Start Condition - Supatest Docs

Overview

The Start Condition step allows you to create conditional logic in your tests by beginning a conditional block that executes contained steps only when specific conditions are met. When you add a Start Condition step, an End Condition step is automatically added to close the conditional block.

Form Fields

Field Name	Type	Required	Description
Check if	select	Yes	Choose between Element or Supatest Variable
Element/Variable	input/select	Yes	Element locator or variable name to check
Operation	select	Yes	Comparison operator for the condition
Expected Value	input	Optional	Value to compare against (when required)

Form Configuration

Subject Selection

Choose what to evaluate in your condition:

Element Option

Element Locator: CSS selector or element picker for targeting page elements
Use Element Picker: Visual selection tool for precise element targeting
Locator English Description: Human-readable description of the selected element

Supatest Variable Option

Variable Dropdown: Select from previously created Supatest variables
Variable Reference: Variables are referenced with $ prefix (e.g., $userEmail)

Operation Types

Available operations depend on the subject type:

For Elements

Is Visible: Check if element is visible on the page
Is Not Visible: Check if element is hidden or not present
Has Text: Check if element contains specific text content
Does Not Have Text: Check if element doesn’t contain specific text

For Variables

Equals: Check if variable value exactly matches expected value
Not Equals: Check if variable value doesn’t match expected value

Expected Value Field

Conditional Display: Only shown when operation requires comparison
Required for: “Has Text”, “Does Not Have Text”, “Equals”, “Not Equals”
Not Required for: “Is Visible”, “Is Not Visible”
Text Input: Free-form text for comparison values

Examples

Element Visibility Condition

Check if error message appears before showing retry option:

Check if: Element
Element: .error-message (Error message container)
Operation: Is Visible
Expected Value: (not required)

Steps inside condition:

Click “Retry” button
Fill form fields again
Submit form

Element Text Content Condition

Check if status shows “Pending” before waiting:

Check if: Element
Element: #order-status (Order status display)
Operation: Has Text
Expected Value: Pending

Steps inside condition:

Wait 30 seconds
Refresh page
Check status again

Variable Value Condition

Check if user role equals “admin” before accessing admin features:

Check if: Supatest Variable
Variable: userRole
Operation: Equals
Expected Value: admin

Steps inside condition:

Click “Admin Panel” button
Verify admin dashboard loads
Access user management

Variable Inequality Condition

Check if attempt count is not zero before retrying:

Check if: Supatest Variable
Variable: attemptCount
Operation: Not Equals
Expected Value: 0

Steps inside condition:

Display retry button
Reset form validation
Enable form submission

Negative Element Condition

Check if loading spinner is not visible before proceeding:

Check if: Element
Element: .loading-spinner (Loading indicator)
Operation: Is Not Visible
Expected Value: (not required)

Steps inside condition:

Click “Continue” button
Fill next form section
Proceed to next step

Best Practices

Condition Design

Clear Conditions: Use specific, reliable conditions that clearly indicate when steps should execute
Stable Elements: Target elements with stable selectors that won’t change frequently
Meaningful Variables: Use descriptive variable names that clearly indicate their purpose
Avoid Complex Logic: Keep conditions simple and focused on single criteria

Element Selection

Unique Selectors: Use CSS selectors that uniquely identify the target element
Stable Attributes: Prefer data-testid or other stable attributes over dynamic classes
Visible Elements: Ensure targeted elements are consistently visible when condition should be true
Error Handling: Plan for scenarios where elements might not be present

Variable Usage

Pre-existing Variables: Ensure variables are created and assigned before conditional checks
Consistent Values: Use consistent value formats for reliable comparisons
Case Sensitivity: Remember that string comparisons are case-sensitive
Type Consistency: Ensure variable values match expected data types

Scope Management

Logical Grouping: Group related steps that should execute together under the same condition
Minimal Scope: Keep conditional blocks as small and focused as possible
Clear Boundaries: Ensure the end condition properly closes the conditional block
Nested Conditions: Avoid overly complex nested conditional logic

Common Use Cases

Error Handling

Handle error scenarios that may or may not appear:

Start Condition: If error message is visible
├── Display error details
├── Log error information
├── Click retry button
└── Reset form state
End Condition

Feature Availability

Execute steps only when features are available:

Start Condition: If premium features button is visible
├── Click premium features
├── Verify premium dashboard
├── Test premium functionality
└── Log premium usage
End Condition

User Role-Based Testing

Test different flows based on user permissions:

Start Condition: If userRole equals "moderator"
├── Access moderation panel
├── Review pending content
├── Approve/reject items
└── Verify moderation logs
End Condition

Dynamic Content Handling

Handle content that appears conditionally:

Start Condition: If notification banner has text "Update Available"
├── Click "Update Now" button
├── Wait for update process
├── Verify update completion
└── Dismiss notification
End Condition

Multi-Path Workflows

Handle different workflow paths:

Start Condition: If payment method equals "credit_card"
├── Fill credit card details
├── Enter billing address
├── Verify card information
└── Process credit payment
End Condition

Start Condition: If payment method equals "paypal"
├── Click PayPal button
├── Login to PayPal
├── Confirm payment
└── Return to merchant
End Condition

Technical Implementation

Conditional Logic Structure

The Start Condition step creates a conditional block structure:

