard select element.

Select the Desired Option: Search through the visible options that select2 renders and click the item you want.

Utilize the contains method to easily find and click the desired option, e.g. foo.

Key Takeaways

Ensure Cypress interacts with custom elements: Directly interacting with the original <select> won’t trigger events in custom dropdowns like select2. Always ensure you’re working with the visible elements.

Be precise with your selectors: Using the exact ids or classes of the dropdown and results container helps avoid errors.

Conclusion

Using select2 in your application provides enhanced UI functionality but can complicate testing processes when using automation tools like Cypress. By following the guidelines outlined here, you can successfully trigger events after making selections in select2 dropdowns and ensure that your application behaves as expected during testing.

Now you're equipped with the knowledge of how to overcome the challenges of testing select2 with Cypress. Happy testing!