phoenix_test

# PhoenixTest

[![Module Version](https://img.shields.io/hexpm/v/phoenix_test.svg)](https://hex.pm/packages/phoenix_test/)
[![Hex Docs](https://img.shields.io/badge/hex-docs-lightgreen.svg)](https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix_test/)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/hexpm/l/phoenix_test.svg)](https://github.com/germsvel/phoenix_test/blob/main/LICENSE)

PhoenixTest provides a unified way of writing feature tests -- regardless of
whether you're testing LiveView pages or static (non-LiveView) pages.

It also handles navigation between LiveView and static pages seamlessly. So, you
don't have to worry about what type of page you're visiting. Just write the
tests from the user's perspective.

Thus, you can test a flow going from static to LiveView pages and back without
having to worry about the underlying implementation.

This is a sample flow:

```elixir
test "admin can create a user", %{conn: conn} do
  conn
  |> visit("/")
  |> click_link("Users")
  |> fill_in("Name", with: "Aragorn")
  |> click_button("Create")
  |> assert_has(".user", "Aragorn")
end
```

Note that PhoenixTest does not handle JavaScript. If you're looking for
something that supports JavaScript, take a look at
[Wallaby](https://hexdocs.pm/wallaby/readme.html).

For full documentation, take a look at [PhoenixTest docs](https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix_test/PhoenixTest.html).

## Why PhoenixTest?

### A unified way of writing feature tests

With the advent of LiveView, I find myself writing less and less JavaScript.

Sure, there are sprinkles of it here and there, and there’s always the
occasional need for something more.

But for the most part:

- If I’m going to build a page that needs interactivity, I use LiveView.
- If I’m going to write a static page, I use regular controllers + views/HTML
  modules.

The problem is that LiveView pages and static pages have _vastly different_
testing strategies.

If we use LiveView, we have a good set of helpers.

```elixir
{:ok, view, _html} = live(conn, ~p"/")

html =
  view
  |> element("#greet-guest")
  |> render_click()

assert html =~ "Hello, guest!"
```

But if we're testing a static page, we have to resort to controller testing:

```elixir
conn = get(conn, ~p"/greet_page")

assert html_response(conn, 200) =~ "Hello, guest!"
```

That means we don’t have ways of interacting with static pages at all!

What if we want to submit a form or click a link? And what if a click takes us
from a LiveView to a static view or vice versa?

Instead, I'd like to have a unified way of testing Phoenix apps -- regardless of
whether we're testing LiveView pages or static pages.

### Improved assertions

And then there's the problem of assertions.

Because LiveView and controller tests use `=~` for assertions, the error
messages aren't very helpful when assertions fail.

After all, we’re just comparing two blobs of text – and trust me, HTML pages can
get very large and hard to read as a blob of text in your terminal.

LiveView tries to help with its `has_element?/3` helpe