TidGi-Desktop/docs/Testing.md

Testing Guide

Testing guide for TidGi-Desktop using Vitest + React Testing Library for unit tests and Playwright + Cucumber for E2E tests.

Quick Start

# Run all tests
pnpm test

# Run unit tests only
pnpm test:unit

# Run E2E tests (requires prepare packaged app, but only when you modify code in ./src) Don't need to run this if you only modify .feature file or step definition ts files.
pnpm run test:prepare-e2e
# (When only modify tests in ./features folder, and you have packaged app before, only need to run this.)
pnpm test:e2e
# Or run a specific e2e test by using same `@xxx` as in the `.feature` file.
pnpm test:e2e --tags="@smoke"
# Or run a single e2e test by `--name`
pnpm test:e2e --name "Wiki-search tool usage" # Not `-- --name` , and not `name`, is is just `--name` and have "" around the value, not omitting `--name`
# Don't directly concat filename after pnpm test:e2e, only unit test can do that, e2e test can't.

# Run with coverage
pnpm test:unit -- --coverage

# Run a single test file to reduce execution time when fixing an issue.
pnpm test:unit src/services/agentDefinition/__tests__/responsePatternUtility.test.ts

# Start packed e2e electron app manually to see what's going on as a human (AI agent is not allowed to run this, can only run commands above)
cross-env NODE_ENV=test pnpm dlx tsx ./scripts/start-e2e-app.ts

Except for above parameters, AI agent can't use other parameters, otherwise complex shell command usage or parameters will require human approval and may not passed.

Long running script

prepare and test may run for a long time. Don't execute any shell command like echo "waiting" or Start-Sleep -Seconds 5;, they are useless, and only will they interrupt the command. You need to check active terminal output in a loop until you see it is truly done.

Project Setup

Test Configuration: TypeScript-first with vitest.config.ts

• Unit tests: Vitest + React Testing Library + jsdom
• E2E tests: Playwright + Cucumber
• Coverage: HTML reports in coverage/

Related file structure:

src/
├── __tests__/           # Global test setup & utilities
├── components/*/
│   └── __tests__/       # Component tests
└── services/*/
    └── __tests__/       # Service tests

features/                # E2E tests
├── *.feature           # Gherkin scenarios
├── stepDefinitions/    # Playwright implementations
└── supports/           # Test utilities

out/                    # `test:prepare-e2e` Bundled production app to test
userData-test/           # User setting folder created during `test:e2e`
userData-dev/           # User setting folder created during `start:dev`
wiki-test/           # containing wiki folders created during `test:e2e`
wiki-dev/           # containing wiki folders created during `start:dev`

Writing Unit Tests

Code here are truncated or shorten. You should always read actuarial test file to learn how to write.

Component Testing Best Practices

// Use semantic queries and user-event for realistic interactions
import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';

describe('WorkspaceSelector', () => {
  it('should switch to Help page when clicking Help workspace', async () => {
    const user = userEvent.setup();
    render(<WorkspaceSelector />);

    // Wait for async content to load
    expect(await screen.findByText('Guide Page Content')).toBeInTheDocument();

    // Use realistic user interactions
    const helpText = await screen.findByText('Help');
    await user.click(helpText);

    // Assert on user-visible changes
    expect(await screen.findByText('Help Page Content')).toBeInTheDocument();
  });
});

Effective Mocking

// Mock complex components simply
vi.mock('../ComplexComponent', () => ({
  default: () => <div data-testid='complex-component'>Mocked Component</div>,
}));

// Test-specific data for current test file
const workspacesSubject = new BehaviorSubject([
  { id: 'test-workspace', name: 'Test Wiki' },
]);

// Override global observables for this test
Object.defineProperty(window.observables.workspace, 'workspaces$', {
  value: workspacesSubject.asObservable(),
  writable: true,
});

Global Mock Management

Centralize common mocks in src/__tests__/__mocks__/ directory, and import them in src/__tests__/setup-vitest.ts:

• Services from window APIs (window.service, window.remote, window.observables) and container APIs (@services/container) are now mocked in src/__tests__/__mocks__/window.ts 和 services-container.ts
• Common libraries (react-i18next in react-i18next.ts, logger in services-log.ts)

Most of services should be in these mock files. Only mock specific small set of service API in new test files if needed.

Override in test files only when you need test-specific data:

// Only override what's specific to this test
Object.defineProperty(window.observables.workspace, 'workspaces$', {
  value: testSpecificWorkspaces$.asObservable(),
  writable: true,
});

This keeps tests focused and reduces duplication across test files.

