Notes on Playwright JavaScript and TypeScript Introduction

Overview of the Series

• New series focused on Playwright with JavaScript and TypeScript.
• Previous work included Playwright with Java.
• Emphasis on understanding programming fundamentals before diving into Playwright.

Importance of JavaScript Knowledge

• Basic understanding of JavaScript is critical:
  • Loops, conditionals, string manipulation, arrays, functions.
  • Creating objects in JavaScript.
• Avoid jumping to Playwright without language knowledge; it leads to confusion.
• Understanding programming logic is vital for developing functions (e.g., pagination in web tables).

Setting Up Playwright on Windows

Required Downloads

1. Node.js
   • Necessary for running Playwright.
   • Download from the Node.js website.
2. Visual Studio Code
   • Recommended code editor for JavaScript.
   • Provides great extensions and plugins for JavaScript development.

Installation Steps

1. Node.js:
   • Download and install Node.js (check version after installation using node --version).
   • NPM (Node Package Manager) is included with Node.js.
2. Visual Studio Code:
   • Download Visual Studio Code (community version for Windows recommended).

Installing and Setting Up Playwright

Create a New Project

1. Open VS Code and create a new folder (e.g., playwright-demo).
2. Open the terminal in VS Code.
3. Run the command to initialize Playwright:
   npm init playwright@latest
4. Follow prompts for project setup (TypeScript or JavaScript selection).
5. Optionally, install Playwright browsers during setup.

Project Structure

• Default project structure includes:
  • node_modules: Contains necessary libraries.
  • tests: Folder for test cases.
  • package.json: Configuration file for the project.
  • Example spec files (test cases).

Writing Tests with Playwright

• Tests can be written using the test and expect methods from Playwright.
• Example of a simple test: test('should navigate to playwright.dev', async ({ page }) => { await page.goto('https://playwright.dev'); });

Running Tests

• Run tests using the terminal command:
  npx playwright test
• For headless mode (default), no browser UI will display.
• To see the browser UI, add --headed flag: npx playwright test --headed

Generating Test Reports

• Playwright generates test reports upon completion.
• Access reports via command:
  npx playwright show-report
• Reports include details about passed and failed tests.

Advanced Configuration

• Playwright supports running tests in parallel across different browsers.
• Configuration can be managed in the playwright.config.ts file for:
  • Specifying browsers (Chromium, Firefox, WebKit).
  • Setting test directory paths.
  • Configuring parallel execution, timeouts, retries, etc.

Conclusion

• This series will cover extensive topics on Playwright.
• Future lessons will include:
  • Designing end-to-end testing frameworks.
  • Real-time examples and advanced features of Playwright.
• Encourage viewers to improve their JavaScript skills for a smoother learning experience.

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