Verifying Your Pytest Setup with a Simple Selenium Test

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have the following installed:

• Python: Version 3.7 or higher.
• Pytest: Install it using pip install pytest or python3 -m pip install pytest --user.
• Selenium WebDriver: Install it using pip install selenium or python3 -m pip install selenium --user.
• Web Browser Driver: For this example, we'll use ChromeDriver. Download it from the ChromeDriver website and ensure it matches your Chrome browser version. Place the chromedriver executable in your system’s PATH or specify its location in the code.

Setting Up the Project

1. Create a new directory for your project, e.g., pytest_setup_test.
2. Inside the directory, create a virtual environment (optional but recommended):

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venvScriptsactivate

3. Install the required packages:

   pip install pytest selenium

4. Create a file named test_google.py to hold our test.

Writing the Pytest Test

Here’s the code for test_google.py, which uses Selenium to navigate to www.google.com and checks the page title:

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
import pytest
# Fixture to set up and tear down the WebDriver
@pytest.fixture
def browser():
    # Specify the path to ChromeDriver if not in PATH
    # service = Service('/path/to/chromedriver')  # Uncomment and update if needed
    service = Service()
    driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service)
    yield driver
    driver.quit()
# Test to validate the page title of google.com
def test_google_title(browser):
    browser.get("https://www.google.com")
    title = browser.title
    assert "Google" in title, f"Expected 'Google' in title, but got '{title}'"

Explanation

• Fixture (browser): The pytest.fixture decorator defines a reusable setup/teardown function. Here, it initializes a Chrome WebDriver instance and yields it to the test. After the test runs, driver.quit() closes the browser.
• Test Function (test_google_title): This function uses the browser fixture to:
  1. Navigate to https://www.google.com using browser.get().
  2. Retrieve the page title with browser.title.
  3. Assert that the word "Google" is in the title. If not, the test fails with a descriptive message.
• ChromeDriver Path: If ChromeDriver is not in your system’s PATH, uncomment the service line and specify the path to the chromedriver executable.

Running the Test

To run the test, navigate to your project directory in the terminal and execute:

pytest test_google.py -v

Expected Output

If everything is set up correctly, you should see output similar to this:

============================= test session starts ==============================
platform linux -- Python 3.9.5, pytest-7.4.3, pluggy-1.0.0
collected 1 item
test_google.py::test_google_title PASSED                                  [100%]
============================== 1 passed in 2.34s ===============================

• PASSED: Indicates the test ran successfully, confirming that Pytest and Selenium are configured correctly, and the word "Google" was found in the page title.
• FAILED: If the test fails, check the error message. Common issues include:
  • ChromeDriver not found (verify the path or PATH configuration).
  • Network issues preventing access to www.google.com.
  • Mismatched ChromeDriver and Chrome browser versions.

Troubleshooting Tips

• ChromeDriver Issues: Ensure ChromeDriver matches your Chrome version (check Chrome’s version in Settings > About Chrome). Update or reinstall ChromeDriver if needed.
• Pytest Not Found: Verify Pytest is installed in your active environment (pip show pytest).
• Selenium Errors: Confirm Selenium is installed (pip show selenium) and that you’re using a compatible version with your browser.
﹤li class="list-group-item">Test Fails Due to Title: Occasionally, Google’s title might vary (e.g., due to localization). You can modify the assertion to be more flexible if needed.

Why This Test?

This test is a simple yet effective way to validate your Pytest setup because it:

• Confirms Pytest is installed and running tests correctly.
• Verifies Selenium WebDriver is configured and can interact with a browser.
• Checks network connectivity and browser compatibility.
• Provides a clear pass/fail outcome with minimal code.

Next Steps

Once this test passes, your Pytest environment is ready! You can expand your test suite to include more complex scenarios, such as:

• Testing form submissions or button clicks.
• Validating other websites or web applications.
• Integrating with CI/CD pipelines for automated testing.

Feel free to tweak this test to suit your needs. For example, you could test a different website or validate other page elements like text or links. Happy testing!