From Zero to Playwright: Building a QA Starter Kit for Automation Testing

🚀 Introduction

When I first started exploring test automation, I juggled tools, folder structures, and various frameworks. Most of the tutorials were either too advanced or didn’t follow best practices. So I decided to create something that would help beginners get started quickly, and still be scalable for professional teams. That's how QA to Go was born.

This post shares my journey of building a Python + Playwright starter kit — from scratch — and how it evolved into a clean, reusable testing framework.

🛠️ The Problem I Wanted to Solve

Many QA beginners (and even some experienced testers) struggle with:

• Setting up a testing environment
• Choosing the right tools
• Managing test structure and maintainability

I wanted to create a solution that:

• Uses modern, open-source tools
• Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux
• Has a DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) folder structure
• Includes basic reporting out of the box

⚙️ Tools Used

• Python 3.10+
• Playwright (for browser automation)
• Pytest (for test running)
• pytest-html (for reports)

Optionally, it works great with:

• VS Code or JetBrains Rider
• Git for version control

📁 Folder Structure

QA_to_Go/
├── tests/               # All test cases go here
│   └── test_sample.py
├── pages/               # Page Object Models (POM)
├── utils/               # Helpers like config or browser setup
├── reports/             # HTML reports
├── requirements.txt     # Project dependencies
└── README.md            # Setup instructions

This structure is modular, so you can add API tests, DB validation, and more later.

🔍 Setting Up the Project

Step 1: Install Python

Check if Python is installed:

python --version

If not, download Python here.

Step 2: Create and Activate a Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv
# Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# Mac/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

Step 3: Install Dependencies

pip install playwright pytest pytest-html
python -m playwright install

You can also use a requirements.txt:

playwright
pytest
pytest-html

Install it with:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 4: Create a Sample Test

# tests/test_sample.py
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

def test_open_page():
    with sync_playwright() as p:
        browser = p.chromium.launch()
        page = browser.new_page()
        page.goto("https://example.com")
        assert "Example" in page.title()
        browser.close()

Step 5: Run the Test

pytest --html=reports/report.html

💡 Why QA to Go Works

• Lightweight & Simple – no bloated framework, just what you need
• Fast to Set Up – go from zero to test in minutes
• Scalable – easily add tests, POMs, utilities, or APIs

📦 Want the Kit?

You can grab the full working starter kit here: QA to Go on Gumroad

It includes:

• Full folder structure
• Pytest + Playwright integration
• HTML reports
• Setup guide as a PDF

🙌 Final Thoughts

If you’re learning QA or just want a clean way to get started with Playwright and Python, QA to Go is for you.

I’d love your feedback, ideas, or improvements. Let’s make QA simpler, faster, and more accessible together.

Follow me on LinkedIn and let’s connect!