Testpilot Best Practices

Best practices for writing effective tests. Learn optimization techniques, testing philosophy, and maintainability patterns.

Writing high-quality tests ensures your test suite is reliable, maintainable, and provides meaningful feedback. This section shares best practices and patterns for getting the most out of Testpilot.

Testpilot’s Testing Philosophy

Testpilot uses AI to test applications visually, the way humans do. This means you should write tests like you would describe actions to a person:

• Describe what you want to accomplish, not how to find specific elements
• Start with general instructions and add specificity only when needed
• Let Testpilot handle the visual navigation and element identification

This approach creates tests that are more resilient to UI changes and easier to maintain.

What You’ll Find Here

This section provides guidance on writing effective tests, optimizing test performance, and maintaining your test suite over time.

How to Write Effective Tests

Tips and patterns for creating reliable, maintainable tests.

Key Principles

• Write for humans first: Test steps should be readable and understandable
• Be flexible: General instructions give Testpilot more flexibility to adapt to UI changes
• Consolidate steps: Fewer steps mean faster tests and clearer intent
• Use context wisely: Provide additional information only when necessary

See Also

• Getting Started - Learn the basics of writing tests
• Guides - Practical examples of common testing scenarios
• Pilotfile Reference - Complete reference for test file format