How to Set Up Unit Testing for SitecoreAI Content SDK Next.js Projects

Unit testing plays a critical role in ensuring code quality, stability, and maintainability for modern headless CMS solutions. When working with SitecoreAI Content SDK Next.js applications, implementing a robust testing strategy is essential. This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough for setting up unit testing in a SitecoreAI-powered Next.js project using Jest and React Testing Library. You’ll learn how to install the required dependencies, configure Jest for Next.js , and structure effective test cases for SitecoreAI components to achieve reliable and scalable applications. SitecoreAI

Before you begin setting up unit testing for SitecoreAI Content SDK Next.js applications, ensure your development environment is properly configured. Meeting these prerequisites will help you integrate Jest and React Testing Library seamlessly and avoid common setup issues.

You’ll need:

• Node.js (v14 or higher) for running Next.js and testing tools
• npm or Yarn as your package manager
• An existing SitecoreAI Content SDK Next.js project ready for testing
• Basic knowledge of React and TypeScript for writing and maintaining test cases

This setup leverages industry-standard tools for a robust testing stack:

• Jest: JavaScript testing framework
• React Testing Library: For React component testing
• TypeScript: For type-safe tests
• Jest DOM: Enhances DOM assertions for Sitecore component testing.

Step 1: Install Core Testing Dependencies

Navigate to your Sitecore Content SDK Next.js project directory and install the required packages:

cd xmcloud-starter-js/examples/kit-nextjs-article-starter
npm install --silent
npm ci --silent
npm install --save-dev jest @testing-library/react @testing-library/jest-dom @types/jest jest-environment-jsdom

Output of the Command:

Step 2: Add TypeScript Support

For TypeScript-enabled Sitecore projects:

npm install --save-dev ts-jest

Output of the Command:

Confirm all core packages are installed correctly:

npm list --depth=0 | Select-String "jest|testing"

Output of the Command:

Step 4: Create Jest Configuration

Create a jest.config.js file in your project root to handle Next.js integration and module mapping. This file loads your Next app, configures setupFilesAfterEnv, maps module aliases, and sets jest-environment-jsdom as the test environment.

Update jest.config.js to align with path aliases defined in tsconfig.json.

// jest.config.js file
const nextJest = require('next/jest');

const createJestConfig = nextJest({
  dir: './',
});

const customJestConfig = {
  setupFilesAfterEnv: ['<rootDir>/jest.setup.js'],
  moduleNameMapper: {
    '^@/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/src/$1',
    '^components/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/src/components/$1',
    '^shadcd/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/shadcn/$1',
    '^lib/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/src/lib/$1',
    '^temp/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/src/temp/$1',
    '^assets/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/src/assets/$1',
    '^enumerations/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/src/enumerations/$1',
    '^types/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/src/types/$1',
    '^graphql-types$': '<rootDir>/node_modules/@types/graphql-let/__generated__/__types__',
    '^react$': '<rootDir>/node_modules/react',
    '^@/tw/(.*)$': '<rootDir>/tailwind-config/$1',
  },
  testEnvironment: 'jest-environment-jsdom',
  testMatch: [
    '**/tests/**/*.(test|spec).(ts|tsx|js)',
    '**/__tests__/**/*.(test|spec).(ts|tsx|js)',
    '**/*.(test|spec).(ts|tsx|js)'
  ],
  testPathIgnorePatterns: ['<rootDir>/.next/', '<rootDir>/node_modules/'],
  collectCoverageFrom: ['src/**/*.{ts,tsx}', '!src/**/*.d.ts', '!src/**/*.stories.{ts,tsx}'],
};

module.exports = createJestConfig(customJestConfig);

Create jest.setup.js in your project root to import Jest DOM matchers:

// jest.setup.js file

import '@testing-library/jest-dom';

Step 6: Update TypeScript Configuration

Add Jest types to your tsconfig.json:

// tsconfig.json file

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    // ... other options
    "types": ["node", "jest"]
  }
}

Step 7: Add Test Scripts to package.json

Update your package.json:

// package.json file

{
  "scripts": {
    "test": "jest",
    "test:watch": "jest --watch",
    "test:coverage": "jest --coverage",
    "test:ci": "jest --ci --coverage --watchAll=false"
  }
}

if below entry present then update with "test": "jest":

// package.json file

{
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo 'No tests implemented yet' && exit 0",
  }
}

Creating effective unit tests for SitecoreAI Content SDK Next.js components is key to ensuring your application performs reliably across different scenarios. Prioritize testing Sitecore-specific elements such as component fields and rendering variants.

