Book Image

Getting Started with PhantomJS

By : Aries beltran
Book Image

Getting Started with PhantomJS

By: Aries beltran

Overview of this book

PhantomJS is a headless WebKit browser with JavaScript API that allows you to create new ways to automate web testing. PhantomJS is currently being used by a large number of users to help them integrate headless web testing into their development processes. It also gives you developers a new framework to create web-based applications, from simple web manipulation to performance measurement and monitoring.A step step-by by-step guide that will help you develop new tools for solving web and testing problems in an effective and quick way. The book will teach you how to use and maximize PhantomJS to develop new tools for web scrapping, web performance measurement and monitoring, and headless web testing. This book will help you understand PhantomJS’ scripting API capabilities and strengths.This book starts by looking at PhantomJS’ JavaScript API, features, and basic execution of scripts. Throughout the book, you will learn details to help you write scripts to manipulate web documents and fully create a web scrapping tool.Through its practical approach, this book strives to teach you by example, where each chapter focuses on the common and practical usage of PhantomJS, and how to extract meaningful information from the web and other services.By the end of the book, you will have acquired the skills to enable you to use PhantomJS for web testing, as well as learning the basics of Jasmine, and how it can be used with PhantomJS.
Table of Contents (13 chapters)
12
Index

Preface

PhantomJS is a fully scriptable headless browser. When I started using it two years ago, I thought it was just another environment that can perform and evaluate JavaScript, but, as I explored its features, to my surprise, I found it to be an awesome technology. Most of the features that are discussed in this book come from the bits and pieces of the application that I have been using in my work to create a web monitoring and user-simulation type of service. PhantomJS is one of those technologies that can be integrated into any existing platform and can solve web development puzzles, ranging from page manipulation to user event simulation.

This book is a guide to help you not only ease your way into developing scripts in PhantomJS but it will also show you the cool features of this technology. In addition, it will also encourage you to be more creative and play with it as each chapter unfolds new capabilities. This book will help you get started.