How To Automate Login Page In Protractor

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Vector Linux
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As a software developer, I understand the importance of automating repetitive tasks to save time and improve efficiency. One task that often requires automation is logging into web applications. In this article, I will guide you through the process of automating the login page in Protractor, a popular end-to-end testing framework for Angular applications.

Introduction to Protractor

Protractor is an end-to-end testing framework specifically designed for Angular applications. It utilizes the Selenium WebDriver API to interact with the web browser and simulate user actions. Protractor provides a powerful set of built-in features that make it easier to write and maintain automated tests.

Automating the login page in Protractor is a common scenario, as most web applications require users to authenticate before accessing protected resources. By automating the login process, we can save time and effort during testing, especially when we need to execute multiple test cases that require authentication.

Setting Up the Protractor Environment

Before we dive into automating the login page, let’s ensure that we have a working Protractor environment set up. Here are the steps:

  1. Install Node.js if you don’t have it already.
  2. Open a command prompt and run the following command to install Protractor globally:

npm install -g protractor

  1. Verify the installation by running the following command:

protractor --version

If the installation is successful, you should see the version number of Protractor printed in the console.

Creating the Protractor Test Spec

Now that we have Protractor set up, let’s create a test spec file to automate the login page. In this example, we’ll assume that the login page has two input fields: one for the username and another for the password. Here’s how the test spec file may look like:


describe('Login Page', function() {
it('should login successfully', function() {
browser.get('https://www.example.com/login');

element(by.id('username')).sendKeys('myusername');
element(by.id('password')).sendKeys('mypassword');
element(by.id('login-button')).click();

expect(browser.getCurrentUrl()).toEqual('https://www.example.com/home');
});
});

Let’s break down the code:

  • We start by describing the test suite using the describe function. In this case, we’re focusing on the login page.
  • Within the test suite, we define a single test case using the it function. This test case verifies that the login is successful.
  • Inside the test case, we navigate to the login page using the browser.get function. Replace the URL with the actual URL of your login page.
  • We locate the username and password input fields using the element(by.id) function and send the respective values using sendKeys.
  • We then locate and click the login button using the element(by.id) function and click.
  • Finally, we verify that the browser’s current URL is the expected URL of the home page using the expect function.

Feel free to customize the code to match the structure and elements of your login page. Protractor provides a wide range of locators and actions to interact with web elements, such as by.css, by.xpath, and element.all.

Running the Protractor Test

Now that we have our test spec file ready, we can run it using the Protractor command-line interface. Follow these steps:

  1. Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory where the test spec file is located.
  2. Run the following command to start the Protractor test:

protractor conf.js

Make sure to replace conf.js with the name of your Protractor configuration file if it’s different.

Protractor will open a new instance of the specified browser, navigate to the login page, enter the username and password, and perform the login action. If everything goes well, the test should pass, and you will see the browser closing at the end.

Conclusion

Automating the login page in Protractor can significantly improve the efficiency of your testing process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily set up a Protractor environment, create a test spec file, and run the automated login test.

Remember to customize the code according to your specific login page structure and elements. Protractor provides a comprehensive set of features and locators to handle various scenarios.

So why waste time manually logging in when you can automate it with Protractor? Give it a try and see the difference it makes in your testing workflow!