summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/testing/docs/browser-chrome/index.md
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
Diffstat (limited to 'testing/docs/browser-chrome/index.md')
-rw-r--r--testing/docs/browser-chrome/index.md89
1 files changed, 89 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/testing/docs/browser-chrome/index.md b/testing/docs/browser-chrome/index.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e4af9685d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/docs/browser-chrome/index.md
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+Browser chrome mochitests
+=========================
+
+Browser chrome mochitests are mochitests that run in the context of the desktop
+Firefox browser window. The test files are named `browser_something.js` by
+convention, and in addition to mochitest assertions supports the
+[CommonJS standard assertions](http://wiki.commonjs.org/wiki/Unit_Testing/1.1),
+like [nodejs' assert module](https://nodejs.org/api/assert.html#assert) but
+implemented in [`Assert.sys.mjs`](../assert.rst).
+
+These tests are used to test UI-related behaviour in Firefox for
+Desktop. They do not run on Android. If you're testing internal code that
+does not directly interact with the user interface,
+[xpcshell tests](../xpcshell/index.md) are probably a better fit for your needs.
+
+
+Running the tests
+-----------------
+
+You can run individual tests locally using the standard `./mach test` command:
+`./mach test path/to/browser_test.js`. You can omit the path if the filename
+is unique. You can also run entire directories, or specific test manifests:
+
+```
+./mach test path/to/browser.ini
+```
+
+You can also use the more specific `./mach mochitest` command in the same way.
+Using `./mach mochitest --help` will give you an exhaustive overview of useful
+other available flags relating to running, debugging and evaluating tests.
+
+For both commands, you can use the `--verify` flag to run the test under
+[test verification](../test-verification/index.rst). This helps flush out
+intermittent issues with the test.
+
+
+On our infrastructure, these tests run in the mochitest-browser-chrome jobs.
+There, they run on a per-manifest basis (so for most manifests, more than one
+test will run while the browser stays open).
+
+The tests also get run in `verify` mode in the `test-verify` jobs, whenever
+the test itself is changed.
+
+Note that these tests use "real" focus and input, so you'll need to not touch
+your machine while running them. You can run them with the `--headless`
+flag to avoid this, but some tests may break in this mode.
+
+
+Adding new tests
+----------------
+
+You can use the standard `./mach addtest path/to/new/browser_test.js` command
+to generate a new browser test, and add it to the relevant manifest, if tests
+already exist in that directory. This automatically creates a test file using
+the right template for you, and adds it to the manifest.
+
+If there are no tests in the directory yet (for example, for an entirely new
+feature and directory) you will need to:
+
+1. create an empty `browser.ini` file
+2. add it to `BROWSER_CHROME_MANIFESTS` collection from a `moz.build` file.
+3. then run the `./mach addtest` command as before.
+
+In terms of the contents of the test, please see [Writing new browser
+mochitests](writing.md).
+
+Debugging tests
+---------------
+
+The `./mach test` and `./mach mochitest` commands support a `--jsdebugger`
+flag which will open the browser toolbox. If you add the
+[`debugger;` keyword](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/debugger)
+in your test, the debugger will pause there.
+
+Alternatively, you can set breakpoints using the debugger yourself. If you want
+to pause the debugger before running the test, you can use the `--no-autorun`
+flag. Alternatively, if you want to pause the debugger on failure, you can use
+`--debug-on-failure`.
+
+For more details, see [Avoiding intermittent tests](../intermittent/index.rst).
+
+Reference material
+------------------
+
+- [Assert module](../assert.rst)
+- [TestUtils module](../testutils.rst)
+- [BrowserTestUtils module](browsertestutils.rst)
+- [SimpleTest utilities](../simpletest.rst)
+- [EventUtils utilities](../eventutils.rst)