Streamlining Playwright Testing: Page Objects with GitHub Copilot

In today's fast-paced development environment, efficient test automation is critical. Playwright, a powerful automation tool, can be significantly enhanced by using the Page Object Model (POM). This approach promotes code reusability and maintainability. In this guide, we'll explore how to leverage GitHub Copilot to quickly convert your Playwright tests to use page objects, simplifying your testing process and improving overall code quality.

Why Use Page Objects?

The Page Object Model is a design pattern that represents the elements and actions on a web page as objects. This provides several advantages:

• Maintainability: When the UI changes, you only need to update the page object, not every test that uses it.
• Reusability: Page objects can be used across multiple tests, reducing code duplication.
• Readability: Tests become cleaner and easier to understand, focusing on the test logic rather than the UI interaction details.

Using GitHub COPILOT can accelerate the process of creating page objects, offering suggestions and auto-completing code based on the context of your existing tests. This significantly cuts down development time and helps in maintaining a consistent code style. By keeping your page objects separate from your test code, you ensure a clear separation of concerns, making your tests more robust and less prone to breakage due to UI changes. This not only simplifies debugging but also makes onboarding new team members easier as they can quickly understand the test structure. The end result is a more scalable and efficient test automation framework.

Recording Tests with Playwright

Before converting our tests, let's quickly Record a basic test using Playwright's built-in tools. This provides a solid foundation for understanding how to structure our page objects.

1. Open the testing Tab:

   In your VS Code editor, navigate to the testing tab.

2. Record a New Test: Click on 'Record new' to launch a new browser instance. Playwright will start Recording your actions in the browser.
3. Interact with the Website: Perform the actions you want to test. For example, navigate to your local website (e.g., localhost:3000), interact with various elements like search boxes, buttons, and filters.
4. Stop Recording: Once you've completed the actions, stop the recording. Playwright generates the test script based on your interactions. This script includes all the necessary await calls for interacting with the page elements.

Refactoring the Recorded Test

Now that we have a recorded test, let's refactor it to use page objects. This involves identifying common UI elements and actions and encapsulating them within page object classes.

1. Identify Pages and Elements:

   Look at the recorded test and identify the different pages you interacted with. Each page will have its own page object class. Also, identify the key elements (e.g., search box, buttons) on each page.

2. Create Page Object Classes: For each identified page, create a new TypeScript file (e.g., HomePage.ts, ProfilePage.ts) in a dedicated pages directory.
3. Define Elements as Properties: Within each page object class, define the key UI elements as properties. Use Playwright's locators to identify these elements (e.g., page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Search by tags' })).
4. Create Action Methods: Encapsulate common actions (e.g., searching, filtering) as methods within the page object classes. These methods should use the element properties to interact with the UI.
5. Update the Test Script: Modify your test script to use the page object classes. Instantiate the page objects and call the action methods to perform the test steps.

This process not only makes your tests more organized but also significantly improves maintainability. By centralizing UI element definitions and actions, you can quickly adapt to UI changes without modifying numerous test scripts. This structured approach leads to more robust and scalable test automation.

Using Copilot's Inline Chat

GitHub Copilot's inline chat feature is invaluable for generating page objects quickly.

Here's how to use it:

1. Select the Test Code: Select the portion of your test script that you want to convert into page objects.
2. Open Copilot's Inline Chat: Right-click on the selected code and choose 'Copilot' then click 'Editor Inline Chat'.
3. Provide Instructions: In the chat Prompt, instruct Copilot to generate page objects based on the selected code. Be specific about which elements and actions should be included in each page object.
4. Review and Accept Suggestions: Copilot will generate the page object classes with element definitions and action methods. Review the suggested code and make any necessary adjustments.
5. Extract the Classes: Once you're satisfied with the generated code, extract the page object classes into their respective TypeScript files. Remember to include the necessary export statements to make the classes accessible to your test scripts.
6. Import the Pages: Inside the test file import the page classes from its corresponding folder.

By using Copilot's inline chat, you can automate much of the repetitive work involved in creating page objects, saving you time and effort. This feature provides a seamless way to refactor your tests and adopt the Page Object Model, enhancing your test automation workflow.

Step 1: Select and Prepare the Test Code

Begin by selecting the test code that you wish to convert into page objects.

Ensure that your test code is well-structured with comments, providing Copilot with enough context to generate accurate and Relevant page objects. Adding comments such as // home page and // profile page can help Copilot better understand the structure.

Step 2: Invoke Copilot's Inline Chat and Provide Instructions

Right-click on the selected code, and choose 'Copilot' then click 'Editor Inline Chat'. In the prompt, give precise instructions to Copilot.

Request it to generate page objects while keeping the classes for the pages in the same file. For example: generate page objects and keep classes for the pages in this file Copilot will analyze the code and provide suggestions based on your instructions. You can refine your prompt to achieve the desired outcome.

Step 3: Extract and Organize the Page Objects

After Copilot generates the code, review the suggested page object classes and extract them into their respective TypeScript files.

For instance, create a HomePage.ts file and a ProfilePage.ts file inside the pages directory. Ensure each file includes an export statement for the class. Remember that you're creating TypeScript files, which means they should end with the .ts extension. This ensures that the classes are properly recognized and can be imported into your test scripts.

Step 4: Import Page Objects into Your Test File

In your test file, import the newly created page objects using the appropriate import statements. This allows you to access and use the page objects within your tests. Here are some import examples:

import { HomePage } from './pages/Home';
import { ProfilePage } from './pages/Profile';

With these steps, you can efficiently convert Playwright tests into reusable and maintainable page objects using GitHub Copilot.