Frontend headless browser testing using CasperJS and configuration-files? - frameworks

Question

I tried to use CasperJS for headless browser testing using PhantomJS and wanted to have a config file or something to change Website URL, Username passwords etc. So finally I found NuclearJS. Do you guys know any other perfect way to do this? If I wanted to write a one from the scratch would like to know about as well.

Answer 1

I got a solution (not perfect ;) ) that is using multiple configfiles (for selector, execution, desktop, mobile, etc).
I include a in the execution of my casperjs tests a file that offers me all configs i need (i include also global functions there).
Lets guess the test execution looks like that:
casperjs test --includes=loadGlobals.js test_1.js
In the that example loadGlobals.js contains functions like that:
var fs = require('fs');
var config = {},
configFile = fs.read('config.json');
config = JSON.parse(configFile);
Probalby the config.json is looking like that:
{
"url": "http://www.yourTestUrl.com",
"variable_1": "bla",
"variable_2": "blub",
"nextTier": {
"variable_1": "blablub"
}
}
Now you can call in the test_1.js the variables of the config.json:
casper.start(config.url, function() {
casper.then(function() {
casper.echo(config.variable_1);
casper.echo(config.variable_2);
casper.echo(config.nextTier.variable_1);
});
})
casper.run();
You can use like that different configurationfiles, even to override it during tests if nessacary.
The tests should be written in the page object pattern style so they are highly maintable, espacially with a outsourced configuration.
NuclearJS i didn't know, but i will take a look into it, too.