UI Test Automation with JavaScript and Python

Introduction

UI test automation allows for the automated testing of a web application’s user interface, simulating user interactions such as clicks, form submissions, and navigation. This course provides an introduction to UI test automation with examples in JavaScript (using Playwright) and Python (using Selenium). By the end of this lesson, you’ll understand the basic setup and common commands used to interact with a webpage.

The UI test will Simulate real user interactions with the application (clicks, form submissions, navigation, etc.). These tests validate the entire application’s flow, from user interactions to back-end functionality.

Response times and checks on UI layers can also be validated in UI automation

1. Setting Up for UI Test Automation

To get started, you’ll need:

JavaScript: Node.js installed with Playwright as the testing framework.
Python: Python installed with Selenium and a web driver, such as ChromeDriver, for browser automation.

2. JavaScript Example with Playwright

Playwright is a powerful and flexible automation library for modern web applications. Let’s walk through the setup and an example of UI test automation using Playwright.

Step-by-Step Guide

Setup:
- Initialize a new Node.js project and install Playwright:
```
npm init -y
npm install --save-dev @playwright/test
```
- To install Playwright browsers, run:
```
npx playwright install
```

Basic Test Example:

Create a new file called example.test.js:

// example.test.js
const { test, expect } = require('@playwright/test');

test('Navigate to a website and check the title', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('https://practiceautomatedtesting.com');
    const title = await page.title();
    expect(title).toBe('Example Domain');
});

Run the Test:
- In the terminal, run:
```
npx playwright test
```
- Playwright will open a browser, navigate to the website, and check the page title.

3. Python Example with Selenium

Selenium is a well-known web automation library in Python, commonly used for browser testing.

Step-by-Step Guide

Setup:
- Install Selenium and the Chrome WebDriver:
```
pip install selenium
```
- Download ChromeDriver from ChromeDriver Downloads and add it to your PATH.

Basic Test Example:

Create a new Python file called example_test.py:

# example_test.py
from selenium import webdriver

# Setup Chrome WebDriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome()

# Open a webpage
driver.get("https://practiceautomatedtesting.com")

# Verify the title of the page
assert "Example Domain" in driver.title

# Close the browser
driver.quit()

Run the Test:
- In the terminal, navigate to the file directory and run:
```
python example_test.py
```
- The browser will open, navigate to the page, and close after verifying the title.

4. Summary

In this course, you’ve learned how to set up and use UI test automation tools in both JavaScript and Python:

JavaScript with Playwright allows for quick setup and extensive browser support for modern applications.
Python with Selenium is a versatile and widely used tool for automating browser interactions.

With these tools, you can start building automated UI tests for your applications, ensuring that the user interface behaves as expected.

Quiz: UI Test Automation Knowledge Check

Which JavaScript library is commonly used for modern web UI test automation?
- Selenium
- Playwright
- Cypress
- Puppeteer
What Python library is used for browser automation and UI testing?
- Playwright
- Selenium
- Jest
- Mocha
Which command installs Playwright in a Node.js environment?
- npm install playwright
- npm install selenium
- npm install –save-dev @playwright/test
- npm install cypress
What is the purpose of the WebDriver in Selenium?
- It renders HTML on the server
- It provides browser controls for automation
- It provides a virtual machine for tests
- It communicates with the browser to execute commands

Armed with these tools, you’re now ready to start automating UI tests in JavaScript and Python, helping you verify the user experience efficiently and consistently.