Controlling the browser through python and selenium
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The document discusses Selenium, a tool for automating web browser interactions, particularly using Python. It highlights its features for driving acceptance tests, automating common web tasks, and integrating with databases and external services. Additionally, it contrasts Selenium with other testing frameworks and emphasizes the importance of creating stable interactions in the face of frequently changing user interfaces.
Controlling the browser through python and selenium
- 2. • Pat Viafore •ADTRAN •Past work at TOA Systems •Python at home
- 3. • What is Selenium? • How Do I Use It? • Getting Information Off a Page • Controlling Input • Advanced Features • Limitations • Rejoicing
- 4. And what can it do for me?
- 6. • Allows scripts to take control of a web browser • Supports multiple language bindings • We’ll focus on Python today • Windows/Linux/MacOS Support • $> pip install selenium • Licensed under Apache 2.0 • Easy to use
- 12. • I currently work on an internal web-app • I use Selenium to drive acceptance tests – making sure the web page operates as we expect it to • Database interactions • Error conditions • External service tests (e-mail, LDAP, etc.) • I use Python to “glue” web browser interaction with system events
- 14. • We’re not just limited to acceptance tests • Automate common tasks you use a web browser for
- 15. • Hook up Selenium to data feeds to control web pages • Hulu • Pandora • YouTube • Take care of things on a schedule • Pay bills online • Sign up for more Python Meetings
- 17. Enough with the blah, blah, blah….Let’s Code!
- 25. Because just getting things is boring
- 29. • Go to YouTube • Search for Python programming • Sort by Recent Date • Click on a random video
- 31. Bring on the cool stuff
- 35. • Screenshotting • Execute arbitrary Javascript code • browser.execute_script(jsCode) • Also an async version • Browser Capabilities • Proxying
- 36. • Navigate to Google Maps • Move mouse to center of map • Start scrolling north a bunch • Move the mouse or press keys through chainable actions • More options about ActionChains http://selenium-python.readthedocs.org/en/latest/api.html
- 38. • We could use XVFB or something similar on certain Linux distros • Instead, we’ll use PhantomJS to create a headless browser • Separate JS installation • We’ll create X threads that do a series of interactions and time them
- 40. There is no such thing as a Silver Bullet
- 41. • Why Use Selenium? • Why Not Mocha? • Why Not Jasmine? • Why Not GUI Recorders?
- 42. • RESTful Interactions • Requests does a far better job • User Interface (UI) testing • Selenium does offer Location/Size/CSS, but you’ll probably be rolling your own layer on top of Selenium to handle UI testing • Brittle UIs • UIs change often (classes, ID changes, buttons changes) • Can mitigate by providing a wrapper around Selenium to interact with your site – DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) Principle