Is chaining locators slower than inputting a "complete" CSS selector inside a locator?
Consider the following code blocks:
Code block 1
this.page
.locator('header#top')
.locator('div.row')
.locator('div#quickSearchContainer')Code block 2
this.page.locator('header#top div.row div#quickSearchContainer')- Is there a speed difference under any circumstances between code blocks 1 and 2?
- What if the locator used was (much) more complex?
- Are there any differences in how Playwright treats code blocks 1 and 2 internally?
- Extra: which do you find more readable?
This thread is trying to answer question "Is chaining locators slower than inputting a 'complete' CSS selector inside a locator? Are there any differences in how Playwright treats these two methods internally?"
Related Ask AI answer for "What is the difference between chaining locators and using a complete CSS selector in Playwright? Are there any performance implications between the two methods?".
Answer
Chaining Locators vs. Complete CSS Selectors in Playwright
When you're testing with Playwright, you have two main ways to locate elements: chaining locators and using complete CSS selectors.
Chaining Locators
Chaining locators involves using multiple selectors separated by ">>". Each chained selector is resolved individually, which means Playwright performs multiple queries sequentially. This could potentially slow down your tests. Here's an example:
const submitButton = await page.locator('form >> .submit-button');Complete CSS Selectors
On the other hand, using a complete CSS selector allows Playwright to directly query for the desired element. This can potentially speed up your tests as there are no additional queries involved. Here's how you can do it:
const submitButton = await page.locator('form .submit-button');Performance Differences
While there might be some performance differences between these methods, they're likely negligible in most cases. The actual impact on performance will depend on various factors such as the complexity of selectors used and the structure of the web page being tested.
Conclusion
Whether you use chaining locators or complete CSS selectors, Playwright translates those instructions into appropriate actions for interacting with elements on web pages. So, choose the method that makes the most sense for your test cases.
Remember, the key to efficient testing with Playwright is understanding how to best leverage its features. For more tips, check out this blog post on writing efficient Playwright test scripts.
Rayrun is a community for QA engineers. I am constantly looking for new ways to add value to people learning Playwright and other browser automation frameworks. If you have feedback, email luc@ray.run.