Avoid re-entering user/email and password with WebDriverIO in login form

Question

I want to optimize my WebdriverIO tests. I'm trying to avoid to re-entering the username & password when I run a test suite with WebdriverIO. (Chromedriver)

The following two files are part of one module, and there are 4 modules in total.

First feature-file:

var name = 'Andrea' + Math.floor((Math.random() * 1000000) + 1);
var ssn = 'V-' + Math.floor((Math.random() * 1000000) + 1);
var url = 'http://someurl.com';
var new_contact = 'https://someurl.com/client/add';

describe('Some contact is create', function() {

  it('Should login to the system', function() { 
    browser.url(url)
    browser.setValue('#email','xxxxxxxx@xxxx.com') 
    browser.setValue('#password','xxxxxx') 
    browser.click('#submit');
  });

  it('Should be fill the form', function() {
    browser.url(new_contact)
    browser.waitForVisible('#addClient')
    browser.setValue('#clientNameTextField-inputEl',name)
    browser.setValue('#clientIdentidicationTextField-inputEl',ssn)
    browser.setValue('#clientAddressTextField-inputEl','El busque')
    browser.setValue('#clientCicyyTextField-inputEl','Valencia')
    browser.setValue('#clientEmailField-inputEl','salvador.salvatierra@alegra.com')
    browser.setValue('#clientPhoneTextField-inputEl','04141234567')
    browser.setValue('[name="phone2"]','04147654321')       
  });

  it('the contact is store',function() {        
    browser.click('=save)
    browser.waitForExist('#viewClientInfoBalances')
    browser.end;
  });
});

 });

Second feature-file:

var url = 'http://someurl.com';

describe('We get the basic info from index contact', function(){

    it('Shouldlogin to the system', function(){ 
    browser.url(url)
    browser.setValue('#email','xxxxxxxx@xxx.com') 
    browser.setValue('#password','xxxxx') 
    browser.click('#submit');
    });

    it('We should see the basic info', function(){
    browser.click('[href="/client"]')
    browser.click('#gridview-1043-record-ext-record-66 .action-icons a:nth-child(1)')
    browser.waitForExist('#viewClientInfoBalances')
    browser.end();          
    });
});

Answer 1

I see three possible solutions of different approaches:

1. Create a login setup:

Since I see you're using Mocha, then I would go for running your login snippet before all your test-cases in a .before() hook:

describe("StackOverflow Test Suite", function() {

        before(function() {
            return browser
                .url(url);
                .setValue('#email','xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.com') 
                .setValue('#password','xxxxxxxx') 
                .click('#submit');
        });

        it("\nYour first test...\n", function() {
            return ...
        });

        it("\nYour second test...\n", function() {
            return ...
        });
}); 

Obs: The .before() hook will be run ONLY ONCE, per test-suite. If you have different test-suites (describe statements) in which you need a login for every test-case, then use the .beforeEach() hook.

---

Update !!! As per Salvador's requirement, in the comment section, this part has been added.

You have two ways to achieve this:

• Move your Login in the wdio.config.js beforeSuite hook:

  // Hook that gets executed before the suite starts
   beforeSuite: function (suite) {
      return browser
              .url(url);
              .setValue('#email','xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.com') 
              .setValue('#password','xxxxxxxx') 
              .click('#submit');
   },
  

• Create a main.js file where you inject all your "modules". You login from that file alone and inject all your describe-populated files via require in it:

Injector:

function importTest(name, path) {
    describe(name, function() {
        require(path);
    });
}

main.js:

describe("All your tests go here!", function () {

    // Executes its content before each imported feature
    beforeEach(function() {
        // beforeHooks
    });

    // Imported features/module files
    importTest('Clients module', '../modules/clients.js');
    //importTest('Devices module', '../modules/devices.js');

    // Executes its content after all features have executed
    after(function () {
        // afterHooks
    });
});

---

2. Loading a custom profile:

1. Start your WebdriverIO test case, but add a browser.debug() after you load your page;
2. Go to your website and LOGIN with your required account. Make sure you save the credentials in the browser;
3. Now we have to save this custom profile and load it each time you start a WebdriverIO test case. Type chrome://version in your address bar. Notice the Profile Path value. Copy the content of the folder (e.g.: For C:\Users\<yourUserName>\Desktop\scoped_dir18256_17319\Default, copy the scoped_dir18256_17319 folder on your Desktop). This folder contains all the actions (search history, extensions installed, accounts saved/saved credentials in our case) on THIS current instance;

4. Now all we need to do, is add the path to that folder in your wdio.config.js file as a chromeOptions argument:

   chromeOptions: {
       //extensions: ['./browserPlugins/Avira-SafeSearch-Plus_v1.5.1.crx'],
       args: [ '--user-data-dir=/Users/<yourUserName>/Desktop/scoped_dir18256_17319'
       ]
   }
   

Now all you have to do is run your test cases with this custom profile and you will be logged in with your preferred username/password combination.

Obs: You can read more about Custom Profiles HERE, Use Custom Profile section.

---

3. Loading the authentication cookies (won't work on all websites)

1. Login on your website with the required username/password combo;
2. Open the Chrome console and go to Applications tab, in the Cookies menu;
3. You will have to identify your authentication token (usually, all websites store information like credentials in cookies);
4. Add that exact cookie (AFTER YOU LOAD YOUR URL) using the .cookie(), or .setCookie() methods.

Code should look like this:

browser.setCookie({name: '<AuthCookieName>', value: '<AuthToken>'});
browser.refresh();
// Sometimes you have to refresh twice
browser.refresh(); 
// Assert you are logged in

See THIS answer I gave to a similar question as an example.

Hope this helps you. Cheers!