When it comes to automating web browsers, there are several options available. One such option is the Puppeteer, a Node.js library developed by the Chrome team. Puppeteer allows you to control a headful or headless Chrome browser through its high-level application interface (API). In this article, we will explore the basics of Puppeteer and how it can be used for test automation.

Puppeteer Overview

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Puppeteer is an open-sourced Java framework that provides a simple and intuitive way to automate web browsers. It uses the DevTools Protocol to communicate with the browser, allowing you to control and interact with web pages programmatically. Puppeteer is widely used in test automation, but it can also be used for web scraping and other tasks.

Puppeteer Environment Variables

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Before we dive into the details of Puppeteer, let's take a look at some important environment variables that you should know about. These variables are used to configure Puppeteer and provide information about the browser and its environment.

* `CHROME_EXECUTABLE_PATH`: This variable specifies the path to the Chrome executable.

* `PUPPETEER_ARGS`: This variable specifies additional command-line arguments for the Puppeteer executable.

* `PUPPETEER_LAUNCH_TIMEOUT`: This variable specifies the timeout in milliseconds for launching the browser.

Getting Started with Puppeteer

----------------------------

To get started with Puppeteer, you will need to download and install it. You can do this by running the following command:

```

npm install puppeteer

```

Once installed, you can create a new Puppeteer instance and start controlling the browser. Here's an example of how you might do this:

```

const puppeteer = require('puppeteer');

(async () => {

const browser = await puppeteer.launch();

const page = await browser.newPage();

// Navigate to the URL

await page.goto('https://example.com');

// Perform some actions on the page

await page.click('button'type='submit''');

// Close the browser

await browser.close();

})();

```

This code creates a new Puppeteer instance, launches a Chrome browser, and navigates to a URL. It then performs an action on the page (in this case, clicking a submit button) before closing the browser.

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In conclusion, Puppeteer is a powerful tool for automating web browsers. With its high-level API and ability to control both headful and headless Chrome browsers, it's a great choice for test automation and other tasks. By understanding how to use Puppeteer environment variables and getting started with Puppeteer, you can start exploring the many possibilities of this library.

Download Free

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If you're interested in trying out Puppeteer, you can download it for free from the official GitHub page. Once installed, you can start exploring its features and capabilities.

References:

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* Puppeteer Official Documentation: https://pptr.dev/

* Puppeteer GitHub Page: https://github.com/puppeteer/puppeteer

Jest puppeteer download free