Web development is evolving as we speak, and Playwright has established itself as a key tool for end-to-end web app testing. You can use it for a variety of script-writing tasks, from user interaction simulation to browser testing or automation testing.
The problem is that Playwright is effective as a web automation framework but doesn’t cover everything. Its automation is still limited in comparison to other tools. The management part is lacking even more. This is where tools such as Kualitee come in.
The automation of Playwright offers structure, but when combined with Kualitee, your web app becomes more robust. This article will tell you more about why integrating these project management tools can become beneficial.
How Web Testing Changed with Time
Nowadays, most of the web apps are built using frameworks such as Vue.js. While these can lead to pretty-looking web app, all of them use dynamic content. This is great for flexibility but may not work very well with an outdated method. It can struggle with real-time latency and offers limited coverage, which leads to false positives and flaky tests.
Playwright is a different framework created to make scripting easier for cross-browser testing. Developed by Microsoft, it was created to allow better parallel test execution and enable headless testing for CI pipelines. It also supports mobile emulation and API mocking while logging screenshots, reports, and videos.
Why Playwright Is Not Enough
Playwright can indeed be impressive thanks to its capabilities. However, more often than not, using it alone is not enough to cover all your testing needs.
Some of its challenges include the following:
- It Doesn’t Have a Native Watch Mode
Many test management apps have watch mode features where you can automatically rerun the test when something changes. Playwright doesn’t have that, since it’s just a framework. This means you’ll have to undergo additional setups, which can be troublesome during rapid testing.
- Limited Support for Protocols
Playwright supports various debugging protocols, and it’s specifically useful for Chrome. However, when testing across some WebKit and Safari-based browsers, its capabilities are rather limited. This can lead to false positives and negatives, which affect the test results.
- Unsuitable for Unit Testing
Playwright only works best when you use it for integration and end-to-end testing. You’ll find that it’s quite lacking if you try making scripts for unit testing. It’s not a very good tool to use for isolated component testing. This is particularly important in the first stages of the development process.
- Difficulty with CI/CD Integration
While you can integrate Playwright scripts into your CI/CD pipeline, you may have to go through some extra configuration steps. Some browsers can have peculiar dependencies, and the scripts may not cover every scenario. Unless you go through the additional configuration, the test execution can become unstable.
How Kualitee Steps In
Playwright gives you the materials to get the job done. Think of it as the engine of your entire project, the script that keeps things going. However, Kualitee is the dashboard. It’s a defect management tool that keeps things in order. Kualitee lets you go through different versions of tests, manage bugs, and record your execution results.
For example, you can create the main test frameworks using Playwright. After that, you can store and manage them using the Kualitee app, where you can enjoy traceability. The scripts are already there at this point, so you can trigger and see potential test runs using Kualitee.
Once you’re done testing, you can assign the defects based on the reports from Kualitee. This takes away the need for confusing spreadsheets, which could end with bugs scattered all over the place.
This is bad for you because 88% of users abandon apps if they experience bugs. Kualitee centralizes them, ensuring a swift-flowing QA test management environment.
How Kualitee Automation Improves Playwright Potential
A truly robust web app has as few bugs as possible by the time you launch it. Given the limitations of Playwright, this is not something you can achieve quickly (especially with manual test management). It does offer you a framework, and Kualitee unlocks its potential in the following ways.
- Centralized Test Management
Playwright is a great way for you to run tests, but you don’t have an in-built option to manage or link them. As a test management tool, Kualitee can achieve that. This program gives your QA team a central board, like a dashboard.
Here, you can plan a test, track it, and assign cases, regardless of their nature. This is beneficial because it brings you more visibility and control.
- Better Traceability
Playwright test scripts are useful for testing across different scenarios. However, these can eventually go all over the place, and you can easily miss the goal or requirements.
Kualitee gives you the requirements and user stories, which you can then use to map out every Playwright script. This makes it easier to identify potential gaps in test coverage while improving traceability.
- Automated Test Case Generation
Playwright relies on your knowledge to create the script, but you may need some background insight to be successful. Still, Kualitee has an AI assistant called “Hootie,” which you can use to generate new test cases.
This speeds up the test design process and prevents missed scenarios, potentially improving your Playwright coverage. All you have to do is script it in Playwright later on.
- Better Bug Reports
Playwright tests can fail, and when they do, you’ll have to log in manually to determine exactly what went wrong. This can be quite time-consuming, especially since you may not be sure where the bug is located.
However, a defect tracking tool like Kualitee can create detailed defect reports automatically, packed with logs and screenshots. Once it’s done, it’s assigned to the right team within a clear dashboard, improving turnaround.
- Customize Workflow and Role Access
Playwright is an impressive testing framework. You can use it to customize test logic, automate tests, and much more. Still, you can’t use it for anything that concerns roles.
Once the scripts are integrated into the Kualitee defect management software, things change. The QA team can now manage who can see or change a Playwright team, based on the role they have. This improves security but also keeps those uninvolved from accidentally messing up the script.
- Modular Scripting Features
Playwright is great for creating test case frameworks, but it doesn’t really let you reuse test scripts as easily. On the other hand, Kualitee has no problems with that and even makes the matter easier for you.
Bug tracking software has a modular scripting feature that permits you to map a reusable test script for more than one test case. This is a good thing if you have to use common forms or scripts from Playwright. On the plus side, you can use it for scalability and keep script maintenance to a minimum.
The Bottom Line
Playwright is a powerful tool to create scripts for your test cases. However, if you want to make the most of the reliability and versatility of Playwright, you need a tool to keep things organized.
Kualitee can act as a dashboard where you can keep everything under control. It gives you traceability and structure, assisting you in releasing competitive web applications.
