Implementation:Teamcapybara Capybara Node Actions Fill In

Knowledge Sources	Capybara
Domains	Testing, Form_Interaction
Last Updated	2026-02-12 00:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for filling in text fields and text areas provided by Capybara::Node::Actions#fill_in.

Description

Node::Actions#fill_in uses find(:fillable_field, locator, **find_options) to locate the input, then calls .set(with, **fill_options) on it. The :fillable_field selector matches text inputs, password inputs, email inputs, textareas, and other fillable elements by their name, id, test_id attribute, placeholder, or associated label text. The currently_with option filters fields by their current value.

Usage

Call fill_in with a locator identifying the field and a with: keyword for the desired value.

Code Reference

Source Location

• Repository: capybara
• File: lib/capybara/node/actions.rb
• Lines: L88-92

Signature

def fill_in(locator = nil, with:, currently_with: nil, fill_options: {}, **find_options)
  # @param locator [String, nil] Name, id, test_id, placeholder, or label text
  # @param with [String] The value to fill in (required keyword)
  # @param currently_with [String, nil] Match field by current value
  # @param fill_options [Hash] Driver-specific options (e.g., { clear: :backspace })
  # @param find_options [Hash] Options passed to find(:fillable_field, ...)
  # @return [Capybara::Node::Element] The filled element
  find_options[:with] = currently_with if currently_with
  find_options[:allow_self] = true if locator.nil?
  find(:fillable_field, locator, **find_options).set(with, **fill_options)
end

Import

require 'capybara'
# fill_in available via Capybara::DSL or on any Node instance

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
locator	String/nil	No	Field identifier (name, id, test_id, placeholder, label text)
with	String	Yes	Value to fill in
currently_with	String	No	Match field by its current value
fill_options	Hash	No	Driver-specific options (e.g., { clear: :backspace })
id	String/Regexp	No	Match by id attribute
name	String	No	Match by name attribute
placeholder	String	No	Match by placeholder attribute
class	String/Array/Regexp	No	Match by CSS class

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
element	Capybara::Node::Element	The filled-in form element

Usage Examples

Basic Fill In

fill_in 'Name', with: 'Alice'
fill_in 'Email', with: 'alice@example.com'
fill_in 'Password', with: 'secret123'

With Options

# Match by current value
fill_in 'Username', with: 'new_name', currently_with: 'old_name'

# Driver-specific clear method
fill_in 'Search', with: 'query', fill_options: { clear: :backspace }

# Without locator (operates on self)
find(:field, 'Name').fill_in(with: 'Bob')

Related Pages

Implements Principle

• Principle:Teamcapybara_Capybara_Form_Field_Filling