Async Testing Patterns

// Use findBy* for elements that appear asynchronously
expect(await screen.findByText('Loading complete')).toBeInTheDocument();

// Use waitForElementToBeRemoved for disappearing elements
await waitForElementToBeRemoved(() => screen.queryByText('Loading...'));

// Avoid unnecessary waitFor - prefer findBy*
// ❌ Don't do this
await waitFor(() => {
  expect(screen.getByText('Content')).toBeInTheDocument();
});

// ✅ Do this instead
expect(await screen.findByText('Content')).toBeInTheDocument();

// Handle async component initialization to avoid act(...) warnings
// ✅ Create helper that waits for async loading
const renderComponent = async () => {
  const result = render(<AsyncComponent />);
  await waitFor(() => {
    expect(screen.queryByText('Loading')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
  });
  return result;
};

// ✅ Use in tests
it('should test feature after loading', async () => {
  await renderComponent();
  // Now safe to test without act warnings
});

// ✅ For loading state tests, wait after assertion
it('should show loading initially', async () => {
  render(<AsyncComponent />);
  expect(screen.getByText('Loading')).toBeInTheDocument();

  // Wait for completion to prevent warnings in subsequent async updates
  await waitFor(() => {
    expect(screen.queryByText('Loading')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
  });
});

Writing E2E Tests

Feature File Example

# features/agent.feature
Feature: Agent Workflow
  Background:
    Given I launch the TidGi application
    And I wait for the page to load completely

  @agent
  Scenario: Complete agent workflow
    # Use generic steps for common UI interactions
    When I click on a "settings button" element with selector "#open-preferences-button"
    When I switch to "preferences" window
    When I type "TestProvider" in "provider name input" element with selector "[data-testid='new-provider-name-input']"
    # ... more generic steps
    Then I should see 4 messages in chat history

Step Definitions Architecture

The E2E testing framework uses a World-based architecture with Playwright + Cucumber:

// features/stepDefinitions/application.ts - Generic application steps
export class ApplicationWorld {
  app: ElectronApplication | undefined;
  // ...
}

// Generic step definitions you usually must reuse.
When('I click on a(n) {string} element with selector {string}', async function(elementComment: string, selector: string) {
  // ...
});

// Don't define specific step only for you own use, that would be selfish.
When('(Dont do this) I click on a specific button and wait for 2 seconds.', async function() {
  // Strictly forbidden.
});

Key E2E Testing Patterns

1. Window Management: Use getWindow() with retry logic for reliable window switching
2. Generic Steps: Reusable steps for common UI interactions with descriptive selectors
3. Domain Steps: Specific steps for complex workflows (like agent conversations)
4. Mock Services: Use tagged cleanup for feature-specific resources
5. Streaming Support: Special handling for real-time updates in chat interfaces
6. Don't think about adding new step definitions or change timeout duration, unless human ask you to do. You should always reuse existing steps, and debug the fundamental reason that causes timeout. Timeout usually because of expected element not percent.
7. If you forget to run pnpm run test:prepare-e2e after modify code in ./src folder, you may find expected elements missing.
8. Usually don't need to add wait time, because most check already will wait for a while. Should use exact test-id to wait internal steps, and test-id should contribute larger than 2 second waiting, otherwise it is useless.

Testing Library Best Practices

Important Testing Rules:

• Do NOT simplify tests - write comprehensive, professional unit tests
• Can add test-ids when accessibility queries aren't practical
• Do NOT be lazy - fix ALL tests until pnpm test:unit passes completely
• Do NOT summarize until ALL unit tests pass
• Focus on professional, fix all seemly complex unit tests before moving to E2E

Query Priority (use in this order)

1. Accessible queries - getByRole, getByLabelText, getByPlaceholderText
2. Semantic queries - getByAltText, getByTitle
3. Test IDs - getByTestId (when accessibility queries aren't practical)

Async Patterns

• Use findBy* instead of getBy* + waitFor
• Use user-event instead of fireEvent for realistic interactions
• Wait for initial async state in beforeEach to avoid act() warnings

Common Antipatterns to Avoid

// ❌ Testing implementation details
expect(component.state.isLoading).toBe(false);

// ✅ Testing user-visible behavior
expect(screen.queryByText('Loading...')).not.toBeInTheDocument();

// ❌ Using act() wrapper unnecessarily
act(() => {
  fireEvent.click(button);
});

// ✅ Using proper async testing
const user = userEvent.setup();
await user.click(button);

// ❌ Not handling async component initialization
render(<AsyncComponent />);
expect(screen.getByText('Content')).toBeInTheDocument(); // May cause act warnings

// ✅ Wait for async initialization to complete
const renderAsync = async () => {
  const result = render(<AsyncComponent />);
  await waitFor(() => expect(screen.queryByText('Loading')).not.toBeInTheDocument());
  return result;
};

For complete Testing Library guidance, see Testing Library docs.

Viewing e2e tests

We check isTest when xxxWindow.show(), so it won't popup while testing. You can clear the desktop windows so you can see it.

