Webapp Testing

Web Application Testing

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

Helper Scripts Available:

• scripts/with_server.py - Manages server lifecycle (supports multiple servers)

Always run scripts with --help first to see usage. DO NOT read the source until you try running the script first and find that a customized solution is abslutely necessary. These scripts can be very large and thus pollute your context window. They exist to be called directly as black-box scripts rather than ingested into your context window.

Decision Tree: Choosing Your Approach

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 → Run: python scripts/with_server.py --help
        │        Then use the helper + write simplified Playwright script
        │
        └─ 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

Example: Using with_server.py

To start a server, run --help first, then use the helper:

Single server:

python scripts/with_server.py --server "npm run dev" --port 5173 -- python your_automation.py

Multiple servers (e.g., backend + frontend):

python scripts/with_server.py \
  --server "cd backend && python server.py" --port 3000 \
  --server "cd frontend && npm run dev" --port 5173 \
  -- python your_automation.py

To create an automation script, include only Playwright logic (servers are managed automatically):

from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

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

Reconnaissance-Then-Action Pattern

1. Inspect rendered DOM:

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

2. Identify selectors from inspection results

3. Execute actions using discovered selectors

Common Pitfall

❌ Don't inspect the DOM before waiting for networkidle on dynamic apps ✅ Do wait for page.wait_for_load_state('networkidle') before inspection

Best Practices

• Use bundled scripts as black boxes - To accomplish a task, consider whether one of the scripts available in scripts/ can help. These scripts handle common, complex workflows reliably without cluttering the context window. Use --help to see usage, then invoke directly.
• 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()

Reference Files

• examples/ - Examples showing common patterns:
  • element_discovery.py - Discovering buttons, links, and inputs on a page
  • static_html_automation.py - Using file:// URLs for local HTML
  • console_logging.py - Capturing console logs during automation

Construction Gauthier - Tests E2E Playwright

Le projet Construction Gauthier dispose d'une suite complète de tests Playwright TypeScript (149 tests).

Commandes d'exécution

# Tous les tests (149 tests, ~1 min)
npx playwright test

# Tests par projet
npx playwright test --project=chromium           # Tests auth généraux (15)
npx playwright test --project=ma-place-rh        # Tests Ma Place RH (99)
npx playwright test --project=ma-place-rh:security   # Tests permissions (18)
npx playwright test --project=ma-place-rh:workflows  # Tests workflows (17)

# Tests par fonctionnalité
npx playwright test specs/features/evaluations.spec.ts
npx playwright test specs/features/surveys.spec.ts
npx playwright test specs/leave/

# Mode debug avec UI
npx playwright test --ui

# Voir le rapport HTML
npx playwright show-report

Structure des tests Ma Place RH

modules/ma-place-rh/tests/e2e/
├── fixtures/
│   ├── auth.fixture.ts      # Multi-contextes (employeePage, managerPage, directorPage)
│   └── index.ts
├── utils/
│   └── test-users.ts        # Utilisateurs fictifs de test
├── page-objects/
│   ├── base.page.ts
│   ├── employee/leave-request.page.ts
│   └── manager/approvals.page.ts
├── workflows/
│   └── leave-request.workflow.ts
└── specs/
    ├── auth/permissions.spec.ts      # 18 tests permissions/sécurité
    ├── leave/full-workflow.spec.ts   # 17 tests congés
    └── features/
        ├── dashboards.spec.ts        # 10 tests
        ├── evaluations.spec.ts       # 7 tests
        ├── surveys.spec.ts           # 6 tests
        ├── team.spec.ts              # 6 tests
        ├── performance.spec.ts       # 6 tests
        ├── competences.spec.ts       # 5 tests
        ├── documents.spec.ts         # 5 tests
        ├── onboarding.spec.ts        # 5 tests
        ├── 2x4-news.spec.ts          # 4 tests
        ├── events.spec.ts            # 4 tests
        ├── roles-permissions.spec.ts # 4 tests
        └── reports.spec.ts           # 4 tests

Utilisateurs de test

Les tests utilisent des utilisateurs fictifs via le mode VITE_AUTH_BYPASS=true:

Ajouter un nouveau test

1. Créer le fichier dans specs/features/ ou specs/[feature]/
2. Importer les fixtures: import { test, expect } from '../../fixtures';
3. Utiliser les pages pré-authentifiées: employeePage, managerPage, directorPage

import { test, expect } from '../../fixtures';

test.describe('Ma Feature', () => {
  test('Employé peut accéder à la feature', async ({ employeePage }) => {
    await employeePage.goto('/ma-place-rh/ma-feature');
    await employeePage.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
    await expect(employeePage.locator('h1')).toContainText('Ma Feature');
  });

  test('Employé ne peut pas accéder à la vue manager', async ({ employeePage }) => {
    await employeePage.goto('/ma-place-rh/manager/ma-feature');
    await employeePage.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
    expect(employeePage.url()).not.toContain('/manager/ma-feature');
  });
});

Prérequis

• L'app doit tourner sur http://localhost:5173 avec VITE_AUTH_BYPASS=true
• Ou laisser Playwright démarrer le serveur automatiquement (configuré dans playwright.config.ts)