Writing Playwright Tests for Hyvä + Alpine.js

Overview

Hyvä replaces Luma's KnockoutJS/RequireJS/jQuery with Alpine.js + Tailwind CSS. Playwright's strict mode (rejects locators matching multiple elements) conflicts with Alpine.js DOM patterns where hidden elements exist throughout the page. This skill documents pitfalls and solutions discovered while writing Playwright tests for Hyvä storefronts.

The #1 Rule: Hidden Alpine Elements

Hyvä templates scatter elements like <div x-show="displayErrorMessage" class="message error"> throughout the DOM. These are invisible but present, so a bare selector like .message.error matches both hidden and visible instances, causing Playwright strict mode violations.

Always scope page-level messages to the #messages container:

// WRONG — matches hidden Alpine x-show elements throughout DOM
await expect(page.locator('.message.success')).toContainText('Added to cart');
await expect(page.locator('.message-error')).toContainText('Error');

// RIGHT — scoped to the visible messages container
await expect(page.locator('#messages .message.success')).toContainText('Added to cart');
await expect(page.locator('#messages .message-error, #messages .message.error')).toContainText('Error');

Never use: bare .message, .message.error, .message.success, or div.message as selectors.

Exception — inline page messages: Not all .message elements are flash messages. The search results "no results" notice (.message.notice) renders as static inline content inside #maincontent, not inside the #messages container. For these inline messages, the bare class selector is correct.

Selector Strategy

Follow Playwright's recommended locator priority:

1. getByRole() — always prefer — closest to how users perceive the page. Avoids text ambiguity where the same text appears in headings, links, breadcrumbs, and sr-only spans.
2. getByLabel() — for form controls (checkboxes, inputs with associated labels).
3. getByText() — for non-interactive elements, scoped to a container (e.g., page.locator('#maincontent').getByText(...)).
4. getByPlaceholder(), getByAltText() — for inputs and images respectively.
5. getByTestId() — when Hyvä provides data-testid attributes or when adding custom test IDs.
6. CSS selectors — last resort, only when user-facing locators aren't available. Prefer aria-* attribute selectors (e.g., [aria-label="pagination"], [aria-current="page"]) over class-based selectors. When CSS is necessary, scope to a unique container (e.g., #messages .message.success).

Avoid: :visible pseudo-selector — per Playwright docs, "it's usually better to find a more reliable way to uniquely identify the element." Scope to a container or use role/attribute selectors instead. Only use :visible as an absolute last resort when the DOM provides no other way to distinguish elements.

Alpine.js Interaction Patterns

Pattern	Problem	Solution
x-show hidden elements	Strict mode: multiple matches	Scope to unique container (#messages), use role/attribute selectors
x-defer="intersect"	Element not initialized until visible	scrollIntoViewIfNeeded() before interacting
x-if (template)	Elements don't exist in DOM until condition true	Click the trigger first, then query children
x-model on inputs	Alpine clears value after form submit	Don't assert input value post-submit; verify via success message
x-text / x-html async	Cart badge updates asynchronously	Use web-first assertions with timeout: not.toHaveText('0', { timeout: 15_000 })
x-show submenus	Hidden until hover	hover() on parent before clicking child
Alpine form reveal	Fields hidden until checkbox checked	waitFor({ state: 'visible' }) after checking the checkbox
press('Enter') on input	May submit Alpine-bound form unexpectedly	Prefer explicit .click() on submit button

Assertions

Always use web-first assertions that auto-wait and retry:

// DO — auto-retries             // DON'T — no retry
await expect(loc).toBeVisible(); // expect(await loc.isVisible()).toBe(true);
await expect(loc).toContainText('X'); // expect(await loc.textContent()).toContain('X');

For async Alpine.js updates (cart counts, prices), use extended timeouts on the assertion — never waitForTimeout():

// Cart count updates asynchronously via Alpine x-text
await expect(page.locator('#menu-cart-icon span[x-text="summaryCount"]'))
  .not.toHaveText('0', { timeout: 15_000 });

Hyvä vs Luma Selector Differences

Element	Hyvä Selector	Luma Selector
Pagination nav	getByRole('navigation', { name: 'pagination' })	ul.pages-items
Page link	getByRole('link', { name: 'Page 2' })	.pages-items li a
Active page	[aria-current="page"]	<strong> element
Filter button	getByRole('button', { name: 'Color filter' })	.filter-options-title
Cart icon badge	#menu-cart-icon > span[x-text="summaryCount"]	.counter-number
Account menu	#customer-menu + nav	.customer-menu
Success message	#messages .message.success	.message-success
Error message	#messages .message-error, #messages .message.error	.message-error
Main menu	getByRole('navigation', { name: 'Main menu' })	nav.navigation
Footer nav	getByRole('navigation', { name: 'Company Menu' }).getByRole('link', { name })	nav ul li:nth-child(N) a
Product image	#gallery img[itemprop="image"]	#gallery img:visible
Add to Cart (card)	getByRole('button', { name: /Add to Cart/ }).first()	button.btn-primary:visible

References

See references/ for code examples. Load files relevant to the current task:

Always useful:

• page-object-patterns.md — Page object structure, navigation, form submits, redirects
• selector-patterns.md — Before/after selector fixes (messages, text ambiguity, forms)

Page-specific (load when testing that page):

• cart-patterns.md — Cart spinner wait, quantity changes, mini cart
• product-patterns.md — Bundle quantities, gallery images
• account-patterns.md — Password change (Alpine checkbox reveal)
• category-patterns.md — Filters (x-defer scroll), pagination (ARIA)