Skip to main content

Launch Browser

image

Create Playwright session​

In order to launch browser, it is required to create Playwright session.

In previous examples,

Playwright.create(playwright_cli_executable_path: 'npx playwright') do |playwright|
  # Play with `playwright` here
end

this is the exact procedure for creating Playwright session. Choose either method for creating the session.

Define scoped Playwright session with block​

Playwright.create(playwright_cli_executable_path: 'npx playwright') do |playwright|
  # Play with `playwright` here
end

As described repeatedly, this is the recommended way for creating a Playwright session. Even when any exception happens, Playwright session is safely ended on leaving the block.

Internally playwright run-driver session is alive during the block.

Define start/end of the Playwright session separately without block.​

Sometimes we have to define separate start/end definitions. playwright-ruby-client also allows it.

class SomeClass

  def start_playwright
    # Start Playwright driver (runs `playwright run-driver` internally)
    @playwright_exec = Playwright.create(playwright_cli_executable_path: 'npx playwright')
  end

  def stop_playwright!
    # Stop Playwright driver
    @playwright_exec.stop
  end

  def play_with_playwright(&blk)
    # Acquire Playwright instance with PlaywrightExecution#playwright
    playwright = @playwright_exec.playwright

    browser = playwright.chromium.launch

    begin
      blk.call(browser)
    ensure
      browser.close
    end
  end
end

Note that we have to make sure to call PlaywrightExecution#stop (stop_playwright! in this case).

Create browser instance​

Playwright allows launching several browsers.

  • playwright.chromium.launch for launching Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Chromium
  • playwright.firefox.launch for launching (modified version of) Firefox
  • playwright.webkit.launch for launching (modified version of) WebKit/Safari

It is recommended in most cases to launch browser with block, which automatically closes the launched browser on end.

# scoped browser block
playwright.chromium.launch do |browser|
  # Play with `browser`
end

Of course, you can manually call Browser#close when the browser is launched without block.

# separated start/end
browser = playwright.chromium.launch

begin
  # Play with `@browser`
ensure
  browser.close
end

Open new window and new tab​

Use Browser#new_context to prepare a new browser window and use BrowserContext#new_page to create a new tab. Also we can use Browser#new_page to create a new window and new tab at once.

Playwright.create(playwright_cli_executable_path: 'npx playwright') do |playwright|
  playwright.chromium.launch(headless: false) do |browser| # Chromium task icon appears.
    context = browser.new_context # Prepare new window.
    page = context.new_page # Open new window and new tab here. (about:blank)
    page.goto('https://example.com') # Navigate to a site.

    page2 = context.new_page # Open another tab here.
    page2.goto('https://example.com') # Navigate to a site.

    another_context = browser.new_context # Prepare another window here.
    another_page = another_context.new_page # Open a new window and new tab.
    another_page.goto('https://example.com/') # Navigate to a site.
  end
end

Note that each browser context is isolated and not persisted by default. When persistent browser context is needed, we can use BrowserType#launch_persistent_context.