Transition Request: WebDriver to Candidate Recommendation

This is a request from the Browser Testing and Tools Working Group to
transition the WebDriver spec to Candidate Recommendation.

# Title: WebDriver
# URL: https://w3c.github.io/webdriver/webdriver-spec.html
# Estimated publication date: 16 March 2017

# Abstract:

WebDriver is a remote-control interface that enables introspection and
control of user agents. It provides a platform- and language-neutral wire
protocol as a way for out-of-process programs to remotely instruct the
behavior of web browsers.

Provided is a set of interfaces to discover and manipulate DOM elements in
web documents and to control the behavior of a user agent. It is primarily
intended to allow web authors to write tests that automate a user agent
from a separate controlling process, but may also be used in such a way as
to allow in-browser scripts to control a — possibly separate — browser.

# Status:

https://w3c.github.io/webdriver/webdriver-spec.html#h-sotd

# Decision to request transition

Message from Browser Testing and Tools working group chair David Burns:

https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-browser-tools-testing/2017JanMar/0043.html

# Changes

https://github.com/w3c/webdriver/commits/master provides a complete change
history for the specification.

# Requirements satisfied

The primary requirement for this document is to document the WebDriver wire
protocol and Actions API, as well as its standard Capabilities, Sessions model,
and navigation behavior, along with details such as command contexts, and
element interaction, as currently supported in multiple implementations.

The success of the specification in meeting its requirement is attested to
by existing widespread usage of WebDriver.

# Dependencies met

There are no dependencies which have not been satisfied.

The spec has normative dependencies on the following W3C Recs:

* Cascading Style Sheets Level 2 Revision 1 (CSS 2.1) (Rec)
* Page Visibility (Second Edition) (Rec)
* Pointer Events (Rec)
* Namespaces in XML 1.0 (Third Edition) (Rec)
* XML Path Language (XPath) Version 1.0 (Rec)

The spec has normative dependencies on the following W3C CRs:

* CSS Cascading and Inheritance Level 4 (CR)
* CSS Values and Units Module Level 3 (CR)
* Geometry Interfaces Module Level 1 (CR)

The spec has normative dependencies on the following W3C working drafts:

* Content Security Policy Level 3 (WD)
* CSS Device Adaptation Module Level 1 (WD)
* CSS basic box model (WD)
* CSS Display Module Level 3 (WD)
* CSS Object Model (CSSOM) (WD)
* CSSOM View Module (WD)
* DOM Parsing and Serialization (WD)
* HTML Editing APIs (WD)
* UI Events (WD)
* UI Events KeyboardEvent code Values (WD)
* UI Events KeyboardEvent key Values (WD)
* Web IDL (WD)

The spec has normative dependencies on the following WHATWG Living Standards:

* HTML (LS)
* DOM (LS)
* Fetch (LS)
* URL (LS)
* Fullscreen API (LS)
* Infra (LS)

The Web Notification Working Group has responded to all review feedback
submitted by other groups, and all other groups remain satisfied with the
resolutions they have received for their comments.

# Wide review and issues addressed

The GitHub issue tracker for WebDriver has more than 200 resolved issues

https://github.com/w3c/webdriver/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aclosed

# Formal objections

None

# Implementation

The group will produce an implementation report before transition out of CR.

# Patent disclosures

As attested to by the WebDriver Working Group Patent Policy Status page
https://www.w3.org/2004/01/pp-impl/49799/status there have been no patent
disclosures and no requests for exclusions.

-- 
Michael[tm] Smith https://sideshowbarker.net/