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ATK Helper Functions

When to Use

Use ATK's helpers in your custom tests instead of reimplementing them. Use loginAsRole() over hardcoded credentials; use runDrush() over cy.exec('drush ...').

Decision

Need Helper
Log in for a test loginAsRole(page, 'editor') — uses qa_accounts users
Run any Drush command runDrush(args) — handles environment-specific invocation
Reset DB to known state testorPull() — pulls fresh snapshot
Verify an email was sent expectEmailSent(predicate) — works with Mailtrap or Testmail
Clean up after a test deleteAllOfType('article') — removes test fixtures

Pattern

Canonical helpers by category

Category Helpers
Auth loginViaForm(), loginAsRole(), logout(), getCurrentUser()
Drush runDrush(), drushConfigGet(), drushConfigSet()
Snapshots testorPull(), testorPush(), testorReset()
Forms fillFormField(), submitForm(), assertFormError()
Email expectEmailSent(), latestEmail(), clearMailbox()
Cleanup deleteAllOfType(), resetUsers(), truncateTable()
Navigation gotoNode(), gotoAdminPage(), expectAccessDenied()

Import in Playwright

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
import { loginAsRole, gotoAdminPage } from '../helpers/atk';

test('admin can access content list', async ({ page }) => {
  await loginAsRole(page, 'site_admin');
  await gotoAdminPage(page, '/admin/content');
  await expect(page.locator('h1')).toHaveText('Content');
});

Import in Cypress

import { loginAsRole, gotoAdminPage } from '../helpers/atk';

describe('admin access', () => {
  it('can reach content list', () => {
    loginAsRole('site_admin');
    gotoAdminPage('/admin/content');
    cy.get('h1').should('have.text', 'Content');
  });
});

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: Reimplementing helpers in your project → Right: adds maintenance; leverage what's there
  • Wrong: Calling Drush directly with cy.exec() instead of runDrush() → Right: bypasses the configurable invocation, fails in CI/Pantheon
  • Wrong: Hardcoded user credentials in test files → Right: use loginAsRole() against the qa_accounts seed

See Also