Step 1: Create tests folder

Create a tests folder in your project root to store the unit test files.

Step 2: Create Test File for a SitecoreAI Next.js Component

Create a test file inside a tests/ folder, for example, examples\kit-nextjs-article-starter\tests\rich-text-block\RichTextBlock.test.tsx

Step 3: Key Testing Patterns

Mocking SitecoreAI Next.js Components

Since Sitecore Content SDK components like Link and NextImage are wrappers around native tags, they must be mocked to run outside a Sitecore/Next.js environment.

// Mock Sitecore Content SDK
jest.mock('@sitecore-content-sdk/nextjs', () => ({
  RichText: ({ field }: any) => (
    <div role="region" className="prose custom-style" data-component-name="rich-text-block" id="test-id">
      <div data-testid="rich-text">{field}</div>
    </div>
  ),
}));

// Mock NoDataFallback component
jest.mock('@/utils/NoDataFallback', () => ({
  NoDataFallback: () => <div data-testid="no-data">Rich text</div>,
}));

// Mock Sitecore SDK components
jest.mock('@sitecore-content-sdk/nextjs', () => ({
  Text: (props: any) => <span data-testid="text" {...props}>{props.field?.value}</span>,
  useSitecore: () => ({ page: { mode: { isEditing: false } } }),
}));

// Mock TextBanner variants (named export Default for each)
jest.mock('@/components/text-banner/TextBannerDefault.dev', () => ({
  Default: (props: any) => <div data-testid="text-banner-default">Default {props.isPageEditing ? 'editing' : 'view'}</div>,
}));

Creating Test Data Factories

Use functions to generate consistent mock data, making tests clean and easy to maintain.

// Helper to create mock props
const createMockProps = (overrides: any = {}) => ({
  params: {
    RenderingIdentifier: 'test-id',
    styles: 'custom-style',
    ...overrides.params,
  },
  fields: {
    Content: { value: '<p>Test Content</p>' },
    ...overrides.fields,
  },
});

// Usage
const props = createMockProps();
const props = createMockProps({
      fields: {
        Content: undefined, // Explicitly remove Content to trigger fallback
      },
    });
const props = createMockProps({
      params: { styles: 'mystyle', RenderingIdentifier: undefined },
    });

Step 1: Validate Setup and Configuration

Validate your Jest setup with npx jest --version and npx jest --showConfig before running individual or directory‑wide tests.

# Verify Jest installation and version
npx jest --version

# Run Jest configuration check
npx jest --showConfig

Run specific tests for faster debugging:

# Run tests for the Hero component
npm test tests\components\hero\Hero.test.tsx

Step 3: Run Tests by Name Pattern

# Run tests by name pattern
npx jest --testNamePattern="Hero"

Step 4: Run a Specific Test File with Coverage and Verbose Output

npx jest tests\components\hero\Hero.test.tsx --coverage --verbose

npm run test:coverage -- --testPathPattern=Hero --verbose

Step 6: Run All Tests Once

npm test

Step 7: Run Tests in Watch Mode

npm run test:watch

npm run test:ci

These commands help streamline your testing workflow, whether you’re developing locally, debugging a specific component, or running tests in a CI/CD pipeline. They also ensure you can easily view and improve your code coverage.

Step 1: Generate Coverage Reports

Generate detailed analysis of lines, functions, and branches:

npm run test:coverage

It will generate the report at \kit-nextjs-article-starter\coverage\lcov-report\index.html location:

✔ Testing Strategy

• Test behavior, not implementation
• Clear test names
• Use Arrange / Act / Assert
• Mock external APIs & Sitecore fields

✔ Component Testing Guidelines

• Test all component variants
• Cover empty or missing data cases
• Validate accessibility
• Confirm field mapping

✔ Organization

• Keep tests in a separate /tests folder
• Use factories for consistency
• Group related cases with describe()

Recommended File Structure

kit-nextjs-article-starter/
├── src/
│   └── components/   // Component source files
└── tests/
    └── components/   // ✅ All test files go here (Isolated from build)

You now have a fully configured, production-ready unit testing environment for SitecoreAI Content SDK Next.js applications. This setup delivers a solid foundation for comprehensive testing, enabling faster development cycles, improved code stability, seamless CI/CD integration, and enhanced developer experience - ensuring high-quality, scalable Sitecore implementations.

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