browser-automation-reliability

# Browser Automation Reliability ## Overview Improve browser automation reliability with timeout handling, retry logic, and fallback strategies. Prevents hanging commands and abandoned testing. ## Timeout Handling **Default timeout**: 10 seconds for all commands **Configurable per command type**: - Text search: 10s - Element interaction: 10s - Navigation: 15s - Test seam commands: 5s See `references/timeout-patterns.md` for detailed timeout configuration. ## Retry Logic **Retry failed commands up to 3 times** with exponential backoff: - First retry: 1 second delay - Second retry: 2 second delay - Third retry: 4 second delay See `references/retry-strategies.md` for retry implementation patterns. ## Fallback Strategies Use fallback methods in order when primary method fails: 1. **Primary**: Test seam commands** (for Phaser games) 2. **Secondary**: Console log verification 3. **Tertiary**: Screenshot comparison 4. **Last resort**: Code review + TypeScript compilation See `references/fallback-order.md` for detailed fallback workflow. ## Phaser Game Testing **PRIMARY METHOD**: Use test seam commands (`window.__TEST__.commands`) **Why**: - DOM text search doesn't work with canvas-rendered text - Keyboard events may not register with canvas focus - Test seams are reliable and fast **Pattern**: ```javascript // Check for test seam first if (window.__TEST__ && window.__TEST__.commands) { window.__TEST__.commands.clickStartGame(); } else { // Fallback to other methods } ``` ## Common Issues - **Phaser canvas doesn't respond to DOM-based text search** - Solution: Use test seam commands - **Keyboard events may not register with canvas focus** - Solution: Use test seam commands or verify focus first - **Scene transitions require wait time** - Solution: Wait 1-2 seconds after transition - **Test seam may lag behind actual scene state** - Solution: Use console logs as fallback ## Best Practices 1. **Always have a fallback verification method** 2. **Don't abandon testing on first failure** 3. **Use test seams as primary method for game testing** 4. **Document fallback strategies in progress.txt** 5. **Set explicit timeouts for all commands** ## Resources - `references/timeout-patterns.md` - Configurable timeouts, exponential backoff - `references/retry-strategies.md` - Retry logic with logging - `references/fallback-order.md` - Primary → Secondary → Tertiary → Last resort