Log

When AI is fixing issues, you can let it add more logs for troubleshooting, and then show the latest test log files or dev log files to the AI. Of course, it's best to run tests using pnpm test:unit, as it's fast and can be automated by AI without manual intervention. The logs should also be visible in the test, just change the mock of logger to use console log, and run a single test to get minimal logs.

If you want to send frontend log to the log file, you can't directly use import { logger } from '@services/libs/log'; you need to use void window.service.native.log('error', 'Renderer: xxx', { ...additionalMetadata });. Otherwise you will get Can't resolve 'os' error

Only use VSCode tool to read file. Don't ever use shell command to read file. Use shell command to read file may be immediately refused by user, because he don't want to manually approve shell commands.

User profile

When running tests — especially E2E or other tests that start an Electron instance — the test runner will set Electron's userData to userData-test. This ensures the test process uses a separate configuration and data directory from any development or production TidGi instance, and prevents accidental triggering of Electron's single-instance lock.

• src/constants/appPaths.ts: in test mode we call app.setPath('userData', path.resolve(sourcePath, '..', 'userData-test')) to redirect settings and cache.
• src/helpers/singleInstance.ts: the main process uses app.requestSingleInstanceLock() to enforce single-instance behavior; without a separate userData directory, a running local TidGi could conflict with test instances and cause one of them to exit.

For this reason, test workflows in this project (for example when running pnpm test:e2e or CI integration tests) need to do with cross-env NODE_ENV=test so it creates isolate state in userData-test.

Errors

close timed out after 10000ms / FILEHANDLE (unknown stack trace)

This happens because Electron/Vitest child processes do not inherit the ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE environment variable, so resources cannot be cleaned up and handles leak.

Do not set ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE in vitest.config.ts via process.env.ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE = 'true' — this only affects the main process, not child processes.

Always use cross-env in your test script. For example:

cross-env ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE=1 pnpm exec ./node_modules/.bin/electron ./node_modules/vitest/vitest.mjs run

Or run manually in shell: $env:ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE=1; pnpm run test:unit

We use ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE to solve native modules (like better-sqlite3) being compiled for the wrong Node.js version, see the section in ErrorDuringStart.md.

Module did not self-register: '/home/runner/work/TidGi-Desktop/TidGi-Desktop/node_modules/better-sqlite3/build/Release/better_sqlite3.node'

May needs pnpm exec electron-rebuild -f -w better-sqlite3.

An update to Component inside a test was not wrapped in act(...)

This warning occurs when React components perform asynchronous state updates during test execution. Common causes:

• Components with useEffect that fetch data on mount
• Async API calls that update component state
• Timers or intervals that trigger state changes
• RxJS Observable subscriptions that trigger state updates

Solution: Wait for async operations to complete using helper functions:

// Create async render helper
const renderAsyncComponent = async () => {
  const result = render(<AsyncComponent />);
  // Wait for loading to complete
  await waitFor(() => {
    expect(screen.queryByText('Loading')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
  });
  return result;
};

// Use in tests
it('should test feature', async () => {
  await renderAsyncComponent();
  // Now safe to interact without warnings
});

// For tests that trigger state updates, wait for UI to stabilize
it('should update when data changes', async () => {
  render(<Component />);
  
  // Trigger update
  someObservable.next(newData);
  
  // Wait for UI to reflect the change
  await waitFor(() => {
    expect(screen.getByText('Updated Content')).toBeInTheDocument();
  });
});

Avoid explicitly using act() - React Testing Library handles most cases automatically when using proper async patterns.

Critical: To avoid act warnings with RxJS Observables:

1. Never call .next() on BehaviorSubject during test execution - Set all data before rendering
2. Don't trigger Observable updates via mocked APIs - Test the component's configuration, not the full update cycle
3. For loading state tests - Unmount immediately after assertion to prevent subsequent updates
4. Follow the Main component test pattern - Create Observables at file scope, never update them in tests

Example of correct Observable testing:

// ❌ Wrong: Updating Observable during test
it('should update when data changes', async () => {
  render(<Component />);
  preferencesSubject.next({ setting: false }); // This causes act warnings!
  await waitFor(...);
});

// ✅ Correct: Observable created at file scope, never updated
const preferencesSubject = new BehaviorSubject({ setting: true });

describe('Component', () => {
  it('should render correctly', async () => {
    const { unmount } = render(<Component />);
    expect(screen.getByText('Content')).toBeInTheDocument();
    // Optional: unmount() if testing transient state
  });
});

E2E test open production app

See User profile section above, we need to set NODE_ENV as test to open with correct profile.

This is done by using EnvironmentPlugin in webpack.plugins.js. Note that EsbuildPlugin's define doesn't work, it won't set env properly.

E2E test hang, and refused to exit until ctrl+C

Check features/stepDefinitions/application.ts to see if After step includes all clean up steps, like closing all windows instances before closing the app, and stop all utility servers.

Global shortcut not working

See src/helpers/testKeyboardShortcuts.ts