Cypress | Is there a way for an 'it' test to begin where the last 'it' test ended?

Question

So,

I was running a bunch of tests on only 1 describe and 1 it. Something like this:

describe("ProjectManager", function () {
    it("Many Tests", function () {

     //Test 1
     cy.get('blalblabla)'
     blablalbalb
     blalblabla

     //Test 2
     cy.get('blalblabla)'
     blablalbalb
     blalblabla

     //Test 3
     cy.get('blalblabla)'
     blablalbalb
     blalblabla

     etc..
    })
})

But now I decided to break down the tests into different it blocks, like this:

describe("ProjectManager", function () {
    it("Test 1", function () {
     cy.get('blalblabla)'
     blablalbalb
     blalblabla
    })

    it("Test 2", function () {
     cy.get('blalblabla)'
     blablalbalb
     blalblabla
    })

    it("Test 3", function () {
     cy.get('blalblabla)'
     blablalbalb
     blalblabla
    })

    etc..
})

The reason for that being that, it looks neat when running, because it will show multiple tests instead of only one.

MY PROBLEM: All my tests are done in one specific part of the website. To get there, I have to login, and then click on a bunch of stuff, and even write/save stuff, etc.

MY QUESTION: Do I have to do a BeforeEach() to do everything again after each it? Because thats just not feasible to me, it's too much stuff. Or is there a way for each 'it' to just continue at the same place the last it stopped and so I wouldn't even need the BeforeEach() method ?

Answer 1

Using describe() and it() is recommended as it gives your tests a structure. Instead of beforeEach() you can use before() that executes once before all it blocks. Here you can write your code like open your website, log in, etc. And then you can write your tests in continuation with it()

describe("ProjectManager", function () {
    before(function () {
        //Visit website
        //login
        //click elements
        //etc.
    })

    it("Test 1", function () {
        cy.get('blalblabla)'
        blablalbalb blalblabla
     })

    it("Test 2", function () {
        cy.get('blalblabla)'
        blablalbalb blalblabla
    })

    it("Test 3", function () {
        cy.get('blalblabla)'
        blablalbalb blalblabla
    })

    etc..
    })

Answer 2

It is not recommended for tests to depend on setup or output from other tests.

Refer to the Cypress Real World App, a payment application to demonstrate real-world usage of Cypress testing methods, patterns, and workflows, for detailed examples and recommendations from the Cypress team.

Answer 3

What you can do is add this:

testIsolation: false,

to:

cypress.config.js

---

e.g. my full cypress.config.js look like this:

const { defineConfig } = require("cypress");

module.exports = defineConfig({
  e2e: {
    baseUrl: 'https://yoururl.com/',
    testIsolation: false,
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      // implement node event listeners here
    },
  },
});

Cypress v12.3.0