Is it possible to use Playwright to automate tasks across multiple browsers?

Yes, Playwright can be used to automate browser tasks. It is a Node.js library that enables you to control one or more browsers to perform various web automation tasks, such as form submission, UI testing, Take a Screenshot, Extract text, and much more.

How to use Playwright for extracting text in single browser tasks:

Step 1: install Playwright using npm if you haven’t already

npm init playwright@latest

Step 2: Automate extracting text in JavaScript with Playwright:

const playwright = require("playwright");

(async () => {
  const browser = await playwright.chromium.launch();
  const context = await browser.newContext();
  const page = await context.newPage();
  await page.goto("https://scrapingsandbox.com/products");
  const headingText = await page.textContent("h4");
  console.log("Heading text:", headingText);
  const paragraphText = await page.textContent("p");
  console.log("Paragraph text:", paragraphText);
  await browser.close();
})();

To run this extracting program, use the command:

node extractText.js

Summary of Running Options

  1. Running the script with node:
  • Open the terminal and use cd to navigate to the folder where your file is located, such as the tests folder or any custom folder where your script exists:
cd tests
  • Save the script as extractText.js and run it using
node extractText.js
  1. Running the script with Playwright Test (npx playwright test):
  • Save the script as extractText.spec.js in the tests folder and run it using:
npx playwright test extractText.spec.js

Example for Automating Multiple Browser Tasks:

Below is a sample script to demonstrate how to automate multiple tasks across multiple browser:

const playwright = require('playwright');

(async () => {
  const browsers = ['chromium', 'firefox', 'webkit'];

  for (const browserType of browsers) {
    const browser = await playwright[browserType].launch();
    const context = await browser.newContext();
    const page = await context.newPage();

    await page.goto('https://example.com');

    const title = await page.title();
    console.log(`[${browserType}] Page title:`, title);

    const content = await page.textContent('p');
    console.log(`[${browserType}] Heading text:`, content);

    await browser.close();
  }
})();

How to Run:

  1. Save this script as multipleBrowserTest.spec.js.
  2. Execute it with Node.js:
node multipleBrowserTest.spec.js

Benefits of Using Playwright for Multi-Task Automation:

  • Run Multiple Browsers at the Same Time: You can open and use different browsers (like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) all at once.

  • Simple to Use: The setup is easy, and the code is clear, so you can quickly create and run automation tasks.

  • Great for Testing: Playwright allows you to test websites and automate tasks in one tool, saving time and effort.

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