Playwright, Python, and Pytest for Web Automation Testing Course

Lesson 1 • Core Python Data Types and Control Flow

Master strings, lists, dicts, and loops as the building blocks of test data handling. Directly enables dynamic selector construction and data-driven testing later.

Lesson 2 • Object-Oriented Programming Basics

Apply classes, inheritance, and encapsulation to model page objects and test fixtures. Provides the structural foundation for the Page Object Model introduced later.

Lesson 3 • Python Environment Setup

Install Python, configure virtual environments, and manage packages with pip. Establishes the reproducible workspace every subsequent chapter depends on.

Lesson 4 • File I/O and Data Formats

Read and write JSON, CSV, and plain text files for test data management. Enables external data-driven test scenarios covered in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Pytest Installation and Test Discovery

Install Pytest, understand naming conventions, and run first tests. Establishes the test runner that all automation scripts in this course will use.

Lesson 2 • Markers, Parametrize, and Filtering

Tag tests with markers and generate multiple test cases from a single function using parametrize. Enables targeted test runs and data-driven scenarios.

Lesson 3 • Fixtures for Setup and Teardown

Define fixtures with scope levels to manage browser instances and test state. Fixtures are the primary mechanism for sharing Playwright browser objects across tests.

Lesson 4 • Configuration and Plugins

Configure Pytest via pytest.ini and conftest.py, and extend it with essential plugins. Prepares the project structure used throughout all remaining chapters.

Lesson 1 • Auto-Waiting and Timeout Configuration

Understand Playwright's built-in auto-wait mechanism and configure timeouts globally and per action. Eliminates the need for explicit sleep calls that cause flaky tests.

Lesson 2 • Playwright Architecture and Installation

Understand how Playwright communicates with browsers via the DevTools Protocol and install the Python package. Sets the conceptual model for all subsequent browser interactions.

Lesson 3 • Selectors and Locator Strategies

Use Playwright's Locator API with CSS, XPath, text, role, and test-id selectors. Choosing robust selectors is the single most impactful skill for test stability.

Lesson 4 • Page Navigation and Basic Interactions

Navigate URLs, click elements, fill forms, and capture screenshots with the Page API. These primitives underpin every test written in later chapters.

Lesson 1 • Parallel Test Execution with pytest-xdist

Run tests concurrently using pytest-xdist to reduce total suite execution time. Requires understanding of fixture scoping and test isolation introduced earlier.

Lesson 2 • pytest-playwright Plugin Setup

Install and configure pytest-playwright, which provides built-in browser and page fixtures. Removes boilerplate and standardizes browser lifecycle management across the suite.

Lesson 3 • Writing First Playwright-Pytest Tests

Write end-to-end tests that navigate, interact, and assert using the integrated stack. Validates that the environment is correctly configured before adding complexity.

Lesson 4 • Custom Fixtures for Browser Management

Extend built-in fixtures to set base URLs, authentication state, and custom context options. Custom fixtures are the primary extension point for project-specific requirements.

Lesson 1 • Keyboard and Mouse Interactions

Simulate keyboard shortcuts, drag-and-drop, and precise mouse movements for rich UI components. Covers interactions that cannot be achieved with simple click and fill calls.

Lesson 2 • Handling Dynamic and Async Content

Wait for elements rendered by JavaScript frameworks and handle content that appears after user actions. Directly addresses the most common source of flaky tests in modern SPAs.

Lesson 3 • Dialogs, Frames, and Shadow DOM

Handle browser dialogs, switch between iframes, and pierce Shadow DOM boundaries. Covers legacy and modern component patterns that require special Playwright APIs.

Lesson 4 • File Upload and Download Handling

Automate file input elements and intercept browser download events. Enables testing of document management and export features common in enterprise apps.

Lesson 1 • API Testing with Playwright's APIRequestContext

Send HTTP requests directly without a browser using APIRequestContext for pure API tests. Combines UI and API assertions in a single Pytest session for end-to-end coverage.

Lesson 2 • Testing WebSockets and Server-Sent Events

Monitor WebSocket frames and server-sent event streams triggered by browser interactions. Covers real-time communication patterns found in chat, dashboards, and live feeds.

Lesson 3 • Authentication Flows and State Management

Automate login flows, persist authentication cookies, and reuse session state across tests. Reduces test execution time by avoiding repeated login sequences.

Lesson 4 • Request Interception and Mocking

Intercept outgoing requests and return mock responses to isolate UI behavior from live APIs. Enables fast, deterministic tests that do not depend on back-end availability.

Lesson 1 • Project Structure and Configuration Management

Organize the project into logical directories and manage environment-specific configuration. Establishes the folder layout and config strategy used in professional automation teams.

Lesson 2 • Component and Fragment Objects

Model reusable UI components such as navigation bars and modals as separate component classes. Extends POM to handle shared widgets that appear across multiple pages.

Lesson 3 • Page Object Model Principles

Encapsulate page-specific locators and actions in dedicated classes to separate test logic from UI details. Reduces duplication and localizes the impact of UI changes to a single class.

Lesson 4 • Data Management and Test Data Factories

Generate and manage test data using factory functions and external data sources. Decouples test logic from hardcoded values and supports data-driven test scenarios.

Lesson 1 • Mobile and Responsive Testing

Emulate mobile devices, touch events, and geolocation to test responsive layouts. Covers the device emulation API that eliminates the need for physical devices in CI.

Lesson 2 • CI/CD Pipeline Integration

Configure a CI/CD pipeline to install dependencies, run the full test suite, and publish reports. Automates quality gates so every pull request is validated before merging.

Lesson 3 • Test Maintenance and Flakiness Management

Identify, quarantine, and fix flaky tests using retry strategies and diagnostic tooling. Sustains long-term suite reliability as the application under test evolves.

Lesson 4 • Visual Regression Testing

Capture baseline screenshots and compare them pixel-by-pixel to detect unintended UI changes. Adds a visual quality gate that complements functional assertions.