[Automation]
Playwright Labs: UI Automation
We build a realistic storefront test pack from scratch: auth flows, network stubs, visual diff hooks, and CI-friendly sharding. Expect tight feedback on flakiness patterns and how to document assumptions so the next maintainer is not guessing.
Included focus areas
- Fixture design for shared auth without hidden state
- Trace viewer workflows for on-call engineers
- API interception patterns for half-stubbed environments
- Sharding strategies for GitHub Actions and Azure Pipelines
- Component-level tests vs full journey coverage trade-offs
- Owner map for who maintains which suite
- Hands-on lab notebooks with solution branches
Outcomes you can demonstrate
- Maintain a Playwright suite that runs under twelve minutes in CI for the sample app
- Produce trace archives teammates can open without local setup
- Draft a flake-response playbook your team can vote on
Facilitator
Jordan Vale
Automation mentor who previously owned UI suites for a national retailer.
FAQ
Which language track?
TypeScript is the default for all exercises. JavaScript is supported if you skip type annotations, but mentors will reference TS patterns in reviews.
Do I need prior coding depth?
Comfort with basic JavaScript is required. We do not teach language fundamentals; pair our API testing session if you need HTTP fluency first.
Limitations?
Mobile native stacks are out of scope; we focus on browser automation and associated service stubs.
Participant notes
The sharding lab finally stopped our overnight suite from timing out. Mentors pushed on naming conventions I would have glossed over.
Trace viewer walkthrough alone justified the enrolment. Wish there was one more week on visual regression, but the workbook links help.
Client in logistics — cohort was direct about flaky tests; no sugar-coating, which I needed.