webapp-testing · Local Web App Testing

webapp-testing tests local web applications with native Python Playwright scripts: verifying frontend functionality, debugging UI behavior, capturing screenshots, and reading browser logs. A black-box server helper, with_server.py (run --help first), manages server lifecycles including multi-server setups.

Static HTML pages are read directly for selectors; dynamic apps follow recon-then-act — wait for networkidle, screenshot or inspect the DOM, then operate with the discovered selectors.

Example invocation: "Test the frontend on local port 5173 — does the login button work?"

Full brief

Positioning

webapp-testing is the Playwright toolkit for local web applications: native Python Playwright scripts interact with a local app to verify frontend functionality, debug UI behavior, and capture screenshots and logs. Local apps only — no production monitoring.

Core capabilities

Native Playwright scripts: synchronous API (sync_playwright()), Chromium headless; descriptive selectors (text=, role=, CSS, IDs); browser closed when done.
Black-box server management: scripts/with_server.py owns server lifecycles, including multi-server (backend + frontend) setups; run --help before any script — never read the source first.
Static HTML direct: read the HTML file for selectors and automate; file:// URLs supported.
Recon-then-act for dynamic apps: wait_for_load_state('networkidle') first, then screenshot/inspect the DOM to discover selectors before acting.
Example library: examples/ covers element discovery, static-page automation, and console-log capture.

Workflow

Classify: static HTML → read the file for selectors and script; dynamic → next step
Dynamic: connect if the server is already running; otherwise start it with with_server.py
Recon: after networkidle, screenshot or inspect the DOM to settle selectors
Act and collect results (screenshots / logs / assertions)
Close the browser

Inputs & outputs

Input	Notes
Local app URL or static HTML file	e.g. `http://localhost:5173` or a local HTML path
Test objective	Feature to verify, bug to reproduce, page to screenshot

Output: script execution results (screenshot files, console logs, assertion verdicts).

Fit

Frontend regression checks during local development
Reproducing UI bugs with console logs for diagnosis
Pre-release screenshots of key pages
Interaction testing for dynamic SPAs

Before you start

No API key; Python + Playwright required (Chromium runs headless).
with_server.py starts servers when needed — run --help for its flags first.
On dynamic apps, DOM inspection must wait for networkidle or selectors will be unreliable.

webapp-testing is part of the Aiglade Skill library. Invoke it from the Aiglade chat box in plain language.

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