Playwright v1.63.0 — Release Notes & Engineering Impact

## 🔒 Test locks Tests that access a shared resource — an external service, a global account setting — can now declare a named `lock`. Tests that share a lock name never run concurrently, across files, workers and [projects](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-projects), while everything else keeps running in parallel: ```js test('update user settings', { lock: 'user-settings' }, async ({ page }) => { // never runs at the same time as other tests holding 'user-settings' }); ``` A test can hold multiple locks, and [test.describe()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-test#test-describe) accepts a `lock` for the whole group. Learn more about [test locks](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-parallel#test-locks). ## 🪟 Locate across frames [page.frameLocator()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-frame-locator) and [frame.frameLocator()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-frame#frame-frame-locator) called without a selector search in any frame of the subtree, so you no longer need to locate the iframe first: ```js // Finds the button in any frame on the page. await page.frameLocator().getByRole('button').click(); ``` The rest of the locator resolves inside a single frame, just like a regular locator, and an error is thrown when it matches elements in several frames. ## 👁️ Visible-only locators New [locator.visible()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-locator#locator-visible) returns a locator that matches only visible elements. It is the recommended replacement for the `:visible` CSS pseudo-class: ```js await page.locator('button').visible().click(); ``` ## 🧾 Step params and subtitles Steps now carry structured data for reporters. Playwright API steps report the target locator and call arguments, and [test.step()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-test#test-step) accepts `subtitle` and `params` options for your own steps: ```js await test.step('Login', async () => { // ... }, { subtitle: 'as admin', params: { user: 'admin' } }); ``` Reporters receive them via [testStep.subtitle](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-teststep#test-step-subtitle) and [testStep.params](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-teststep#test-step-params). For Playwright API steps, the subtitle is the locator or the navigation url — for example, `Click` with subtitle `getByRole('button')`. Both are rendered next to the step title in the trace viewer and the HTML report. ## 🖼️ Aria and screen snapshots in traces The `snapshots` option of [tracing.start()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-tracing#tracing-start) and the [testOptions.trace](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-testoptions#test-options-trace) fixture option now accept an object selecting what to capture on every action: ```js // playwright.config.ts export default defineConfig({ use: { trace: { mode: 'on', snapshots: { dom: true, aria: true, screen: true } }, }, }); ``` With aria and screen snapshots recorded, the new **Display Aria** mode in the trace viewer shows the action screenshot side by side with the aria snapshot, and hovering an aria node highlights it on the screenshot. ## New APIs ### Browser and Context - [`httpCredentials`](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browser#browser-new-context-option-http-credentials) now also accepts an array of credentials. The first entry matching the request origin is used, and entries without an origin match any request. - New option [`opfs`](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsercontext#browser-context-storage-state-option-opfs) includes the [origin private file system](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/File_System_API/Origin_private_file_system) in the storage state, so it can be persisted and restored into later contexts. - New events [page.on('dialogclosed')](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-event-dialog-closed) and [browserContext.on('dialogclosed')](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-browsercontext#browser-context-event-dialog-closed) are emitted when a JavaScript dialog is accepted, dismissed or closed by the user. ### Locators - New [locator.ariaSnapshotJSON()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-locator#locator-aria-snapshot-json) and [page.ariaSnapshotJSON()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-page#page-aria-snapshot-json) return the aria snapshot as a JSON value instead of YAML markup, with `mode`, `depth` and `boxes` options. - [apiRequestContext.get()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-apirequestcontext#api-request-context-get) and other request methods accept a type argument that types the response `json()`: ```js const response = await request.get<User>('/api/users/42'); const user = await response.json(); // typed as User ``` ### Test runner - New standalone [testOptions.reducedMotion](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-testoptions#test-options-reduced-motion), [testOptions.forcedColors](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-testoptions#test-options-forced-colors) and [testOptions.contrast](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-testoptions#test-options-contrast) options. - New `--add-reporter` command line option appends a reporter on top of the ones configured in `playwright.config`, instead of replacing them like `--reporter` does. - New `omitTags` option for the `list`, `line`, `dot`, `github` and `junit` reporters suppresses the tags that are automatically appended to test titles. ### Command line - `npx playwright install --no-remove` keeps the browsers of other Playwright installations instead of removing them. - `npx playwright codegen --http-credentials` records against pages behind HTTP authentication. ### Miscellaneous - New built-in [`perfetto`](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-reporters#perfetto-reporter) reporter writes a Trace Event Format file for the [Perfetto UI](https://ui.perfetto.dev) or `chrome://tracing`, rendering the test run as a timeline with a lane per worker. - The HTML report renders a duration waterfall next to test steps. ## Announcements * ⚠️ The experimental `@playwright/experimental-ct-react`, `@playwright/experimental-ct-react17` and `@playwright/experimental-ct-vue` packages will no longer be updated. Follow the [migration guide](https://playwright.dev/docs/test-components#migration-from-the-experimental-packages) to move to the stories model introduced in 1.62. Story ids passed to [fixtures.mount()](https://playwright.dev/docs/api/class-fixtures#fixtures-mount) can now be typed through the generated `Stories` registry. * ⚠️ Ubuntu 20.04 is not supported anymore. * 🐧 On Linux arm64, Playwright now downloads the [Chrome for Testing](https://developer.chrome.com/blog/chrome-for-testing) build of Chromium, the same build used on all other platforms. ## Browser Versions - Chromium 153.0.8010.12 - Mozilla Firefox 155.0 - WebKit 26.6 This version was also tested against the following stable channels: - Google Chrome 153 - Microsoft Edge 153