Fluent Design: Chaining Actions and Validations

SHAFT Engine provides a fluent API that lets you chain actions and validations in a single, readable statement. Instead of writing one action per line, you can express an entire test step as a flowing sentence.

---

Why Fluent Design?

Traditional test code often looks like a sequence of disconnected commands:

TraditionalStyle.java

driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com/register");
driver.element().type(emailInput, "user@example.com");
driver.element().type(passwordInput, "securePass123");
driver.element().type(confirmPasswordInput, "securePass123");
driver.element().click(registerButton);

With SHAFT's fluent API, the same logic reads like a natural sentence:

FluentStyle.java

driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com/register")
    .and().element()
        .type(emailInput, "user@example.com")
        .and().type(passwordInput, "securePass123")
        .and().type(confirmPasswordInput, "securePass123")
        .and().click(registerButton);

---

How It Works

Every SHAFT action method returns the same action object, allowing you to call the next method directly on the result. The .and() method is syntactic sugar that returns this — it exists purely for readability.

Method	Returns	Purpose
driver.element().click(locator)	Actions	Perform click, continue chaining
driver.element().type(locator, text)	Actions	Type text, continue chaining
.and()	Same instance	Readability connector
driver.browser().navigateToURL(url)	BrowserActions	Navigate, continue chaining

---

Chaining Actions with Validations

The real power of fluent design is combining actions and validations in a single chain:

FluentActionsAndValidations.java

driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com/register")
    .and().element()
        .type(emailInput, validEmail)
        .and().type(passwordInput, validPassword)
        .and().type(confirmPasswordInput, validPassword)
        .and().click(registerButton)
    .and().assertThat(confirmationLabel)
        .text().contains("Registration successful")
        .withCustomReportMessage("Verify registration completed with correct data")
        .perform();

tip

The .withCustomReportMessage() method adds a descriptive label in the Allure report, making it easy to understand what each validation checks.

---

Switching Between Action Types

You can switch between browser actions, element actions, and validations within the same chain:

SwitchingActionTypes.java

driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com/login")
    .and().element()
        .type(usernameInput, "admin")
        .and().type(passwordInput, "password")
        .and().click(loginButton)
    .and().browser()
        .navigateToURL("https://example.com/dashboard")
    .and().assertThat(welcomeMessage)
        .text().contains("Welcome, admin")
        .perform();

---

Best Practices

1. Use .and() for readability — It does nothing functionally, but it makes chains read like English.
2. Keep chains focused — One chain should represent one logical test step or user action.
3. Add custom report messages — Use .withCustomReportMessage() on validations so your Allure report tells a clear story.
4. Indent for clarity — Align chained calls to visually group related actions together.

info

Fluent design is not just syntactic sugar — it encourages you to think about tests as user stories, which leads to more maintainable test suites.