@testing-library/user-event

What is @testing-library/user-event?

The @testing-library/user-event package is a library built on top of @testing-library/dom that simulates user interactions with the DOM. It allows developers to write tests that mimic user behavior in a way that is consistent with how a user would use a web application. This helps ensure that tests are realistic and that the application will work as expected when real users interact with it.

What are @testing-library/user-event's main functionalities?

Typing text into an input element

Simulates typing text into an input field or other element that can receive input.

userEvent.type(screen.getByRole('textbox'), 'Hello, World!')

Clicking elements

Simulates a click event on a button, link, or any other clickable element.

userEvent.click(screen.getByText('Submit'))

Selecting options in a select element

Simulates selecting an option from a dropdown select element.

userEvent.selectOptions(screen.getByRole('combobox'), 'optionValue')

Uploading files

Simulates a file upload interaction on an input of type file.

userEvent.upload(screen.getByLabelText('Upload'), file)

Tabbing through elements

Simulates tabbing through focusable elements on the page.

userEvent.tab()

Other packages similar to @testing-library/user-event

selenium-webdriver

Selenium WebDriver is a browser automation library. It is more comprehensive than @testing-library/user-event as it can control the browser at a lower level, but it is also more complex and can be overkill for simple DOM interaction tests.

cypress

Cypress is an end-to-end testing framework that includes a rich set of methods for simulating user events. It is similar to @testing-library/user-event but is designed for full end-to-end testing and offers a complete testing environment with a browser-based UI.

puppeteer

Puppeteer is a Node library which provides a high-level API to control Chrome or Chromium over the DevTools Protocol. It is used for browser automation and can perform actions similar to @testing-library/user-event, but it operates at the browser level and can be used for tasks beyond testing, such as web scraping or generating pre-rendered content.

README

user-event

Fire events the same way the user does

Read The Docs

---

The problem

From testing-library/dom-testing-library#107:

[...] it is becoming apparent the need to express user actions on a web page using a higher-level abstraction than fireEvent

The solution

user-event tries to simulate the real events that would happen in the browser as the user interacts with it. For example userEvent.click(checkbox) would change the state of the checkbox.

The more your tests resemble the way your software is used, the more confidence they can give you.

Issues

Looking to contribute? Look for the Good First Issue label.

🐛 Bugs

Please file an issue for bugs, missing documentation, or unexpected behavior.

See Bugs

💡 Feature Requests

Please file an issue to suggest new features. Vote on feature requests by adding a 👍. This helps maintainers prioritize what to work on.

See Feature Requests

❓ Questions

For questions related to using the library, please visit a support community instead of filing an issue on GitHub.

• Discord
• Stack Overflow

Contributors

We most sincerely thank the people who make this project possible. Contributions of any kind are welcome! 💚

License

MIT