Automation testing has become one of the vital components of the modern application Development Industry. Using automation testing, the developers can automatically execute the test scripts in a short period. Many developers estimate that by using automation testing they can complete all the test cases in under two days. According to earlier testing practices, manual testing would take more than a week to complete this process. The Playwright is one of the most popular testing tools that help developers to initiate automated test cases in web application testing.
The Playwright is relatively new to the market compared to older players like Selenium. Many facts are still unknown about this wonderful application testing tool. So, in this article, we’re going to discuss some of the best practices related to Playwright automated testing.
The Basics of Playwright
To define it in simple terms, Playwright is an open-source testing tool that helps developers to verify the proper functioning of web applications. As an experimental feature, it also allows application development companies to perform basic testing applications on mobile apps. Since Playwright is open source, the developers do not require any license to access all the features and functions offered by this tool. This is a very important feature as it allows individual developers and small companies to use this tool as they cannot afford the high licensing fees of other competitors. The latest version of Playwright which was released in March 2022 allows the developers to perform unit testing on web applications. Unit testing is the process of dividing all the components of a web application into tiny fragments for ease of testing.
Important Things That Your Playwright Tests Must Do
1. Support API Testing
API testing is one of the critical components that help to ensure that all the visual elements of the web application are working as expected. This test case also helps to ensure that all the user interactive elements on the web application are functional and working as intended. Playwright testing can execute API testing by automating the submit requests and analyzing the responses that will be returned by the system. It also maintains bug detection logs that store all the records related to the instances where the API test cases might have failed. These records are highly beneficial during the bug detection processes and can help to reduce the overall testing time.
2. Availability of Mainstream Browser Support
Currently, the browser market is very diverse as new browsers are released almost every day. Therefore, it becomes very difficult for developers to ensure the stable performance of their applications on all of these browsers. While using Playwright testing, the developers must shortlist the most popular browsers and device the test cases accordingly. Conducting thorough market research and analyzing the preferences of the audience base will help the developers in the shortlisting phase. For reference, Google Chrome is the most popular browser in the desktop segment and it is followed by Safari and Mozilla Firefox. On the mobile platform, the top spot is still dominated by Chrome. So, we can say that Chrome, Firefox, and Safari can be the starting stones for Playwright test cases.
3. Proper Connection with the Application Development Team
The early practices of software development included the testers beginning the testing process after the development stage was completed. This was a very time-consuming process as whenever a bug was detected, the application had to be rolled back to the development team. However, with the advancement of technology and the arrival of agile methodologies, application developing companies can integrate all the teams and improve synchronization in the application development lifecycle. This means that the development and testing stages can be executed side-by-side. So, while performing Playwright testing with Agile methodologies, the testing teams must have a proper understanding of the code functioning of the application. The developers should also understand the basics of the programming language that is being used in the application development process.
4. Proper Integration of Cloud Platforms with Playwright test Scripts
Currently, the device industry is very diverse as it contains thousands of different devices in terms of mobiles tablets, and desktops. So, it is almost impossible for any company to maintain a physical device testing lab. This lab will not only be very impractical but will also incur huge expenses that are almost impossible to bear. The best solution to this problem is using different cloud platforms that are available in the market. These platforms allow developers to access hundreds of different devices that are integrated into their servers. We can use LambdaTest as an excellent example to further enlighten us on this concept:
To begin with the basics, LambdaTest is a cloud platform that allows developers to run multiple cross browser compatibility test cases and automate them. This platform allows the developers to run test cases for multiple tools like Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium.
While using Playwright browser testing, the developers can verify the functioning of the web application on more than 50 different browser versions. LambdaTest also helps developers to improve the efficiency of Playwright test cases with the help of parallel testing. LambdaTest also maintains a live test log so that the developers can keep track of all the testing processes and individual progress bars. Lastly, the license fee of LambdaTest is very minimal and affordable for almost every developer.
5. Prioritize the Testing Processes
Every test case in the application does not have the same priority. The priority of a feature is defined by the purpose it serves and its role in the proper functioning of the overall application. So, while writing Playwright test cases, you must ensure that the testing framework can differentiate between tests and prioritize them according to their importance. For instance, security testing should be the priority for any application related to banking or e-commerce. This will ensure that the application can store sensitive data including the financial transactions of a user without any form of a data leak. The components of an application are important to ensure that the core functions of an app are fluent and smooth.
6. The Test Cases Must work in a Smart Integration
The usability feature of Playwright test cases is one of its major advantages. Using this feature, the developers can reuse almost 60% of the existing test script on other development projects as well. So, the developers must be able to properly store and maintain the scripts for future use and reference purposes. It is also a good idea to integrate these scripts on a cloud platform so that they can be accessed from anywhere in the world and also act as a backup. It is also important for the developers to ensure that all the Playwright test cases are automation friendly. This will save the hassle of hiring multiple developers to conduct repetitive test cases on the application.
7. Maintain Debugging Records
Debugging records helps the developers to find and replace errors that are present in any part of the application. These records continuously update themselves whenever the system detects a bug or there is a failure in the execution of a test script. With proper integration of Agile methodologies and other tools, the developers can easily maintain these records while using Playwright test scripts. Moreover, there are also other cloud-based tools like LambdaTest helps developers to keep a live test feed. Live test feed allows the developers to monitor the testing process in real-time and also visualize the errors as soon as they are encountered.
8. Keep a Balance Between Manual and Automated Testing
A proper balance between manual and automation testing is highly critical to maintain the quality of an application development lifecycle. Many developers have the misconception that the superiority of automation testing can help to eliminate manual test cases. However, the reality is that various testing processes are almost impossible to conduct without the involvement of a human tester. For instance, a company will require a human being to verify the proper placement of all the web elements while performing visual test cases. On the other hand, exploratory testing is also dependent on human testers as it verifies the errors that are usually overlooked by automated test cases.
9. Analyze the Importance of Testing the App on Real Devices
Due to the evolution of multiple emulators and simulators, a common myth is that it is no longer important to test the functioning of an application on a real device. However, in reality, it is almost impossible to simulate the physical specifications and behavior of a device. So, the developers must remember to execute the Playwright test cases on real devices as well. It is also important to conduct a thorough market survey to understand the most popular devices in your audience base. This will help you to properly optimize the test bench and select the correct devices according to your requirements. For instance, the Android OS is the most popular operating system in the mobile platform.
10. The Playwright Tests Must be Able to Understand Uncertainty
There are certain factors in a real-world scenario that are almost impossible to predict during the application development and testing stage. For instance, a developer can’t analyze whether there will be differences in the functioning of the application due to a sudden decrease in data bandwidth. So, the developers must create the Playwright test cases in such a way that it can optimize itself according to the requirements of the users. Optimizing the test scripts also helps to ensure that they can be reused when an update is released for the application.
The Conclusion
The Playwright is indeed a young competitor in the market considering that Selenium has been dominating it for several decades now. However, with the help of interactive features and proper support, Playwright has been able to gain a lot of popularity in a short period. Many application development experts believe that with the advancement of technology and the passage of time, Playwright will continue to gain more and more popularity. So, it is a very wise decision for the developers to start integrating it in their test bench and begin the transition process. Various cloud platforms like LambdaTest allow the developers to run the Playwright test cases on more than 50 different browser versions. Features like this are very essential to ensure that all the components of an application are working as expected.