Start Condition (defines criteria)
├── Step 1 (executes only if condition is true)
├── Step 2 (executes only if condition is true)
├── Step N (executes only if condition is true)
End Condition (automatically added to close the block)

Execution Behavior

Condition Evaluation: Start Condition is evaluated before executing contained steps
True Condition: If condition is true, all steps between Start and End Condition execute
False Condition: If condition is false, all steps between Start and End Condition are skipped
Automatic Pairing: End Condition is automatically added when you create a Start Condition

Generated Code Structure

The Start Condition step generates Playwright code similar to:

// Element visibility condition
const condition = await page.locator('#error-message').isVisible();
if (condition) {
  // Conditional steps execute here
  await page.click('[data-testid="retry-button"]');
  await page.fill('#email', 'user@example.com');
  await page.click('[type="submit"]');
}

// Variable equality condition
const condition = supatestVars['userRole'] === 'admin';
if (condition) {
  // Admin-specific steps execute here
  await page.click('#admin-panel');
  await expect(page.locator('h1')).toHaveText('Admin Dashboard');
}

Advanced Features

Variable Integration

Pre-Condition Variables: Use variables created in earlier steps for condition evaluation
Post-Condition Variables: Create variables within conditional blocks for later use
Dynamic Conditions: Build conditions based on runtime values and user interactions

Element Picker Integration

Visual Selection: Use element picker for precise element targeting
Real-time Validation: Validate element selectors during condition setup
English Descriptions: Generate human-readable descriptions for selected elements

Form Validation

Real-time Feedback: Form validates condition configuration as you type
Required Fields: Automatically enforces required fields based on operation type
Error Messages: Clear error messages for incomplete or invalid configurations

Common Issues

Condition Never True

Problem: Conditional steps never execute because condition is always false
Solution: Verify element selectors and expected values are correct
Debugging: Test condition criteria manually to ensure they can be satisfied

Condition Always True

Problem: Conditional steps always execute when they should be conditional
Solution: Review condition logic and ensure it properly evaluates to false when expected
Checking: Verify the opposite condition works as expected

Missing End Condition

Problem: Conditional block extends beyond intended scope
Solution: Ensure every start condition has a corresponding end condition
Validation: The system automatically validates balanced conditional blocks

Variable Not Found

Problem: Condition references variables that don’t exist
Solution: Ensure variables are created and assigned before conditional evaluation
Verification: Check that variable creation steps execute successfully

Element Timing Issues

Problem: Elements used in conditions may not be ready when evaluated
Solution: Add wait conditions before conditional steps if elements load dynamically
Timing: Consider page load timing when setting up element-based conditions

Performance Considerations

Efficient Conditions

Fast Evaluation: Design conditions that can be evaluated quickly
Minimal DOM Queries: Use efficient CSS selectors that don’t require extensive DOM traversal
Cached Elements: Consider element stability to avoid repeated selector evaluation

Scope Optimization

Minimal Blocks: Keep conditional blocks small to reduce overhead when conditions are false
Early Exit: Design conditions that fail fast when criteria aren’t met
Resource Usage: Consider the performance impact of skipped steps vs. executed steps

End Condition - For manually closing conditional blocks when needed
Extract Value - For creating variables used in conditional evaluation
Wait for Element - For ensuring elements are ready before condition evaluation
Verify Visibility - For similar element visibility checking outside conditions
Verify Value - For similar text content verification outside conditions

Interactions

Navigation

Verification

Utilities

Technical

​Overview

​Form Fields

​Form Configuration

​Subject Selection

​Element Option

​Supatest Variable Option

​Operation Types

​For Elements

​For Variables

​Expected Value Field

​Examples

​Element Visibility Condition

​Element Text Content Condition

​Variable Value Condition

​Variable Inequality Condition

​Negative Element Condition

​Best Practices

​Condition Design

​Element Selection

​Variable Usage

​Scope Management

​Common Use Cases

​Error Handling

​Feature Availability

​User Role-Based Testing

​Dynamic Content Handling

​Multi-Path Workflows

​Technical Implementation

​Conditional Logic Structure

​Execution Behavior

​Generated Code Structure

​Advanced Features

​Variable Integration

​Element Picker Integration

​Form Validation

​Common Issues

​Condition Never True

​Condition Always True

​Missing End Condition

​Variable Not Found

​Element Timing Issues

​Performance Considerations

​Efficient Conditions

​Scope Optimization

​Related Steps

Overview

Form Fields

Form Configuration

Subject Selection

Element Option

Supatest Variable Option

Operation Types

For Elements

For Variables

Expected Value Field

Examples

Element Visibility Condition

Element Text Content Condition

Variable Value Condition

Variable Inequality Condition

Negative Element Condition

Best Practices

Condition Design

Element Selection

Variable Usage

Scope Management

Common Use Cases

Error Handling

Feature Availability

User Role-Based Testing

Dynamic Content Handling

Multi-Path Workflows

Technical Implementation

Conditional Logic Structure

Execution Behavior

Generated Code Structure

Advanced Features

Variable Integration

Element Picker Integration

Form Validation

Common Issues

Condition Never True

Condition Always True

Missing End Condition

Variable Not Found

Element Timing Issues

Performance Considerations

Efficient Conditions

Scope Optimization

Related Steps