What are some best practices for locating elements in Playwright tests to avoid issues with CSS locators?

Answer

Best Practices for Locating Elements in Playwright Tests

To avoid issues with CSS locators in @playwright/test, follow these best practices:

1. Use user-facing attributes: Instead of XPath or CSS selectors, locate elements using attributes like role and text content. For example:

   import { test } from '@playwright/test';
   
   test('Find element by role and text content', async ({ page }) => {
     await page.goto('https://ray.run/');
     const button = await page.locator('button:has-text("Get Started")');
     await button.click();
   });

2. Use Playwright's test generator tool: This tool generates resilient locators based on attributes like role, text content, and test IDs. It improves locators to uniquely identify target elements.

3. Debugging tools: Utilize debugging tools to troubleshoot issues with locators.

   • Local debugging: Run tests in debug mode within VSCode and edit locators live while viewing them highlighted in the browser window.
   • CI failures: Use the Playwright trace viewer tool to view a full trace of your tests as a local Progressive Web App (PWA) that can be shared easily.

By following these practices and using debugging tools when necessary, you can minimize issues with CSS locators in your Playwright tests.