Standalone headless web automation tool for C#

Other Questions Headless Browser
1

I’m working on a C# project that needs to automate web actions without making users install extra software. I’ve looked at Selenium but it needs a browser installed. CefSharp can embed a browser but lacks some features I need.

Is there a C# library that can do web automation with JavaScript, XPath, and interact with elements, all without needing a separate browser? I want to give users a single exe file that just works.

Here’s a basic example of what I’m trying to do:

using AutomationTool;

var webTool = new HeadlessWebTool();
webTool.Navigate("https://example.com");
var element = webTool.FindElementByXPath("//button[@id='submit']");
element.Click();

var input = webTool.FindElementById("search");
input.SendKeys("test query");

var result = webTool.ExecuteJavaScript("return document.title;");
Console.WriteLine(result);

Any suggestions for tools that could help with this? Thanks!

2

yo, have u checked out puppeteersharp? its pretty slick for headless browser stuff in c#. no need for separate installs, handles javascript and xpath like a boss. heres a quick example:

var browser = await Puppeteer.LaunchAsync(new LaunchOptions { Headless = true });
var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();
await page.GoToAsync(“https://example.com”);
var element = await page.WaitForXPathAsync(“//button[@id=‘submit’]”);
await element.ClickAsync();

might be worth a shot for ur project!

3

Hey there, I’ve been down this road before and can share some insights. Have you considered Playwright for .NET? It’s been a game-changer for my headless web automation needs in C#.

Playwright is pretty versatile - it can handle JavaScript execution, XPath queries, and element interactions without needing a separate browser install. Plus, it’s cross-browser compatible, which is a nice bonus.

Here’s a quick example of how your code might look with Playwright:

using Microsoft.Playwright;

using var playwright = await Playwright.CreateAsync();
await using var browser = await playwright.Chromium.LaunchAsync(new BrowserTypeLaunchOptions { Headless = true });
var page = await browser.NewPageAsync();

await page.GotoAsync("https://example.com");
await page.ClickAsync("//button[@id='submit']");
await page.FillAsync("#search", "test query");

var result = await page.EvaluateAsync<string>("() => document.title");
Console.WriteLine(result);

It’s pretty straightforward to use and packs a lot of power. Might be worth giving it a shot for your project.

4

Have you looked into AngleSharp? It’s a powerful C# library that might fit your needs. AngleSharp provides a virtual browser environment without requiring an actual browser installation. It can handle JavaScript execution, XPath queries, and DOM manipulation.

Here’s how your example might look using AngleSharp:

using AngleSharp;
using AngleSharp.Dom;

var config = Configuration.Default.WithDefaultLoader().WithJavaScript();
var context = BrowsingContext.New(config);
var document = await context.OpenAsync("https://example.com");

var button = document.QuerySelector("#submit");
await button.ClickAsync();

var input = document.QuerySelector("#search");
input.SetValue("test query");

var result = await context.EvaluateScriptAsync("document.title");
Console.WriteLine(result);

AngleSharp is lightweight, doesn’t require external dependencies, and can be easily distributed as a single executable. It might be worth exploring for your project.