Test Reporting

Learning objectives#

• Generate HTML and JUnit reports
• Capture evidence on failure
• Publish reports from CI
• Track trends over time

Explanation#

Human-friendly reports (Playwright HTML, Allure) show steps, errors, screenshots, videos and traces.

Machine-readable JUnit XML lets CI systems show test results per pull request.

Capture screenshots, videos and traces only on failure to save time and storage.

Trends (pass rate, duration, flaky tests) show whether the suite is getting healthier.

Code example: Publishing reports in GitHub Actions#

1      - run: npx playwright test
2        env: { BASE_URL: https://staging.shop.example }
3      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
4        if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
5        with:
6          name: playwright-report
7          path: playwright-report/
8          retention-days: 14
9      - uses: dorny/test-reporter@v1
10        if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
11        with:
12          name: E2E results
13          path: results/junit.xml
14          reporter: java-junit

Each run shows a pass/fail summary on the pull request and a downloadable HTML report with traces for failures.

This example is illustrative. Copy or download it and run it in your own environment; the expected output is shown above.

Step-by-step explanation#

1. Tests run against staging.
2. The HTML report is uploaded even when tests fail.
3. JUnit XML is turned into a check-run summary.
4. Reports are kept for 14 days.

Real-world use case#

Common mistakes#

Best practices#

• HTML for people, JUnit for CI
• Evidence on failure only
• Upload reports even when tests fail
• Track pass rate and duration

Remember this#

Practice exercise#

1use: { screenshot: 'only-on-failure', video: 'retain-on-failure', trace: 'on-first-retry' }

Mini quiz#

Want more? Practise all Automation Testing MCQs · Automation Testing interview questions

Related topics#

My notes#

Saved in this browser.