Getting Started

Install via Composer: composer require --dev zenstruck/browser. Begin by creating a functional test that uses the browser: extend WebTestCase and inject Browser via static::createBrowser(). The first use case is typically clicking links, filling forms, and asserting page content with an intuitive, chainable API — e.g., $browser->visit('/login')->fillField('username', 'admin')->submit()->assertPathIs('/dashboard').

Implementation Patterns

Page Object Pattern: Wrap browser interactions in dedicated page classes (e.g., LoginPage) to promote reuse and readability.
Stateful Testing: Use Browser::fromUri() or static::createClient() to simulate authenticated sessions with preloaded fixtures.
Async Assertions: Leverage waitFor() with assertXpath() or assertDomContains() for SPA or AJAX-heavy UIs.
Integration with Pest: Works out-of-the-box with Pest via browser() helper; chain expectations like ->assertTitleContains('Welcome').

Gotchas and Tips

Timeouts: Default timeouts may be too short for CI; configure via Browser::configure() with custom timeout() or slowMotion() for debugging.
DOM Replacement: When pages dynamically replace entire <body> (e.g., Turbolinks), use assertDomContains() after waitFor() instead of assertDomNotFound().
Field Identification: Prefer fillField() with form field names over IDs or CSS selectors; use fillFieldWith() for inputs without labels.
Custom Drivers: Override default Mink driver configuration via Browser::mink() callback to inject custom behaviors (e.g., viewport resizing or request headers).
Debugging: Use dumpPage() or savePageSnapshot() to inspect rendered HTML in failure cases; run tests with --keep-browser to inspect sessions interactively.

Browser Laravel Package

Getting Started

Implementation Patterns

Gotchas and Tips