Data Strategy

Critical

• Every file under test-data/static/** is .ts exporting as const literal values: never .json, no runtime import, no function, no computed value, no Faker call (the Constitution checks reject anything else).

  // CORRECT
  export const INVALID_EMAILS = ['', 'plaintext', 'missing@domain'] as const;
  // WRONG
  export const INVALID_EMAILS = [faker.internet.email(), buildBadEmail()];

• Never hardcode test content strings (names, emails, descriptions, product names) in a spec or page object; generate them with a Faker factory from test-data/factories/{area}/.

  // CORRECT
  const product = generateProduct();
  // WRONG
  const product = { name: 'Test Product 1', price: 9.99 };

• Never redefine the universal type-mismatch arrays inline; import INVALID_STRING_VALUES, INVALID_NUMBER_VALUES, INVALID_BOOLEAN_VALUES, INVALID_UUID_VALUES, INVALID_ENUM_VALUES, INVALID_ARRAY_VALUES and INVALID_OBJECT_VALUES from test-data/static/util/invalid-values.ts.
• A factory merges overrides over Faker defaults, returns Schema.parse(merged) and carries the Zod-inferred return type; never a cast.
• Never Faker-generate an app-defined string (error message, label, heading, route); those come from enums/{area}/* (enums).
• A value used in exactly one assertion stays inline in the test; a static file holds a curated set that a loop iterates.
• Editing an existing static value or enum member goes through refactor-values first.
• No magic numbers inline (timeouts, retry counts, limits): suite tuning in playwright.config.ts (config), domain limits in enums/{area}/*, a per-assertion { timeout } only with a comment saying why.

Procedure

1. Classify the value; ls test-data/static/ and ls test-data/factories/ resolve {area}. App-defined strings go to enums, tuning numbers to config; anything that fits no row: stop and ask.

   Value	Home
   Happy-path dynamic data (names, emails, ids, content)	factory in test-data/factories/{area}/<name>.factory.ts
   Universal type-mismatch values	import from test-data/static/util/invalid-values.ts
   Curated invalid or boundary set tied to the app's validation	test-data/static/{area}/<name>.ts
   Range violation for one field, used in one spec	inline array in the spec

2. Factory: the schema must exist in fixtures/api/schemas/{area}/ (type-safety); write it per references/factories.md.
3. Static set: pick the tier and the file shape per references/static-data-tiers.md; a set a second spec or field needs moves from inline to test-data/static/{area}/.
4. Consume: the factory call in the spec, fixture or page-object action; a static export through a for...of loop per test-standards. Run npm run lint and the affected tests.

References

• references/factories.md: open when creating or extending a factory, pinning fields with overrides, or when Schema.parse throws inside one.
• references/static-data-tiers.md: open when adding a static set: the three tiers, the two file shapes, promotion from inline, collisions between parallel tests.