In this section, we will guide you through the process of installing Playwright, a powerful tool for automating web browsers. This step is crucial as it sets the foundation for writing and executing your Playwright scripts. We will cover the installation process on different operating systems and ensure you have a working setup to proceed with the course.

Before installing Playwright, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

• Node.js: Playwright requires Node.js. You can download and install it from nodejs.org. Ensure you have Node.js version 12 or higher.
• npm: Node.js comes with npm, the Node package manager, which you will use to install Playwright.

1. Create a new directory for your project:

   mkdir playwright-project
   cd playwright-project
   

2. Initialize a new Node.js project:

   npm init -y
   

   This command creates a package.json file with default settings.

1. Install Playwright using npm:

   npm install playwright
   

   This command installs Playwright and its dependencies. It also downloads the necessary browser binaries (Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit).

1. Check the installed version of Playwright:

   npx playwright --version
   

   This command should output the version of Playwright you have installed, confirming a successful installation.

2. Run a simple script to verify the setup: Create a file named example.js with the following content:

   const { chromium } = require('playwright');
   
   (async () => {
     const browser = await chromium.launch();
     const page = await browser.newPage();
     await page.goto('https://example.com');
     console.log(await page.title());
     await browser.close();
   })();
   

   Run the script using:

   node example.js
   

   If everything is set up correctly, you should see the title of the page ("Example Domain") printed in the console.

• Node.js Version: Ensure you have Node.js version 12 or higher. You can check your Node.js version with node -v.
• Network Issues: If you encounter network issues during installation, ensure your internet connection is stable. You might also need to configure a proxy if you're behind a corporate firewall.
• Permission Errors: On some systems, you might need to run the installation command with elevated permissions (e.g., using sudo on Unix-based systems).

You have successfully installed Playwright and verified its setup by running a simple script. With Playwright installed, you are now ready to create and run automated browser tests. In the next section, we will guide you through creating your first Playwright script, where you'll learn how to interact with web pages programmatically.