This is documentation for the next version of Grafana k6 documentation. For the latest stable release, go to the latest version.

JavaScript API

k6/browser

Locator

pressSequentially(text, [options])

Open source

pressSequentially(text, [options])

Focuses the element and then sends a keydown, keypress/input, and keyup event for each character in the text.

This method is useful for simulating real user typing behavior when the page has special keyboard event handling, such as input validation, autocomplete, or character counters that trigger on individual key presses. For simple text input without special keyboard handling, use fill() instead, as it’s faster and more reliable.

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
text	string	`''`	Text to type into the focused element character by character.
options	object	`null`
options.delay	number	`0`	Milliseconds to wait between key presses. Defaults to `0`.
options.noWaitAfter	boolean	`false`	If set to `true` and a navigation occurs from performing this action, it will not wait for it to complete.
options.timeout	number	`30000`	Maximum time in milliseconds. Pass `0` to disable the timeout. Default is overridden by the `setDefaultTimeout` option on BrowserContext or Page.

Returns

Type	Description
`Promise<void>`	A Promise that fulfills when the text has been typed into the element.

Examples

Basic usage

import { browser } from 'k6/browser';

export const options = {
  scenarios: {
    browser: {
      executor: 'shared-iterations',
      options: {
        browser: {
          type: 'chromium',
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

export default async function () {
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  try {
    await page.goto('https://test.k6.io/browser.php');

    // Type text character by character
    const textInput = page.locator('#text1');
    await textInput.pressSequentially('Hello World');
  } finally {
    await page.close();
  }
}

Typing with delay

This example demonstrates typing text with a delay between keystrokes to simulate realistic user typing speed:

import { browser } from 'k6/browser';

export const options = {
  scenarios: {
    browser: {
      executor: 'shared-iterations',
      options: {
        browser: {
          type: 'chromium',
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

export default async function () {
  const page = await browser.newPage();

  try {
    await page.goto('https://test.k6.io/browser.php');

    // Type text with 100ms delay between each character
    const searchInput = page.locator('input[type="text"]');
    await searchInput.pressSequentially('test query', { delay: 100 });
  } finally {
    await page.close();
  }
}

Best practices

Use fill() for simple text input: For form fields without special keyboard handling, use fill() instead as it’s significantly faster and more reliable.
Use pressSequentially() for interactive input: Only use pressSequentially() when testing features that require gradual typing, such as:
- Autocomplete suggestions
- Input validation that triggers per character
- Character counters
- Search-as-you-type functionality
Consider performance: Typing character-by-character is slower than filling text directly. Use this method only when necessary for accurate testing.
Handling special keys: For special keys like Enter, Tab, or Escape, use press() instead.