Test Cotton Components

A comprehensive guide for AI agents on effectively using django-cotton-bs5 pytest fixtures to test Django Cotton components. This skill teaches fixture selection, testing patterns, and best practices.

When to Use This Skill

• Writing new tests for Django Cotton components
• Testing Bootstrap 5 components wrapped in Cotton syntax
• Reviewing or refactoring existing Cotton component tests
• User asks: "How do I test Cotton components?", "Which fixture should I use?", "Test this component"
• Debugging test failures in Cotton-based templates

Prerequisites

• Project has

  django-cotton-bs5

  installed (provides pytest fixtures automatically)
• Django and pytest configured in the project
• Basic understanding of Django templates and Cotton component syntax

Available Fixtures

Fixture Decision Matrix

'cotton_bs5.alert'

cotton_render

'cotton_bs5.button'

cotton_render_soup

"<c-ul><c-li /></c-ul>"

cotton_render_string

"<c-card><c-button /></c-card>"

cotton_render_string_soup

Quick Rules

1. Use

   _soup

   variants when you need DOM traversal (

   find

   ,

   find_all

   ,

   select

   , etc.)
2. Use

   _string

   variants when testing multiple components together or inline markup
3. Use plain variants for simple string assertions ("does it contain X?")
4. All fixtures inject request object automatically — don't create one manually

Testing Patterns

Pattern 1: Single Component - Basic Assertions

Use Case: Verify a component renders with correct CSS classes and content.

Fixture:

cotton_render

def test_alert_renders_with_variant(cotton_render):
    """Test alert component renders correct variant class."""
    html = cotton_render(
        'cotton_bs5.alert',
        message="Warning message",
        variant="warning"
    )

    # Simple string assertions
    assert 'alert-warning' in html
    assert 'Warning message' in html
    assert 'alert' in html

When to use:

• Testing CSS class presence
• Verifying text content appears
• Quick smoke tests
• Testing component attributes are rendered

Pattern 2: Single Component - DOM Structure

Use Case: Verify component structure, hierarchy, or specific element attributes.

Fixture:

cotton_render_soup

def test_button_structure_and_attributes(cotton_render_soup):
    """Test button component renders correct HTML structure."""
    soup = cotton_render_soup(
        'cotton_bs5.button',
        text="Click Me",
        variant="primary",
        size="lg"
    )

    # DOM traversal and assertions
    button = soup.find('button')
    assert button is not None
    assert 'btn' in button['class']
    assert 'btn-primary' in button['class']
    assert 'btn-lg' in button['class']
    assert button.get_text().strip() == 'Click Me'

When to use:

• Verifying element attributes (id, class, data-, aria-)
• Testing DOM hierarchy (parent/child relationships)
• Checking element counts (

  len(soup.find_all('li'))

  )
• Extracting and validating specific text content

Pattern 3: Multi-Component - Inline Markup

Use Case: Test how multiple components work together in a template string.

Fixture:

cotton_render_string

def test_list_with_multiple_items(cotton_render_string):
    """Test list group with multiple items renders correctly."""
    html = cotton_render_string("""
        <c-list_group>
            <c-list_group.item text="First Item" />
            <c-list_group.item text="Second Item" active="True" />
            <c-list_group.item text="Third Item" />
        </c-list_group>
    """)

    # Verify all items present
    assert 'First Item' in html
    assert 'Second Item' in html
    assert 'Third Item' in html
    assert 'active' in html  # Active state rendered

When to use:

• Testing component composition
• Verifying parent-child component relationships
• Testing slot content with nested components
• Quick inline component experiments

Pattern 4: Multi-Component - Complex Structure Testing

Use Case: Test nested components with DOM queries and assertions on structure.

Fixture:

cotton_render_string_soup

def test_card_with_nested_components(cotton_render_string_soup):
    """Test card component with nested title, body, and buttons."""
    soup = cotton_render_string_soup("""
        <c-card>
            <c-card.title>User Profile</c-card.title>
            <c-card.body>
                <p>Manage your account settings</p>
                <c-button variant='primary'>Edit Profile</c-button>
                <c-button variant='secondary'>Cancel</c-button>
            </c-card.body>
        </c-card>
    """)

    # Test structure
    card = soup.find('div', class_='card')
    assert card is not None

    # Test title
    title = card.find('h5')
    assert title.get_text().strip() == 'User Profile'

    # Test buttons
    buttons = card.find_all('button')
    assert len(buttons) == 2
    assert 'btn-primary' in buttons[0]['class']
    assert buttons[0].get_text().strip() == 'Edit Profile'
    assert 'btn-secondary' in buttons[1]['class']

When to use:

• Testing complex component hierarchies
• Verifying nested component relationships
• Counting child elements
• Testing layouts (cards, modals, accordions with nested content)

Pattern 5: Context Variables & Cotton Attributes

Use Case: Test that global context and component-level attributes work together without leakage.

