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Add support for testing the WebExtensions API in WPT
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kiaraarose committed Feb 19, 2025
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# RFC #219: Add support for WebExtensions in WPT

## Summary

The WebExtensions API extends the capabilities of the browser. Adding support
for WebExtensions in the web platform tests will increase interoperability
and will help drive the standardization of this API.

This RFC proposes adding a new testharness test type `.extension.js` to handle|
testing this API, in addition to using `test_driver` to load and unload extensions.

## Details

Using test_driver, we add support for testing the WebExtensions API by loading
a web extension designed to test the functionality of a specific API.
The extension will be loaded after the tests begins, and unloaded before the
test is finished.

Most of the test execution is handled within the extension, via the
[browser.test](https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src.git/+/master/extensions/docs/testing_api.md)
API. We’ve elected to use these APIs since all participating browser vendors use
`browser.test` to test the web extensions internally and they can easily port over
existing tests to the web platform tests.

Because these tests won’t leverage testharness.js directly, we’ve introduced a new
testharness test type `.extension.js` that will create the necessary boilerplate to
convert the `browser.test` assertions into the corresponding assertions in the test
harness.

A proposed patch is available at [insert WPT link here]

## Alternatives considered

We considered loading the extension statically before each testharness test is run,
but we decided against that since test_driver will allow the tests to drive the
browser, and in the future, test functionality such as opening popups and clicking
menu items.

We considered adding a new test type other than using JavaScript tests, but we decided
against it because it was a lot more work compared to using testharness.js.


## Risks

There are two potential concerns with this implementation:

1. We have no precedent for tests run via a Classic command in some user agents
and BiDi command in others. However, the Classic implementation of loading
and unloading extension is modeled on the BiDi implementation, so we expect the
behavior to be the same. The Classic implementation is defined in the WebExtensions Community Group
[here](https://github.com/w3c/webextensions/blob/main/specification/webdriver-classic.bs),
and the BiDi implementation is defined
[here](https://www.w3.org/TR/webdriver-bidi/#module-webExtension).

2. Another concern could be with using `browser.test` assertions and mapping them to
`testharness.js` assertions. With `testharness.js` not in charge of generating assertions,
we might end up with less useful failure messages.

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