Browser testing

Sounding uses Playwright for browser trials, but the goal is not to make Playwright feel foreign inside a Sails app.

The goal is to make browser trials feel like the natural top layer of the same testing story.

test() when the browser matters

Use browser trials when the real browser matters:

• sign in journeys
• mobile navigation
• editors and dashboards
• gated content flows
• checkout handoff

import { test } from 'sounding'

test(
  'subscriber can finish a members-only issue',
  { browser: true },
  async ({ sails, page, login, expect }) => {
    await sails.sounding.world.use('issue-access')
    await login.as('subscriber', page)

    await page.goto('/issues/the-nerve-to-build')

    await expect(page.getByText('The rest of the story')).toBeVisible()
  }
)

Why worlds matter even more here

Browser trials become fragile when they carry too much setup.

That is why sails.sounding.world.use() matters so much. It lets the trial start from a named business situation instead of twenty lines of scattered setup code.

Mobile should be first-class

Sounding should treat mobile browser projects as first-class citizens, not as an afterthought.

A good browser story should make it easy to run the same core flows across:

• desktop
• mobile
• dark mode when relevant

The ideal browser split

Use browser trials for what only the browser can prove.

Leave lower-level behavior to:

• test() with sails.helpers
• test() with get() / post()
• test() with visit()

That keeps browser coverage high-value and resilient.

What browser-capable trials add

When you opt into { browser: true }, the trial context additionally gives you:

• page
• browserContext
• browser
• Playwright-flavored expect() behavior for browser assertions

It also makes helpers like login.as(actorOrEmail, page) useful in the same trial.

A practical split that keeps browser tests healthy

Use browser-capable trials for:

• sign-in journeys
• editor flows
• checkout or handoff flows
• mobile navigation
• anything where the DOM, navigation, or real page state is the behavior

Do not use browser-capable trials just because they exist.

If a request or Inertia contract can prove the behavior more cheaply and more clearly, prefer that lower layer first.