Intro to Test React Components with Jest and React Testing Library

Instructor: 0:00 All right, folks. It is time for one of my favorite parts and that is testing with React testing library. Whether or not you're using React, you're going to want to watch this one for sure because all of the principles that we learn through this module are going to be applicable regardless of how you get your DOM on the screen.

0:17 With React specifically, we're using React testing library, but there are testing libraries for a bunch of other frameworks. When we go into this React project, we're going to be testing all kinds of different scenarios. I'm really looking forward to showing you this. Let's take a look at the project really quick.

0:32 You're going to be spending most of your time here in the /src directory, in the tests, following that convention from Jest. Some of these are sequential, so you'd see those one, two, three. Others are just isolated on their own and you'll have a link on the lesson page for each one of this, so that you know exactly which file I'm working in.

0:51 Sometimes we'll be working in the /src directory directly with this test-driven development series of lessons that we've got here. Most of the time, you'll just be working in this tests directory here.

1:04 Another thing I just want to call out here is that we're using a unique Jest configuration setup here using my kcd-scripts module. That's because we covered Jest configuration in another module. You don't need to worry about that here.

1:16 I created React testing library because I saw a huge need in the React testing ecosystem for a tool that did not encourage you to test implementation details, which is a path to sadness. Instead, it encouraged you to test your software in the way that your software is going to be used, which is where you get your confidence.

1:33 React testing library is the bomb and I think you're going to love it too. Let's go ahead and jump in here and see how we can improve our test using React testing library.