Launching Browsers

Launching a Browser From Keyword Tests

Launching a Browser From Scripts

Running a Specific Browser Version

Specifying Browser Command-Line Arguments

Parameterizing the Browser Name

Remarks

To start a web browser from keyword tests, use the Run Browser operation and specify the needed browser and the web page to open.

Run Browser wizard: selecting browser

Run Browser wizard: specifying URL

To modify a test to run in another browser, select the browser in the Run Browser operation parameters. For example, you can choose a browser from a combo box in the Operation column of the Keyword Test editor.

Selecting a web browser for a test run

To execute a test in multiple browsers, substitute the Run Browser operation with the Browser Loop operation and make the subsequent test actions over the web page as children of the Browser Loop operation. The operation allows you to define a list of browsers to be launched, starts them one by one and executes the child operations in each browser. See, Running Tests in Multiple Browsers.

Iterating through browsers with the Browser Loop operation

To launch a web browser from scripts, use the Browsers.Item(...).Run scripting method. For example:

You can specify a web browser in one of the following ways:

If you omit the URL in the Run method call, the browser will open with a blank page (about:blank).

In this case, you need to insert additional operations for pointing the browser to the needed page (see Navigating to Web Pages).

To modify a test to run it in another browser, just change the browser name in the Browsers.Item(...).Run scripting method.

To execute a test in multiple browsers, use loops or enumerator statements to iterate through the collection of the supported browsers. For detailed information and examples, see Running Tests in Multiple Browsers.

You may need to pass specific command-line arguments to the web browser, for example, Firefox's profile name or Chrome’s --allow-file-access-from-files key. For this purpose, specify them in the Browsers.Item(<browser_name>).RunOptions property.

In scripts, this will look like the following:

In keyword tests, use the Call Object Method or Run Code Snippet operation to access the Browsers.Item(<browser_name>).RunOptions property. You should insert this operation before the Run Browser operation.

Instead of hard-coding the browser name in your test, you can specify it using an external parameter, such as a test parameter or a project variable.

In scripts, this will look like the following:

# Specify the browser using a test parameter
def Test1(BrowserName):
  Browsers.Item[BrowserName].Run("http://smartbear.com");

  # Test the web site
  #...


# Specify the browser using a project variable
def Test2():
  Browsers.Item[Project.Variables.BrowserName].Run("http://smartbear.com");

  # Test the web site
  #...

In keyword tests, select the Parameterized option in the parameters of the Run Browser operation and then set the needed value for the operation’s Browser parameter.

You can also make your web test a data-driven test and read the browser name from an external data file.

For more information, see Parameterizing the Browser for a Test Run.

• If your tests uninstall or install a browser during the run, then you need to call the Browsers.Refresh method in your tests to update the Browsers collection. Call this method before the first keyword test operation or script statement that launches a browser, navigates to a web page or performs any other operation with a browser after the installation or uninstallation is over.

• In earlier TestComplete versions, a web browser could be launched as a Tested Application. In the current TestComplete version, new tests are recorded using the Run Browser and Browsers.Item(...).Run operations. We recommend updating your existing tests to use these special-purpose operations.