Smart Git Strategy in SmartUI

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Smart Git is an advanced feature in SmartUI that provides intelligent branch comparison and management capabilities. This guide explains how to use Smart Git effectively in your visual regression testing workflow.

What is Smart Git?

Smart Git is a feature that enhances the default Git branching strategy in SmartUI by providing more flexible and intelligent branch comparison capabilities. When enabled, it automatically compares the latest build of a branch against the latest approved version of the same branch, regardless of the project's baseline settings.

Key Benefits

1. Intelligent Comparison: Automatically compares against the latest approved version of the same branch
2. Flexible Workflow: Works independently of project baseline settings
3. Easy Configuration: Simple environment variable toggle
4. Fallback Support: Gracefully falls back to default behavior when disabled

Enabling Smart Git

Smart Git can be enabled using an environment variable:

MacOS/Linux

export SMART_GIT=true

Windows

set SMART_GIT=true

How Smart Git Works

Default vs Smart Git Behavior

Default Behavior (SMART_GIT=false)

• Compares builds against the project's configured baseline branch
• All branches are compared against the same baseline
• Changes must be approved in the baseline branch

Smart Git Behavior (SMART_GIT=true)

• Compares builds against the latest approved version of the same branch
• Each branch maintains its own comparison history
• Changes can be approved independently in each branch
• Automatic Approval: New branches are automatically approved when first created, serving as their own baseline

Comparison Flow

1. Build Execution:

   # Enable Smart Git
   export SMART_GIT=true
   
   # Run your tests
   npx smartui --config .smartui.json exec -- <Your execution command>

2. Comparison Process:

   • SmartUI identifies the current branch
   • Finds the latest approved build in the same branch
   • Compares the new build against the latest approved version
   • Generates a comparison report

Use Cases and Simulations

Use Case 1: Feature Branch Development

Scenario: You're developing a new feature in a feature branch and want to track visual changes independently.

# Create and switch to feature branch
git checkout -b feature/new-login

# Enable Smart Git
export SMART_GIT=true

# Make changes and run tests with different CLI commands
npx smartui --config .smartui.json exec -- <Your execution command> --buildName "feature-login-tests"
npx smartui upload-figma-web designs.json --buildName "feature-login-designs"
npx smartui capture urls.json --buildName "feature-login-capture"

Result:

• Builds are compared against the latest approved version in feature/new-login
• Changes can be approved without affecting the main branch
• Independent visual regression tracking for the feature
• First build in the new branch is automatically approved as its baseline

Use Case 2: Parallel Development

Scenario: Multiple teams working on different features in separate branches.

# Team A: Feature branch
git checkout -b feature/team-a
export SMART_GIT=true
npx smartui --config .smartui.json exec -- <Team A tests>

# Team B: Different feature branch
git checkout -b feature/team-b
export SMART_GIT=true
npx smartui --config .smartui.json exec -- <Team B tests>

Result:

• Each team's changes are tracked independently
• No interference between different feature branches
• Teams can approve their changes without waiting for others

Use Case 3: Hotfix Development

Scenario: Need to make urgent fixes in a hotfix branch.

# Create hotfix branch
git checkout -b hotfix/security-patch

# Enable Smart Git
export SMART_GIT=true

# Run tests
npx smartui --config .smartui.json exec -- <Your execution command>

note

The Smart Git management works consistently across all SmartUI CLI commands (exec, capture, upload, upload-figma-web, upload-figma-app), ensuring a unified experience whether you're executing tests, capturing screenshots, uploading images, or comparing Figma designs with web pages or mobile apps. Each command supports the --buildName flag to provide custom names for your builds.

Result:

• Quick visual regression testing for hotfix
• Independent approval process
• No impact on other branches' baselines

Best Practices

1. Branch Naming: Use clear, consistent branch naming conventions
2. Regular Updates: Keep branches up to date with their parent branches
3. Approval Process: Establish clear approval criteria for each branch
4. Documentation: Document branch-specific visual changes
5. Cleanup: Regularly clean up old branches and their builds

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Comparison Issues:

   • Verify Smart Git is enabled: echo $SMART_GIT
   • Check branch name: git branch --show-current
   • Ensure previous builds exist in the branch

2. Approval Issues:

   • Verify you have necessary permissions
   • Check if the build is in an approvable state
   • Ensure the branch has previous approved builds

Getting Help

If you encounter any issues with Smart Git, please contact our support team at support@lambdatest.com.