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Testing

Chef runs tests in a real browser via Playwright. Two types of tests are supported: unit tests (Mocha + Chai) and E2E tests (Playwright Test API). E2E tests can be written for a single extension or at the module level — for scenarios that span several extensions.

Setup

Initialize the test environment:

bash
chef init tests

This creates two files in the project root:

FileDescription
playwright.config.tsPlaywright config for running unit and E2E tests in browser
.env.testCredentials for automatic authentication during tests

Fill in your local Bitrix installation credentials:

env
BASE_URL=http://localhost
LOGIN=admin
PASSWORD=your_password
VariableDescription
BASE_URLURL of your local Bitrix installation
LOGINTest user login
PASSWORDTest user password

WARNING

Do not commit .env.test to version control — it contains sensitive credentials.

Install Playwright browsers:

bash
npx playwright install

IDE Types

mocha, chai and their types are included in Chef and used when running chef test. For IDE autocompletion, install the types locally:

bash
npm install --save-dev @types/mocha @types/chai @playwright/test

Running Tests

bash
# All tests for an extension
chef test vendor.my-extension

# Unit tests only
chef test unit vendor.my-extension

# E2E tests only
chef test e2e vendor.my-extension

# Module-level scenario tests (several extensions)
chef test module crm

# Specific file
chef test unit vendor.my-extension ./utils.test.ts

# Tests matching pattern
chef test vendor.* --grep "should render"

# List tests without running them
chef test vendor.my-extension --list

# Watch mode — rerun on changes
chef test vendor.my-extension -w

Live output

During a run chef shows a single per-browser status bar — one look from start to finish. While an engine warms up you see its stage; once tests start, a counter and the test currently running:

○ Chromium starting  ·  ○ Firefox  ·  ○ WebKit · 0.7s
○ Chromium 12/132  ·  ○ Firefox preparing  ·  ○ WebKit 8/132 · 5.3s
✓ Chromium 132/132  ·  ○ Firefox 90/132  ·  ○ WebKit building · 12.1s

Results are grouped by describe block: the suite path is a heading printed once, tests indented beneath it. A test that ran in several browsers is one line tagged with every engine ( — still running):

   ui.notification > Position
     ✓ has TOP_LEFT     [Chromium ✓ · Firefox ✓ · WebKit ◌]
     ✗ has BOTTOM_RIGHT  [Chromium ✗ · Firefox ✓ · WebKit ✓]

Tests that passed only after a retry (Playwright's retry) are flagged as flaky:

     ✓ opens the dialog  (passed on attempt 2)   [Chromium ✓]

And the final summary counts flaky tests separately (Tests 130 passed · 2 flaky).

Debugging

bash
# Open browser with DevTools
chef test vendor.my-extension --debug

# With visible browser window
chef test vendor.my-extension --headed

# In a specific browser
chef test vendor.my-extension --project chromium

In --debug mode, source maps are enabled and DevTools are opened — you can set breakpoints directly in your TypeScript source code.

Listing without running

--list enumerates the tests that would run, without running them — handy for seeing what a suite contains or picking a pattern for --grep:

bash
chef test vendor.my-extension --list

Tests are grouped by describe block, with deferred ones (skip/fixme) marked. A Summary at the end breaks the counts down per kind — unit and e2e separately (a module has e2e only) — with the number of tests and how many run / are skipped:

  Summary
  Unit  132 tests · 132 runnable
  E2E   25 tests · 25 runnable

Works for extensions (unit + e2e), modules (chef test module) and every reporter (--reporter default|json|teamcity). It can't be combined with --watch.

Bulk Runs

chef test without arguments or with a glob pattern (im.v2.**) walks through every matching extension. Extensions without tests are skipped silently — only those with tests or problems show up in the output.

Browser console output is hidden by default to keep bulk reports clean. Add --console if you need it:

bash
chef test im.v2.** --console

Task Statuses

Chef shows the failure reason inline next to each extension:

StatusMeaning
✓ Unit testsAll tests passed
✗ Unit tests (3 failed)Some tests failed, the number is how many
✗ Unit tests (build failed)The test bundle did not compile (Rollup)
✗ Unit tests (crashed before any tests ran)Crashed before the first it — usually a setup error
⚠ Unit tests (no tests collected)Files exist but Mocha found no it (empty describe, .skip)
— Unit tests (no test files)No *.test.{ts,js} in the test/unit/ (or test/) directory
— E2E tests (no test files)Same for e2e

An extension or module with no tests is marked skipped (not passed) — counted separately in the summary.

Final Summary

After the run chef prints an aggregated report:

  • Failed Tests (N) — all failed tests with stack traces and code frames, grouped by extension. For e2e, paths to Playwright artifacts (screenshot, video, trace) are printed alongside, grouped by browser — ready to open in your editor.
  • Errors (N) — build errors and runtime crashes, one line per cause.
  • Issues — list of extensions with error/warning counts.
  • Extensions / Tests / Time — totals: how many extensions and tests passed, failed or were skipped, how long it took. The Tests line flags flaky tests (passed after a retry) as a separate count. For chef test module the line is labeled Modules.

Tips

Test Isolation

Each test should be independent. Use beforeEach/afterEach for setup and cleanup:

ts
describe('TodoList', () => {
  let list: TodoList;

  beforeEach(() => {
    list = new TodoList();
  });

  afterEach(() => {
    list.destroy();
  });

  it('should add item', () => {
    list.add('Buy milk');
    assert.equal(list.getCount(), 1);
  });

  it('should start empty', () => {
    assert.equal(list.getCount(), 0);
  });
});

Test Organization

Group tests by functionality:

ts
describe('UserService', () => {
  describe('create', () => {
    it('should create user with valid data', () => { /* ... */ });
    it('should throw on duplicate email', () => { /* ... */ });
  });

  describe('update', () => {
    it('should update user name', () => { /* ... */ });
    it('should not allow empty name', () => { /* ... */ });
  });

  describe('delete', () => {
    it('should soft delete user', () => { /* ... */ });
  });
});

Released under the MIT License.