Cypress Dashboard

There is more to Cypress than running component and end-to-end tests. Cypress also provides a dashboard to see test results, including screenshots and videos if they are enabled in the cypress.json configuration file. For an overview of the capabilities and some product demos, please have a look at the Cypress Dashboard.

Generate product videos

In the End-to-end tests lesson earlier, we learned that Cypress can record videos of the test cases we develop. Needless to say, this is incredibly helpful to debug what went wrong with failed tests, but what if we could leverage these videos to generate promotional videos of new features? What about documentation videos that are always up-to-date?

Let’s say we develop a new feature that allows users to change their profile picture. We write an end-to-end test to make sure there are no regressions in this feature. The test starts on a user profile page, clicks on a placeholder profile picture, selects a new picture and saves the changes. Cypress already allows us to record this test, but it includes the list of test cases on the left side of the screen. We need a way to remove that, and to create one video for each new feature we develop.

It turns out that Gleb Bahmutov, the VP of Engineering at Cypress, created cypress-movie. If you are interested in this idea, we highly recommend you create an issue with your thoughts and ideas. The proof of concept shows the technical possibilities, but what is needed are more users who contribute ideas and use cases.

Configure Cypress to record tests

To begin, open Cypress Dashboard and click “Log In with GitHub”. Follow the instructions on the screen.