Introduction to Playwright and Installation Guide
Microsoft created Playwright, a powerful and innovative automation framework that enables tech hunters to write tests and automate user actions across multiple web browsers. Playwright offers a seamless testing experience by allowing you to run tests in popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and WebKit.
In this article, I’ll go over an installation guide for Playwright, making sure you’ve got everything set up correctly so you can start using it to its full potential.
Step 1: Prerequisites
Before installing Playwright, it is important to make sure your system meets the necessary prerequisites. These include:
1. Node.js: Playwright runs on Node.js, so you need to have it installed. Visit the Node.js website (https://nodejs.org/) and download the latest LTS version.
2. NPM: NPM (Node Package Manager) comes bundled with Node.js. Check its version by running `npm -v` in your command prompt or terminal. Ensure you have NPM version 6.9 or above.
Step 2: Installation
Once you have the prerequisites in place, follow these simple steps to install Playwright:
1. Open the command prompt or terminal.
2. Use the following command to install Playwright globally:
```
npm install -g playwright
```
3. Playwright ships with drivers for various browsers, which must be installed separately. To install the browser-specific drivers, run the following command:
For Chromium (Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge):
```
playwright install chromium
```
For Firefox:
```
playwright install firefox
```
For WebKit (Safari):
```
playwright install webkit
```
Note: You can install multiple drivers if required.
Step 3: Verify the Installation
The ‘playwright — version’ command can be used to verify that Playwright and the browser drivers are properly installed on your system. It should display the Playwright version that is currently installed.
You can also run the following commands to verify the installation of the individual browser drivers:
For Chromium:
```
playwright — version chromium
```
For Firefox:
```
playwright — version firefox
```
For WebKit:
```
playwright — version webkit
```
If all the commands return the respective browser versions, it means that Playwright and the drivers have been successfully installed.
Step 4: Set up a Project
Now that Playwright is installed, you can create a new project and begin writing tests. Create a new folder for your project and navigate to it via the command prompt or terminal.
1. Initialize a new NPM project by running the following command:
```
npm init -y
```
2. Install the Playwright package as a project-level dependency:
```
npm install playwright
```
Step 5: Start Automating!
Once everything is set up, you can start using Playwright to automate browser actions. Create a new JavaScript file in your project folder and start writing Playwright tests.
Here’s an example to get you started:
```
const { chromium } = require(‘playwright’);
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext();
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto(‘https://example.com');
// Write your automation actions here
await browser.close();
})();
```
Conclusion
Playwright is an excellent automation framework for testing across multiple browsers. By following this installation guide, you have successfully installed Playwright on your system and are now ready to write efficient and robust browser tests.
Remember to read the comprehensive Playwright documentation (https://playwright.dev/) to gain a better understanding of its capabilities and features. Happy testing!