How can you automate Firefox from C# application?

Question

Start with the simplest task of capturing the URL in Firefox from a C# application. It appears using user32.dll Windows API functions will not work as is the approach for c

Answer 1

You can use Selenium WebDriver for C #.

This is a cross-platform API that allows you to control various browsers using APIs for Java, C#, among others.

Attachment of a code C # with Selenium WebDriver tests.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Firefox;
using OpenQA.Selenium;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Interactions;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Interactions.Internal;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Support.UI;
using OpenQA.Selenium.IE;
using NUnit.Framework;
using System.Text.RegularExpressions;

namespace sae_test
{   class Program
    {   private static string baseURL;
        private static StringBuilder verificationErrors;

    static void Main(string[] args)
    {   // test with firefox
        IWebDriver driver = new OpenQA.Selenium.Firefox.FirefoxDriver();
        // test with IE
        //InternetExplorerOptions options = new InternetExplorerOptions();
        //options.IntroduceInstabilityByIgnoringProtectedModeSettings = true;
        //IWebDriver driver = new OpenQA.Selenium.IE.InternetExplorerDriver(options);
        SetupTest();
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl(baseURL + "Account/Login.aspx");
        IWebElement inputTextUser = driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_LoginUser_UserName"));
        inputTextUser.Clear();
        driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_LoginUser_UserName")).Clear();
        driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_LoginUser_UserName")).SendKeys("usuario");
        driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_LoginUser_Password")).Clear();
        driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_LoginUser_Password")).SendKeys("123");
        driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_LoginUser_LoginButton")).Click();
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl(baseURL + "finanzas/consulta.aspx");
        // view combo element
        IWebElement comboBoxSistema = driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_rcbSistema_Arrow"));
        //Then click when menu option is visible 
        comboBoxSistema.Click();
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(500);
        // container of elements systems combo
        IWebElement listaDesplegableComboSistemas = driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_rcbSistema_DropDown"));
        listaDesplegableComboSistemas.FindElement(By.XPath("//li[text()='BOMBEO MECANICO']")).Click();
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(500);
        IWebElement comboBoxEquipo = driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_rcbEquipo_Arrow"));
        //Then click when menu option is visible 
        comboBoxEquipo.Click();
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(500);
        // container of elements equipment combo
        IWebElement listaDesplegableComboEquipos = driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_rcbEquipo_DropDown"));

        listaDesplegableComboEquipos.FindElement(By.XPath("//li[text()='MINI-V']")).Click();
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(500);

        driver.FindElement(By.Id("MainContent_Button1")).Click();            
        try
        {   Assert.AreEqual("BOMBEO MECANICO_22", driver.FindElement(By.XPath("//*[@id=\"MainContent_RejillaRegistroFinanciero_ctl00_ctl04_LabelSistema\"]")).Text);
        }
        catch (AssertionException e)
        {   verificationErrors.Append(e.Message);
        }
        // verify coin format $1,234,567.89 usd
        try
        {   Assert.IsTrue(Regex.IsMatch(driver.FindElement(By.XPath("//*[@id=\"MainContent_RejillaRegistroFinanciero_ctl00_ctl04_labelInversionInicial\"]")).Text, "\\$((,)*[0-9]*[0-9]*[0-9]+)+(\\.[0-9]{2})? usd"));
        }
        catch (AssertionException e)
        {   verificationErrors.Append(e.Message);
        }
        try
        {   Assert.IsTrue(Regex.IsMatch(driver.FindElement(By.XPath("//*[@id=\"MainContent_RejillaRegistroFinanciero_ctl00_ctl04_labelCostoOpMantto\"]")).Text, "\\$((,)*[0-9]*[0-9]*[0-9]+)+(\\.[0-9]{2})? usd"));
        }
        catch (AssertionException e)
        {   verificationErrors.Append(e.Message);
        }
        try
        {   Assert.IsTrue(Regex.IsMatch(driver.FindElement(By.XPath("//*[@id=\"MainContent_RejillaRegistroFinanciero_ctl00_ctl04_labelCostoEnergia\"]")).Text, "\\$((,)*[0-9]*[0-9]*[0-9]+)+(\\.[0-9]{2})? usd"));
        }
        catch (AssertionException e)
        {   verificationErrors.Append(e.Message);
        }
        try
        {   Assert.IsTrue(Regex.IsMatch(driver.FindElement(By.XPath("//*[@id=\"MainContent_RejillaRegistroFinanciero_ctl00_ctl04_labelcostoUnitarioEnergia\"]")).Text, "\\$((,)*[0-9]*[0-9]*[0-9]+)+(\\.[0-9]{2})? usd"));
        }
        catch (AssertionException e)
        {   verificationErrors.Append(e.Message);
        }
        // verify number format 1,234,567.89
        try
        {   Assert.IsTrue(Regex.IsMatch(driver.FindElement(By.XPath("//*[@id=\"MainContent_RejillaRegistroFinanciero_ctl00_ctl04_labelConsumo\"]")).Text, "((,)*[0-9]*[0-9]*[0-9]+)+(\\.[0-9]{2})?"));
        }
        catch (AssertionException e)
        {   verificationErrors.Append(e.Message);
        }
        System.Console.WriteLine("errores: " + verificationErrors);
        System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(20000);
        driver.Quit();
    }

    public static void SetupTest()
    {   baseURL = "http://127.0.0.1:8081/ver.rel.1.2/";
        verificationErrors = new StringBuilder();
    }

    protected static void mouseOver(IWebDriver driver, IWebElement element)
    {   Actions builder = new Actions(driver);
        builder.MoveToElement(element);
        builder.Perform();
    }

    public static void highlightElement(IWebDriver driver, IWebElement element)
    {   for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++)
        {   IJavaScriptExecutor js = (IJavaScriptExecutor)driver;
            js.ExecuteScript("arguments[0].setAttribute('style', arguments[1]);",
                    element, "color: yellow; border: 2px solid yellow;");
            js.ExecuteScript("arguments[0].setAttribute('style', arguments[1]);",
                    element, "");
        }
    }
}
}

Answer 2

Should I need to do a capture of the URL with AutoHotkey, for example, I would send Ctrl+L (put focus in address bar and highlight content) and Ctrl+C (copy selection to clipboard). Then you just read the clipboard to get the info.

For more complex tasks, I would use Greasemonkey or iMacros extensions, perhaps triggered by similar keyboard shortcuts.

Answer 3

One Microsoft tool I ran into:

UI Automation, as part of .NET 3.5 http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa348551.aspx

Here's an example: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms771286.aspx

I don't have UI Spy on my pc to interrogate Firefox, so I don't know if this will help out with your user32.dll problem.

Answer 4

It appears to be very beta-ey, but someone built a .net connector for mozrepl. Actually, the mozrepl codebase just moved to github. But mozrepl lets you issue commands to the Firefox's XUL environment.

Answer 5

WebAii can automate FireFox, including setting and retrieving the URL

Answer 6

Try Selenium (the Google testing engine - http://seleniumhq.org/) You can record task (Webpages UI related) done in Firefox and the convert the recording into a C# source :)