Browser Independent Automation Library

Question

I've done a bit of vbscripting in the past to automate tasks as a sys admin and recently I've taken a position in QA and really want to double down on scripting common tasks for repeated tests; both for myself as well to delegate project work to other people and minimize training. ("go here, do this, launch this, tell me what happens.") Most of what needs to be done is setting up tests in a web app and then poking some things on a kiosk and scanning some barcodes.

I had an ingenious idea convert my scripting from vb to js and use flex my jQuery knowledge so my scripts would be browser agnostic. This doesn't work for a couple reasons. You can't import js outside of the browser, and jQuery requires a window with a document. I've looked into testing platforms like Selenium as well as PhantomJS/SlimerJS/CasperJS and they all require an installation of some sort. Especially if I want to eventually automate actions on kiosks installations are out of the question. I'd also prefer avoiding installing on the testers PCs so much that I'd rather just continue to vbscript for IE.

Can anyone point me toward a solution I might be overlooking? Perhaps a portable automation app, or vbscript library which won't care what browser may be opened when the script is launched?

Thanks!

Answer 1

What you are overlooking is one simple fact: if solution what you half-proposed was feasible, Google engineers would be working to make it available for last few years. And in my experience they are VERY smart, it is futile to try to outsmart them (at least for me - maybe you are much smarter).

Browsers ARE genuinely different, and packing all the differences in one module, so any browser can be used from Selenium using same API is amazing. It is called adapter design pattern. Also, Selenium is coming W3C standard for browser automation, so just get used to it, I guess.