Web Application Testing

Name: webapp-testing
Rating: 76
Author: koenrohrer

To test local web applications, write native Python Playwright scripts.

Decision Tree: Choosing Your Approach

code

User task -> Is it static HTML?
    |-- Yes -> Read HTML file directly to identify selectors
    |           |-- Success -> Write Playwright script using selectors
    |           |-- Fails/Incomplete -> Treat as dynamic (below)
    |
    |-- No (dynamic webapp) -> Is the server already running?
        |-- No -> Start the server first, then proceed
        |-- Yes -> Reconnaissance-then-action:
            1. Navigate and wait for networkidle
            2. Take screenshot or inspect DOM
            3. Identify selectors from rendered state
            4. Execute actions with discovered selectors

Reconnaissance-Then-Action Pattern

•

Inspect rendered DOM:

python

page.screenshot(path='/tmp/inspect.png', full_page=True)
content = page.content()
page.locator('button').all()

•
Identify selectors from inspection results
•
Execute actions using discovered selectors

Example Script

python

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

with sync_playwright() as p:
    browser = p.chromium.launch(headless=True)
    page = browser.new_page()
    page.goto('http://localhost:5173')
    page.wait_for_load_state('networkidle')  # CRITICAL: Wait for JS to execute
    # ... your automation logic
    browser.close()

Best Practices

•Use sync_playwright() for synchronous scripts
•Always close the browser when done
•Use descriptive selectors: text=, role=, CSS selectors, or IDs
•Add appropriate waits: page.wait_for_selector() or page.wait_for_timeout()
•Always wait for networkidle before inspecting dynamic apps