Fixture:

cotton_render_string

cotton_render_string_soup

def test_component_with_global_context(cotton_render_string_soup):
    """Test component uses both global context and Cotton attributes."""
    template = """
        <c-alert variant='{{ alert_type }}'>
            {{ message }}
        </c-alert>
        <c-button variant='primary'>{{ button_text }}</c-button>
    """

    soup = cotton_render_string_soup(template, context={
        'alert_type': 'success',
        'message': 'Operation completed',
        'button_text': 'Continue'
    })

    # Verify context variables applied
    alert = soup.find('div', class_='alert')
    assert 'alert-success' in alert['class']
    assert 'Operation completed' in alert.get_text()

    button = soup.find('button')
    assert 'Continue' in button.get_text()

When to use:

• Testing components with dynamic attributes
• Verifying template variable interpolation
• Testing context isolation (no leakage between components)
• Integration testing with Django views

Best Practices

✅ DO

1. Use the simplest fixture that meets your needs

   • cotton_render

     for simple assertions → faster

   • cotton_render_soup

     when you need DOM queries

2. Test one concern per test function

   # Good: focused test
   def test_button_variant_primary(cotton_render):
       html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.button', variant='primary')
       assert 'btn-primary' in html
   
   # Good: separate test for size
   def test_button_size_large(cotton_render):
       html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.button', size='lg')
       assert 'btn-lg' in html
   

3. Use descriptive test names and docstrings

   def test_alert_dismissible_renders_close_button(cotton_render_soup):
       """Test that dismissible alerts include a close button with correct aria-label."""
       soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.alert', dismissible=True)
       # ...
   

4. Test accessibility attributes

   def test_modal_has_aria_labels(cotton_render_soup):
       """Verify modal has proper ARIA attributes for screen readers."""
       soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.modal', id='myModal')
       modal = soup.find('div', class_='modal')
       assert modal.get('aria-labelledby') is not None
       assert modal.get('role') == 'dialog'
   

5. Test negative cases (attributes NOT present)

   def test_button_without_icon_has_no_icon_element(cotton_render_soup):
       """Verify button without icon doesn't render icon element."""
       soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.button', text='Click')
       icon = soup.find('i')  # or svg, depending on icon implementation
       assert icon is None
   

❌ DON'T

1. Don't create request objects manually — fixtures handle it

   # Bad
   def test_component(cotton_render):
       request = RequestFactory().get("/")  # Unnecessary!
       # ...
   
   # Good
   def test_component(cotton_render):
       html = cotton_render('component_name')
       # ...
   

2. Don't use

   cotton_render_soup

   for simple string checks

   # Inefficient - parsing overhead
   def test_alert_has_text(cotton_render_soup):
       soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.alert', message='Hello')
       assert 'Hello' in str(soup)
   
   # Better - direct string assertion
   def test_alert_has_text(cotton_render):
       html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.alert', message='Hello')
       assert 'Hello' in html
   

3. Don't test Bootstrap CSS implementation details — test your component's behavior

   # Bad - too brittle, tests Bootstrap internals
   def test_button_has_exact_padding():
       assert 'padding: 0.375rem 0.75rem' in html
   
   # Good - test component renders correct classes
   def test_button_applies_size_class(cotton_render):
       html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.button', size='sm')
       assert 'btn-sm' in html
   

4. Don't duplicate tests across fixtures unless testing different aspects

   # Bad - redundant
   def test_alert_with_render(cotton_render):
       html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.alert')
       assert 'alert' in html
   
   def test_alert_with_soup(cotton_render_soup):  # Same test!
       soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.alert')
       assert 'alert' in str(soup)
   
   # Good - different concerns
   def test_alert_css_class(cotton_render):
       html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.alert')
       assert 'alert' in html
   
   def test_alert_structure(cotton_render_soup):
       soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.alert')
       alert_div = soup.find('div', class_='alert')
       assert alert_div.get('role') == 'alert'
   

Common Testing Scenarios

Testing Slots (Named and Default)

def test_button_slot_content(cotton_render_string_soup):
    """Test button with slot content instead of text attribute."""
    soup = cotton_render_string_soup("""
        <c-button variant='primary'>
            <i class='icon-save'></i> Save Changes
        </c-button>
    """)

    button = soup.find('button')
    assert button.find('i', class_='icon-save') is not None
    assert 'Save Changes' in button.get_text()

Testing Conditional Rendering

def test_alert_dismissible_button(cotton_render_soup):
    """Test close button only appears when dismissible=True."""
    # With dismissible
    soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.alert', dismissible=True)
    assert soup.find('button', class_='btn-close') is not None

