Dynamic Content, Waits & Page State

Modern web applications are heavily asynchronous — data loads from APIs, pages render progressively, notifications pop up and disappear, and content appears based on user interaction. This guide teaches you how to handle these dynamic behaviors reliably in KaneAI tests.

Understanding Waits in KaneAI

KaneAI provides three types of wait mechanisms:

1. Default Auto-Wait (Built-In)

Every element interaction command (click, type, assert, etc.) automatically waits up to 10 seconds for the target element to become interactable. You don't need to add explicit waits for most simple interactions.

When auto-wait is sufficient:

• Clicking a button that's already on the page
• Typing in a visible input field
• Asserting text that's already rendered

2. Explicit Waits

Use explicit waits when you know an action will take longer than the default 10 seconds, or when you need to pause between steps.

wait for 5 seconds
wait for 10 seconds

When to use explicit waits:

• After form submission that triggers a page redirect
• After clicking a button that triggers an API call
• Between cascading dropdown selections
• After scrolling on infinite-scroll pages
• Before asserting on content loaded from an API

3. Custom Step Timeout

For individual steps that need more time, set a custom timeout via the step menu:

1. Click the step menu (three dots)
2. Select Step Timeout
3. Enter your timeout value (up to 300 seconds)

When to use custom timeout:

• Waiting for file uploads to complete
• Waiting for large reports to generate
• Waiting for third-party payment gateways to respond

Recommendation

Prefer custom step timeout over explicit waits when you're waiting for a specific element to appear. Custom timeouts are dynamic — they proceed as soon as the element is ready, while explicit waits always wait the full duration.

Real-World Dynamic Content Scenarios

Scenario: Loading Spinner After Form Submit

Your app shows a spinner after clicking "Submit" and then displays a success message.

click on the "Submit" button
wait for 5 seconds
assert "Submission Successful" is visible
assert the loading spinner is not visible

Better approach using custom timeout:

1. Set the custom step timeout to 15 seconds for the assertion step
2. Write: assert "Submission Successful" is visible
3. KaneAI will wait up to 15 seconds for the message, proceeding immediately when it appears

Scenario: Toast Notification (Auto-Dismiss)

Toast notifications appear briefly (typically 3-5 seconds) and then disappear. KaneAI does not currently support interacting with toast notifications via natural language commands. Use a JS snippet to capture them instead.

// Wait briefly and capture the toast content
return document.querySelector('.toast-message')?.textContent || 'NO TOAST FOUND';

tip

Adjust the selector (.toast-message) to match your application's toast component class or ID.

Scenario: Modal/Dialog After Button Click

click on "Delete Account" button
wait for 2 seconds
assert the confirmation modal is visible
assert "Are you sure you want to delete your account?" is visible in the modal
click "Cancel" inside the modal
assert the modal is not visible

Scenario: Auto-Complete Search (Debounced Input)

Search fields often wait 300-500ms after the user stops typing before making an API call.

type "react testing" in the search bar
wait for 2 seconds
assert search suggestions are visible
click on the first suggestion
assert the search results page has loaded

Scenario: Page Redirect After Action

After login, the app redirects to the dashboard.

type "[email protected]" in the email field
type "password123" in the password field
click "Sign In"
wait for 5 seconds
assert the current URL contains "/dashboard"
assert "Welcome, Admin" is visible

Scenario: Lazy-Loaded Images

Product pages often load images lazily as you scroll.

scroll down 3 times
wait for 3 seconds
assert the product image for "Winter Jacket" is visible

Scenario: Tab Content That Loads on Click

Tabs that load their content via AJAX when selected:

click on the "Reviews" tab
wait for 3 seconds
assert customer reviews are visible
assert "5 out of 5 stars" is visible

Scenario: Conditional UI Based on API Response

A dashboard that shows different content based on the user's subscription:

go to https://app.example.com/dashboard
wait for 5 seconds
if "Upgrade to Pro" button is visible then click on it

Handling Popups & Dialogs

Browser Alert Dialogs

KaneAI handles native browser alerts (alert(), confirm(), prompt()) automatically in most cases.

Cookie Consent Banners

if "Accept Cookies" button is visible then click on it

Permission Dialogs

For notification or location permission popups, handle them before they appear using Chrome options or custom headers. See Chrome Options.

Dismissing Popups Without Close Buttons (Mobile)

On mobile apps, use:

dismiss dialog

This works for popups that don't have visible close buttons.

Network-Dependent Content

Scenario: Slow API Response

When your app fetches data from a slow API:

click on "Generate Report"
wait for 15 seconds
assert "Report ready for download" is visible

Or with custom timeout: Set the assertion step timeout to 30 seconds instead of using explicit wait.

Testing Under Poor Network Conditions

Use KaneAI's Network Throttling to simulate slow connections:

1. Before starting the session, set network profile to 3G or Custom
2. Add longer waits to account for slower load times
3. Validate that the app handles slow networks gracefully

-- With 3G throttling enabled --
go to https://app.example.com
wait for 10 seconds
assert the page content has loaded
assert no "Network Error" message is visible

Patterns for Robust Test Flows

Pattern: Action → Wait → Assert

The most reliable pattern for any action that triggers asynchronous behavior:

-- Action --
click on "Submit" button

-- Wait --
wait for 3 seconds

-- Assert --
assert "Success" message is visible

Pattern: Scroll → Wait → Interact

For content below the fold:

scroll down until "Contact Us" section is visible
wait for 2 seconds
type "[email protected]" in the email field

Pattern: Conditional Wait for Dynamic Content

When you're unsure if a popup or overlay will appear:

if "Close" button is visible then click on "Close" button
wait for 2 seconds
click on "Continue" button

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mistake	What happens	Fix
No wait after page navigation	Assertion runs on old page, fails or passes incorrectly	Add wait for 3-5 seconds after navigation
Asserting toast after long wait	Toast has already disappeared	Assert immediately after the triggering action via JS snippet
Using explicit wait when custom timeout is better	Test always waits full duration even if element appears early	Use custom step timeout instead
Asserting dynamic count without waiting for load	Count is 0 because data hasn't loaded yet	Wait for data to load, then assert count
Not handling conditional popups	Test fails when an unexpected cookie banner or dialog appears	Use if conditional to dismiss popups