chore(e2e/utils): improve readVisibleText

- find Text element by type
- try to also find a Text child of the given testID
- handle matching multiple children and read each recursively

e2e/utils.ts

@@ -1,13 +1,75 @@
 import { expect } from 'detox'
 
+// https://github.com/wix/Detox/blob/master/docs/APIRef.Matchers.md#bytypenativeviewtype
+const nativeTypesNames = ['Text', 'Image']
+const buildTypeMap = (typeNameBuilder: (typeName: string) => string): {[k: string]: string} => {
+  let ret = {}
+  nativeTypesNames.forEach(typeName => ret[typeName] = typeNameBuilder(typeName))
+  return ret
+}
+export const nativeTypes = device.getPlatform() == 'android' ?
+  buildTypeMap(typeName => `android.widget.${typeName}View`) :
+  buildTypeMap(typeName => `RCT${typeName}View`)
+
 /**
  * @async
- * @desc Given a testID of a <Text> element, returns the visible text in it
- *       courtsey of https://github.com/wix/detox/issues/445#issuecomment-514801808
+ * @desc Returns the visible text from the element with testID
+ *       initially based on https://github.com/wix/detox/issues/445#issuecomment-514801808
+ * @param testID the testID of a <Text> element or a parent of one or more
+ *               <Text> elements. If more than one is found the result is
+ *               concatted
+ * @param index  index of <Text> element value to return, instead of all
+ *               concatted children. Leave undefined for default behavior
+ * @returns visibleText all text visible inside the element with testID
  */
-export const readVisibleText = async (testID: string) => {
+export const readVisibleText = async (testID: string, index: number | undefined = undefined): Promise<string> => {
+  let el = element(by.id(testID).and(by.type(nativeTypes.Text)))
+  if (index !== undefined) {
+    //console.error('with index', index)
+    el = el.atIndex(index)
+  }
+  try {
+    await expect(el).toBeVisible()
+  } catch (err) {
+    // try looking for a text child
+    el = element(by.type(nativeTypes.Text).withAncestor(by.id(testID)))
+    if (index !== undefined) {
+      //console.error('with index with text child', index)
+      el = el.atIndex(index)
+    }
+
+    try {
+      //console.error('expect with child')
+      await expect(el).toBeVisible()
+    } catch (err) {
+      const msg = err.message.toString()
+      if (msg.indexOf('matches multiple views in the hierarchy') == -1) {
+        // if it is any other error than matching multiple views, we raise it
+        //console.error('expect with child error', err)
+        throw err
+      }
+
+      // if there are multiple matching Text views, we try to get the
+      // concatenated text
+      const MAX_TEXT_CHILDREN = 100
+      const texts = []
+      for (let i = 0; i < MAX_TEXT_CHILDREN; i++) {
+        try {
+          const text = await readVisibleText(testID, i)
+          texts.push(text)
+        } catch (err) {
+          // TODO how do we know there are no more children vs. some other
+          //      error?
+          break
+        }
+      }
+
+      return texts.join('')
+    }
+  }
+
   try {
-    await expect(element(by.id(testID))).toHaveText('_you_cant_possible_have_this_text_')
+    await expect(el).toHaveText('_you_cant_possible_have_this_text_')
     throw 'are you kidding me?'
   } catch (error) {
     if (device.getPlatform() === 'ios') {
@@ -24,9 +86,16 @@ export const readVisibleText = async (testID: string) => {
       const [, restMessage] = errorMessage.split(start);
       const [label] = restMessage.split(end);
       const value = label.split(',');
-      var combineText = value.find((i: string) => i.includes('text=')).trim();
-      const [, elementText] = combineText.split('=');
-      return elementText;
+      let combineText = value.find((i: string) => i.includes('text='))
+      if (!combineText) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `readVisibleText failed! '${testID}' must be a testID of a <Text> element (or a parent of one)`
+        )
+      } else {
+        combineText = combineText.trim()
+      }
+      const [, elementText] = combineText.split('=')
+      return elementText
     }
   }
 }