    # Without dismissible
    soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.alert', dismissible=False)
    assert soup.find('button', class_='btn-close') is None

Testing Dynamic Classes

def test_button_combines_variant_and_size(cotton_render_soup):
    """Test button correctly combines variant and size classes."""
    soup = cotton_render_soup(
        'cotton_bs5.button',
        variant='success',
        size='lg'
    )
    button = soup.find('button')
    classes = button['class']
    assert 'btn' in classes
    assert 'btn-success' in classes
    assert 'btn-lg' in classes

Testing Data Attributes

def test_modal_data_attributes(cotton_render_soup):
    """Test modal renders correct data-bs-* attributes."""
    soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.modal', id='testModal')

    toggle_button = soup.find('button', attrs={'data-bs-toggle': 'modal'})
    assert toggle_button is not None
    assert toggle_button.get('data-bs-target') == '#testModal'

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Fixture not found"

Problem: Test can't find cotton fixtures.

Solution: Ensure

django-cotton-bs5

pip install django-cotton-bs5
pytest --fixtures | grep cotton_render

All four fixtures should appear. If not, check

INSTALLED_APPS

cotton_bs5

Issue: "Template syntax error"

Problem: Cotton syntax not compiling in

cotton_render_string

Solution:

1. Check your Cotton component syntax is valid
2. Verify component is registered in Django
3. Test component works in actual template first
4. Use

   cotton_render('component.name')

   to isolate if issue is component vs string rendering

Issue: "Can't find element with BeautifulSoup"

Problem:

soup.find()

None

Solution:

1. Print the HTML to inspect structure:

   print(soup.prettify())

2. Check if component rendered at all
3. Verify CSS selector or attributes are correct
4. Component might use different tag than expected

# Debug: print HTML structure
def test_debug_component(cotton_render_soup):
    soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.card')
    print(soup.prettify())  # Inspect actual output
    # Now adjust assertions based on what you see

Issue: "Context variable not rendering"

Problem: Template variables like

{{ variable }}

Solution: Pass context dict to fixture:

# Wrong - variable won't render
html = cotton_render_string("<c-alert>{{ msg }}</c-alert>")

# Right - pass context
html = cotton_render_string(
    "<c-alert>{{ msg }}</c-alert>",
    context={'msg': 'Hello'}
)

Example: Complete Test Suite for a Component

"""Test suite for Button component."""

import pytest


class TestButtonComponent:
    """Test cotton_bs5.button component."""

    def test_button_basic_rendering(self, cotton_render):
        """Test button renders with default classes."""
        html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.button', text='Click')
        assert 'btn' in html
        assert 'Click' in html

    def test_button_variants(self, cotton_render):
        """Test button renders all Bootstrap variants."""
        variants = ['primary', 'secondary', 'success', 'danger', 'warning', 'info', 'light', 'dark']

        for variant in variants:
            html = cotton_render('cotton_bs5.button', variant=variant)
            assert f'btn-{variant}' in html

    def test_button_sizes(self, cotton_render_soup):
        """Test button renders with size classes."""
        # Small
        soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.button', size='sm')
        assert 'btn-sm' in soup.find('button')['class']

        # Large
        soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.button', size='lg')
        assert 'btn-lg' in soup.find('button')['class']

    def test_button_as_link(self, cotton_render_soup):
        """Test button renders as anchor tag when href provided."""
        soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.button', href='/test/', text='Link')

        link = soup.find('a')
        assert link is not None
        assert link.get('href') == '/test/'
        assert 'btn' in link['class']

    def test_button_disabled(self, cotton_render_soup):
        """Test button disabled attribute."""
        soup = cotton_render_soup('cotton_bs5.button', disabled=True)
        button = soup.find('button')
        assert button.get('disabled') is not None

    def test_button_with_icon_slot(self, cotton_render_string_soup):
        """Test button with icon in slot content."""
        soup = cotton_render_string_soup("""
            <c-button variant='primary'>
                <i class='bi bi-save'></i> Save
            </c-button>
        """)

        button = soup.find('button')
        icon = button.find('i', class_='bi-save')
        assert icon is not None
        assert 'Save' in button.get_text()

Summary

Use this skill to guide fixture selection and write comprehensive, maintainable tests for Django Cotton components. Remember:

• Start simple: Use

  cotton_render

  for basic tests
• Use BeautifulSoup (

  _soup

  ) when you need DOM queries
• Test multi-component scenarios with

  cotton_render_string

  variants
• Test accessibility (ARIA attributes, roles, labels)
• Follow one-concern-per-test principle
• Document expected behavior in docstrings

The fixtures make testing Cotton components straightforward — choose the right tool for each testing need!