Combining Test IDs with Data Attributes in Playwright

 In modern web automation, element selectors play a critical role in building reliable and maintainable test scripts. Among various selector strategies, using Test IDs and data attributes is considered a best practice—especially when working with tools like Playwright, a powerful end-to-end testing framework for modern web apps.

Combining test IDs with custom data attributes allows QA teams to write resilient, semantic, and intention-revealing selectors that are less prone to breakage due to UI changes. In this blog, we’ll explore how and why to use them together effectively in Playwright.

Why Not Use CSS or XPath Alone?

While CSS and XPath selectors are common, they have major drawbacks:

CSS selectors often break with design updates or class name changes.

XPath expressions can become overly complex and unreadable.

Both approaches tend to be tightly coupled to UI structure, making test maintenance painful.

The Power of Test IDs and Data Attributes

Test IDs and data-* attributes are custom HTML attributes explicitly added for testing purposes. For example:

<button data-testid="submit-btn" data-role="primary-action">Submit</button>

data-testid: Intended solely for identifying UI elements in tests.

data-role or other data-* attributes: Can express the functional role or state of the element.

These attributes do not interfere with the user experience or styling but offer stable hooks for test scripts.

Using These Selectors in Playwright

Playwright allows you to select elements using these attributes easily and clearly:

// Using data-testid

await page.getByTestId('submit-btn').click();

// Using a custom data attribute

await page.locator('[data-role="primary-action"]').click();

// Combining both

await page.locator('[data-testid="submit-btn"][data-role="primary-action"]').click();

This combination makes selectors both specific and descriptive, improving test clarity and reducing ambiguity.

Best Practices

Establish naming conventions for data-testid (e.g., kebab-case or snake_case).

Use data-role, data-purpose, or similar attributes to denote intent or state (e.g., data-status="active").

Avoid relying on text or class names that may change frequently.

Collaborate with developers to ensure these attributes are included during component development.

Conclusion

Combining test IDs with data attributes in Playwright is a strategic approach to writing robust, future-proof UI tests. It aligns development and QA by making test selectors meaningful, stable, and easy to maintain. By adopting this method, you’ll reduce flaky tests and increase confidence in your automated test suite—even as the UI evolves.

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