Creating Test Templates for Rapid Prototyping in Playwright
As modern web applications evolve rapidly, testers and developers must match this pace with quick and reliable test automation. Playwright, a Node.js-based end-to-end testing framework developed by Microsoft, excels in automating modern web apps across browsers. To accelerate test development and maintain consistency, creating reusable test templates is an effective strategy—especially during the prototyping and development phases.
This blog explores how to create and use test templates in Playwright to enable rapid prototyping and efficient test automation.
🚀 Why Use Test Templates?
A test template is a predefined, reusable structure for writing Playwright tests. It helps:
Speed up writing new test cases
Maintain consistency across tests
Implement common test setup/teardown logic
Reduce redundancy in test scripts
Improve onboarding for new testers
For example, login functionality is used across most test scenarios. Instead of repeating login logic in every test file, a template centralizes this in a helper method or fixture.
🔧 Setting Up a Base Test Template
Start by installing Playwright and creating a basic project:
bash
npm init playwright@latest
This sets up the environment with example tests, Playwright Test Runner, and configuration files.
📁 Organizing Template Files
Organize your Playwright test files using a structure like:
markdown
tests/
├── templates/
│ └── baseTest.js
├── login.spec.js
├── dashboard.spec.js
└── utils/
└── loginHelper.js
📄 Example: Creating a baseTest Template
Create a reusable baseTest using Playwright’s test.extend method.
javascript
// tests/templates/baseTest.js
const { test as base } = require('@playwright/test');
exports.test = base.extend({
// Define shared page fixture
page: async ({ browser }, use) => {
const context = await browser.newContext();
const page = await context.newPage();
await use(page);
await context.close();
},
// Define login function as a fixture
login: async ({ page }, use) => {
await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
await page.fill('#username', 'testuser');
await page.fill('#password', 'password');
await page.click('button[type="submit"]');
await use(page);
}
});
This template wraps common behaviors such as launching a browser context and logging in.
🧪 Using the Template in Test Files
Now, use the baseTest in your test cases.
javascript
// tests/dashboard.spec.js
const { test, expect } = require('./templates/baseTest');
test('Dashboard loads correctly after login', async ({ login }) => {
await expect(login.locator('h1')).toHaveText('Dashboard');
});
Here, the login fixture automatically logs the user in and provides access to the page object.
🧩 Adding Utility Functions
Create utility modules for actions like form submissions, navigation, or validations.
javascript
// tests/utils/loginHelper.js
module.exports = async function loginUser(page) {
await page.goto('https://example.com/login');
await page.fill('#username', 'admin');
await page.fill('#password', 'adminpass');
await page.click('button[type="submit"]');
};
You can call this helper in any test where login is needed, improving modularity and test speed.
✅ Best Practices
Use test.describe to group related test suites.
Combine baseTest with Playwright’s powerful fixtures for parameterization.
Use environment variables for credentials and URLs.
Separate data from test logic using JSON or CSV for test data injection.
Integrate templates with CI pipelines for faster prototyping and validation.
🏁 Conclusion
Creating test templates in Playwright is a smart approach to building scalable, maintainable, and rapid test suites. Templates streamline common tasks like setup, login, and navigation, enabling teams to focus on validating core functionality. Whether you're building a POC or scaling to a large enterprise project, reusable templates are the foundation of fast and reliable automated testing in Playwright.
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