Contact me (rajamanickam.a@gmail.com) for doing PHP Web development and Software Testing.
I noticed that the browser automation tool Playwright is playing an important role in web scraping and software testing. So, I was thinking about learning it. Recently I needed to use it as my regular way of using PHP to do web scraping is not able to handle the requirements. With the help of chatGPT, I was able to setup it up quickly and become familiar with it. If you are new to testing, you can first read my ebook "Software Testing and QPT Automation".
I am putting below the chatGPT content which helped me to be familiar with Playwright.
In the ever-evolving landscape of web development, automation has become a crucial aspect of testing and scraping. Among the tools available, Playwright stands out as a robust and versatile option for browser automation. Developed by Microsoft, Playwright allows developers to script and control web browsers with ease. In this blog post, we'll dive into the essentials of Playwright, its key features, and how you can get started with this powerful tool.
What is Playwright?
Playwright is a Node.js library designed for automating browsers. It provides a unified API for interacting with multiple browser engines, including Chromium (Google Chrome), Firefox, and WebKit (Safari). Playwright is particularly useful for:
- End-to-End Testing: Automate tests for web applications to ensure they function correctly across different browsers.
- Web Scraping: Extract data from web pages programmatically, even if the content is dynamically loaded with JavaScript.
- Performance Monitoring: Measure page performance and capture metrics.
With Playwright, you can automate tasks like navigation, form submission, and interactions with web elements seamlessly.
Getting Started with Playwright
To begin using Playwright, you'll need to have Node.js installed. If you haven’t done so already, follow this guide to install Node.js. Once you have Node.js, follow these steps:
Set Up Your Project
Create a new directory for your project and navigate into it:
shmkdir playwright-example cd playwright-exampleInitialize a new Node.js project:
shnpm init -yInstall Playwright:
shnpm install playwrightThis command installs Playwright and its browser binaries.
Create a Basic Script
Create a file named
example.js:javascript// example.js const { chromium } = require('playwright'); (async () => { // Launch a new browser instance const browser = await chromium.launch(); const page = await browser.newPage(); // Navigate to a URL await page.goto('https://rajamanickam.com'); // Take a screenshot of the page await page.screenshot({ path: 'screenshot.png' }); // Get the title of the page const title = await page.title(); console.log(`Page Title: ${title}`); // Close the browser await browser.close(); })();Run the script:
shnode example.jsAfter running the script, you'll see the page title in your terminal, and a screenshot of the page will be saved as screenshot
.png.Handling Interactions
Playwright allows you to simulate user actions like clicking buttons, filling forms, and navigating pages:
javascript// example-interactions.js const { chromium } = require('playwright'); (async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch(); const page = await browser.newPage(); await page.goto('https://example.com'); // Click a button or link await page.click('a'); // Type text into an input field await page.fill('input[name="q"]', 'Playwright'); await page.press('input[name="q"]', 'Enter'); // Wait for a selector to appear await page.waitForSelector('h3'); // Get text content from an element const resultText = await page.textContent('h3'); console.log(`Search Result: ${resultText}`); await browser.close(); })();Advanced Usage
Handling Multiple Pages and Frames
javascript// example-multiple-pages.jsconst { chromium } = require('playwright'); (async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch(); const context = await browser.newContext(); const page1 = await context.newPage(); const page2 = await context.newPage(); await page1.goto('https://example.com'); await page2.goto('https://playwright.dev'); console.log(await page1.title()); console.log(await page2.title()); await browser.close(); })();Taking Screenshots and Generating PDFs
javascript// example-screenshot-pdf.jsconst { chromium } = require('playwright'); (async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch(); const page = await browser.newPage(); await page.goto('https://example.com'); // Take a full-page screenshot await page.screenshot({ path: 'fullpage.png', fullPage: true }); // Generate a PDF of the page await page.pdf({ path: 'example.pdf', format: 'A4' }); await browser.close(); })();Using Locators
javascript// example-locators.jsconst { chromium } = require('playwright'); (async () => { const browser = await chromium.launch(); const page = await browser.newPage(); await page.goto('https://playwright.dev'); // Find an element using text const link = page.locator('text=Get Started'); await link.click(); // Find an element by CSS selector const heading = page.locator('h1'); console.log(await heading.textContent()); await browser.close(); })();
Why Use Playwright?
Cross-Browser Testing: Playwright supports multiple browsers with a single API, making it easy to test your application across different environments.
Headless Mode: Playwright runs browsers in headless mode by default, which is useful for automated testing and server environments.
Powerful Automation: It provides advanced features like network interception, browser context management, and handling multiple pages or iframes.
Rich API: Playwright's API is rich and flexible, allowing for fine-grained control over browser behavior and interactions.
Conclusion
Playwright is a powerful tool for browser automation, offering a robust set of features for testing, scraping, and performance monitoring. Its support for multiple browsers, combined with its easy-to-use API, makes it a valuable addition to any developer's toolkit. Whether you're building complex test suites or simply automating repetitive tasks, Playwright provides the flexibility and control needed to streamline your workflow.
If you are new to testing, you can first read my ebook "Software Testing and QPT Automation".
Contact me (rajamanickam.a@gmail.com) for doing PHP Web development and Software Testing.
