React Native Testing Mastery

  • Creating Accessible and Testable Components
  • Utilizing Jest Mock Functions for Effective Testing
  • Emphasizing User Interaction and Behavioral Testing
  • Handling Asynchronous Data Loading in Tests
  • Benefits of Testing the Contract in Component Development

React Native Testing Library offers a robust approach to testing React Native applications, emphasizing accessibility and usability. Components tested using this library are inherently more accessible to users with different abilities. For instance, screen readers, widely used by visually impaired individuals, can effectively interact with components when they are structured with accessibility in mind. To achieve this, developers should add accessibility labels to non-text elements, such as images and SVGs, ensuring that screen readers can describe these elements audibly.

When writing tests, the React Native Testing Library suggests using queries that reflect how users interact with the application. Queries like 'getByText', 'getByLabelText', and 'getByPlaceholder' are prioritized because they simulate user interactions with the app, making tests more realistic and user-centric. This approach ensures that tests are not only validating the code but also confirming the user experience, making applications more inclusive and robust.

One of the key aspects of testing is the ability to mock functions and modules. Jest provides a powerful feature called mock functions, which allow developers to simulate the behavior of real functions in a controlled way. This is particularly useful when testing components that rely on external data or interactions. By using 'jest.fn()', developers can create mock functions to verify that certain functions are called and that they receive the expected arguments. This technique helps isolate the component being tested from external dependencies, ensuring that tests are focused and reliable.

Another critical aspect of testing with React Native Testing Library is handling user interactions. User inputs, such as clicks and text inputs, are considered inputs to the component, similar to props. The library provides the 'fireEvent' API to simulate these interactions within tests. While 'fireEvent' is the primary method used in React Native, the React Testing Library for web applications recommends 'User Event' for more realistic simulations. Unfortunately, 'User Event' is not available for React Native, but 'fireEvent' serves a similar purpose, allowing developers to test how components respond to user actions.

Testing asynchronous data loading, such as API requests, requires careful handling to ensure that tests remain deterministic and reliable. One approach is to mock the API calls using Jest's module mocking capabilities. By intercepting the module responsible for making HTTP requests, developers can simulate responses without relying on actual network calls. This not only speeds up tests but also makes them more reliable by eliminating the variability of network conditions. Developers can use 'jest.mock()' to replace real modules with mock implementations, providing controlled data for tests.

To effectively test asynchronous operations, developers can use the 'findBy' queries provided by React Native Testing Library. These queries wait for elements to appear on the screen, allowing tests to handle asynchronous data updates gracefully. For instance, when testing a component that fetches data on render, developers can use 'findByText' to wait until the expected data appears in the UI, ensuring that the test does not proceed until the component has fully rendered the desired state.

Testing the contract of a component involves focusing on the inputs and outputs rather than the internal implementation details. This approach leads to more maintainable and robust tests. By testing the contract, developers ensure that components behave as expected when given certain inputs, producing the anticipated outputs. Props and user interactions serve as inputs, while rendered UI and function calls are considered outputs. This methodology allows developers to refactor components internally without affecting the tests, as long as the contract remains unchanged.

In conclusion, mastering React Native Testing Library involves understanding the importance of accessibility, utilizing Jest mock functions, and effectively handling user interactions and asynchronous operations. By focusing on testing the contract of a component, developers can ensure that their applications are robust, reliable, and accessible to all users. This approach not only improves the quality of the code but also enhances the overall user experience, making applications more inclusive and user-friendly.

Watch full talk with demos and examples:

From Author:

Are you satisfied with your test suites? If you said no, you’re not alone—most developers aren’t. And testing in React Native is harder than on most platforms. How can you write JavaScript tests when the JS and native code are so intertwined? And what in the world are you supposed to do about that persistent act() warning? Faced with these challenges, some teams are never able to make any progress testing their React Native app, and others end up with tests that don’t seem to help and only take extra time to maintain.


But it doesn’t have to be this way. React Native Testing Library (RNTL) is a great library for component testing, and with the right mental model you can use it to implement tests that are low-cost and high-value. In this three-hour workshop you’ll learn the tools, techniques, and principles you need to implement tests that will help you ship your React Native app with confidence. You’ll walk away with a clear vision for the goal of your component tests and with techniques that will help you address any obstacle that gets in the way of that goal.

you will know:

- The different kinds React Native tests, and where component tests fit in

- A mental model for thinking about the inputs and outputs of the components you test

- Options for selecting text, image, and native code elements to verify and interact with them

- The value of mocks and why they shouldn’t be avoided

- The challenges with asynchrony in RNTL tests and how to handle them

- Options for handling native functions and components in your JavaScript tests


Prerequisites:

- Familiarity with building applications with React Native

- Basic experience writing automated tests with Jest or another unit testing framework

- You do not need any experience with React Native Testing Library

- Machine setup: Node 16.x or 18.x, Yarn, be able to successfully create and run a new Expo app following the instructions on https://docs.expo.dev/get-started/create-a-new-app/

This workshop has been presented at React Advanced 2022, check out the latest edition of this React Conference.

FAQ

React Native Testing Library is a framework that allows you to test React Native components in a way that simulates user interaction as closely as possible, ensuring your tests focus on component behavior rather than implementation details.

You can access the React Native Testing Library repository by visiting the URL provided in the workshop, which is linked to the Git repository containing exercises and resources for learning and practicing component testing in React Native.

Using Jest with React Native Testing Library provides a powerful assertion framework that helps in writing tests that are more descriptive and easier to maintain. Jest also supports mocking and spying, which are essential for testing components in isolation.

React Native Testing Library is primarily focused on testing individual components and their integration. For end-to-end testing in React Native apps, tools like Detox or Appium are more suitable.

To handle asynchronous events, React Native Testing Library provides utilities like 'waitFor' and 'findBy' queries that allow you to wait for certain elements to appear or change state before proceeding with your assertions.

Testing the contract refers to focusing on the expected inputs and outputs of a component, ensuring that it behaves correctly with given inputs and produces expected outputs. This helps in building reliable and maintainable components.

You can mock modules using Jest by using 'jest.mock()' to replace the actual implementation with a mock function or object. This allows you to simulate module behavior and control the inputs and outputs for your tests.

Josh Justice
Josh Justice
131 min
28 Oct, 2022

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Video Summary and Transcription
This workshop on React Native Testing Library covers various topics including testing components, user interaction events, mocking, and testing API calls. The speaker emphasizes the importance of testing the contract of a component and provides practical examples and exercises. Just module mocking is recommended as a portable solution for mocking modules. The workshop encourages exploring different testing strategies and provides additional resources for further learning.
Video transcription and chapters available for users with access.

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