Watir Tutorial: Web links test automation

In this tutorial, we will explore various options to verify and automate web links testing. I tried to add code examples/samples for both HTML source for links and Watir source code to test those scenarios. If you are looking for something specific not covered in this tutorial, drop me an email at shrikantwagh@sbcglobal.net.

Before we start testing links, here are some of the common formats for the links used

Simplest for of the link is

<a href="url">Link text</a>

Here are various examples of the links that will be used in this tutorial to explain how Watir can access the link on web page using various link properties/attributes

<a href="http://www.somedomain.com/">Visit somedomain!</a>
<a href="http://www.somedomain.com/" target="_blank">Visit somedomain in new window!</a>
<a href="http://www.somedomain.com/" target="_top">Go to top!</a>

Anchors

<a name="label">Any content</a>
<a href="#label">Any content</a>
<a href="#tips">Jump to the Tips Section</a>
<a href="http://www.somedoamin.com/someurl.htm#tips">Jump to the Tips Section</a>

You can also use an image as a link:

<a href="http://someurl/somepage.html"><img border="0" src="buttonnext.gif" width="65" height="38"></a>
<a href="http://someurl/somepage.html"><img src="images/button.jpg" border="0" alt=""></img></a> The button is really a link 

This is a mail link:

<a href="mailto:someone@somedomain.com?subject=Hello%20again">Send Mail</a>
<a href="lhttp://someurl/somepage.html" class="link_class_1">test1</a> 


<a href="http://someurl/somepage.html" name="link_name">Link Using a name</a>
<a href="lhttp://someurl/somepage.html" title="link_title">Link Using a title</a>

Accessing link using link text

    assert(browser.link(:text, "test1").exists?)

Accessing link using link text with regular expression

    assert(browser.link(:text, /TEST/i).exists?)

Accessing link using link url

   assert(browser.link(:url, /someurl.html/).exists?)
   assert(browser.link(:url, "specificurl.html").exists?)

Accessing link using link id

 assert(browser.link(:id, "link_id").exists?)

Accessing link using link id with regular expression

 assert(browser.link(:id, /_id/).exists?)

Accessing link using link name

 assert(browser.link(:name, "link_name").exists?)

Accessing link using link name and regular expression

assert(browser.link(:name, /_n/).exists?)

Accessing link using link title

assert(browser.link(:title, "link title").exists?)

Accessing link using link title and regular expression

assert_false(browser.link(:title, /title/).exists?)

Accessing link using link index

assert(browser.link(:index, 1).exists?)

Clicking the link

    browser.link(:text, "test1").click
    browser.link(:url, /link.html/).click
    browser.link(:index, 1).click

Querying link properties

browser.link(:index, 1).href
browser.link(:index, 1).value
browser.link(:index, 1).innerText
browser.link(:index, 1).name
browser.link(:index, 1).id
browser.link(:index, 1).disabled
browser.link(:index, 1).type
browser.link(:index, 1).class_name
browser.link(:index, 7).title
rowser.links[7].innerText

Link iterator

    browser.links.length
    index = 1
    browser.links.each do |link|
      assert_equal(browser.link(:index, index).href      , link.href )
      assert_equal(browser.link(:index, index).id        , link.id )
      assert_equal(browser.link(:index, index).name      , link.name )
      assert_equal(browser.link(:index, index).innerText , link.innerText )
      index+=1
    end

Accessing links in frames

browser.frame("linkFrame").link(:text, "test1").exists?
browser.frame("linkFrame").link(:index, 1).href

Iterating thru links in frames

    count =0
    browser.frame("linkFrame").links.each do |l|
      count+=1
    end

Display all links in the page

    browser.showLinks