Kasaya (beta)

A "WYSIWYG" (well, kind of) scripting language and runtime for browser automation

• Write test scripts using English-like statements.
• NO coding required to implement those statements.
• Not dependent on HTML IDs or XPaths.
• Write the same way you would instruct another human being sitting in front of the browser.
• NOT like Cucumber.
• NOT like Selenium IDE.
• You can:
  • Do your initial dev test in REPL mode.
  • Save the statements as a script.
  • Share with QA to expand the scenarios.
  • Even share with the product manager.

What You See Is What You Script:

This is an interactive session. But normally, you will write a script and run it headless.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Getting started
• Grammar
• Command reference
• Limitations
• VS Code Extension
• FAQ

Installation

First, you need:

1. Java JDK (download) (needed for Selenium under the hood. We're working on alternatives).
2. Google Chrome version 66 or higher (download)
3. Node.js version 12 or higher (download)

Run on a terminal window (on Linux, you may need sudo)

$ npm install -g kasaya

(Installation might take a few minutes)

Found a bug? Please let us know. Kasaya is still early beta, but we want to improve.

Getting started

Interactive mode

$ kasaya                     # browser window will open
Kasāya> open "google.com"    # executed in browser as you type
Kasāya> type "cat"
Kasāya> press enter
Kasāya> read "Lifespan: ${min} – ${max} years" near "Family"
Kasāya> check if $max is "20"

Script mode

$ vi cat.kasaya
~~~~
  start
    # verify that the maximum lifespan of a cat according to google is 20 years
    open "google.com"
    type "cat"
    press enter
    read "Lifespan: ${min} – ${max} years" near "Family"
    check if $max is "20"
 end
~~~
:wq
$ kasaya cat.kasaya

Grammar

TODO: Improve this section

Kasaya's grammar is based on JARVIS, which is a rudimentary natural language tool based on pattern matching. Targeted for test automation, it currently lacks certain basic programming language features such as conditionals and loops.

Phrases

Kasaya's statements are made up of phrases rather than keywords and functions. Phrases can either be built in, or macro-based. Arguments can be placed anywhere within the phrase.

Blocks

Kasaya supports the following block level structures:

• in this context - declare constants and imports for the file context
• how to <macro phrase> - declares a macro
• start <run block> - statements within run blocks will be executed immediately
• More on macros

TODO: Some good macro examples

Variables

• Extract a value within a pattern into a variable: "Hello ${name}"
• Variable access within a phrase: $name
• Variable assignment: set $name to "Something else"

Constants

• Constant declaration within context block: NAME is "World"

Command reference

Here are some examples of the most commonly used commands:

open "foo.com"
click "Sign In"
click "Username"
type "[email protected]"
press tab
type "12345"
click "Confirm"
read "You are logged in as ${username}" near "Success"
check if $username is "[email protected]"
read ${sender} from row "Test email" column "Sender"
print $sender

TODO: Improve this section

More commands

Limitations

• This is still very much beta. We announced it so that we can get early feedback to improve. So please let us know about the rough edges.
• Remember, this is not meant to be a general purpose DSL. It's a language of instruction for tests, and therefore it has no conditionals or loops (no if or for). If you require an if or for in a test, that's probably a sign that you're trying to fit multiple test scenarios into a single test. The other thing is, DSLs rapidly go downhill when you try to make them "Turing Complete. We're trying not to enter that Vietnam :)
• We're currently based on Selenium, and with that comes the JDK. We're looking for alternatives.
• The "natural language processing" here is based on the JARVIS. The R in JARVIS stands for "Rudimentary", in that it uses fairly rudimentary pattern matching instead of parsing. Not pretty but gets the job done.
• Headless + CI - we got it, but give us time to document it properly.

VS Code Extension

Get Visual Studio Code extension for Kasāya scripting from here

FAQ

Where does the name "Kasaya" come from?

We noticed that many a test tool is named after brewed drinks ("Mocha", "Chai", "Espresso"). "Kasaya" (pronounced kʌsɑːjəˈ, or Kuh-SAA-yuh, "කසාය") is also a brewed drink -- it is an Ayurvedic medicinal drink popular in Sri Lanka (better known in India as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashayam).

What's different about Kasaya?

The idea behind Kasaya is that, if we're able to verbally instruct a human being to run a UI test without referring to DOM elements, XPATHs or HTML IDs, it should be able to do the same with a machine. Unlike in some natural language test automation tools, you don't have to write any functions to help resolve statements to HTML IDs or XPATHs. Kasaya works out-of-the-box.

Is it based on machine learning?

No. It's based on clever but simple heuristics that attempt to mimic how human beings look at a screen and identify visual elements.

Who developed this?

Kasaya was envisioned and developed entirely by the folks at Sysco LABS, Sri Lanka.

What is the current status of Kasaya?

As of this writing (Jan 2020), Kasaya is in public beta, which means while all the basics work, there's a lot to be ironed out before we can get to version 1.0.

Can I contribute?

Eventually, yes! For now, please be patient with us -- we don't yet have a dedicated developer who can work with the community. But we're trying to get there, stay tuned!

But if you find bugs, or have great ideas, let us know!

I found a bug.

Great! Please report it on our issue tracker, with reproduction steps: https://github.com/syscolabs/kasaya/issues

How about running headless, and CI?

Working on all of those, stay tuned. Any more requests, suggestions?