You can write and edit scripts via any text editor, and run them via Terminal/Command prompt. But we recommend making your life simpler and using IDE for that. IDE (integrated development environment) is a software used for writing the scripts from scratch. They have various features to make coding convenient, such as error detection and running the script without leaving the client. 

IDE examples: Visual Studio Code, PyCharm, WebStorm, Xcode

IDE choice completely depends on your preference. You can always switch to the other editor.

Step 1: download and install IDE client

We need to download a client for editing and running our code. This article uses Visual Studio Code as a reference. 

1. Go to Visual Studio Code 
2. Click “Download for <your OS>”
3. Open the installation file and follow the instructions

Step 2: choose the language and the automation tool 

You need to decide which programming tool and automation tool to use. If you are not sure what to pick, read the following article: How to choose the best automation framework.

The instructions will use Python and Selenium as reference.

Step 3: open IDE and create a new file

If you use VS Code, you will see a welcome screen. Click “New File” button. Enter a file name in the search bar (e.g., script.py). The program will also ask to pick a directory.

Step 4: install an interpreter for the language

It is completely different for every IDE. If you use VS Code and Python, follow the steps from the knowledge base: Getting Started with Python in VS Code.

Step 5: use a reference script

Now, when you are ready to start, you need to connect the script to the Multilogin API and define functions for connecting and launching the profile. We have reference scripts, which you can use and adjust for your needs. Follow the steps below:

1. Make sure the agent is connected, as it makes profile launching possible
2. Copy and edit the reference script, depending on your automation framework of choice:
   1. Selenium automation example
   2. Puppeteer automation example
   3. Playwright automation example

Step 6: install Python and modules

It depends on IDE, but the steps for VS Code are the following:

1. Click Extension marketplace button on the left panel
2. Type “Python” in the search bar
3. Click “Install” button at the “Python” extension

Step 7: install modules

1. Click “Terminal” → “New terminal”
   
2. In case of Python and our Selenium script, you will need to install requests and selenium modules. Type the following commands:
   

   pip install selenium
   pip install requests

   
3. Follow the steps mentioned in the terminal (e.g., it may ask for updating pip installer)
   

   If there will be issues with running the script, consider using pip3 command instead of pip.

    

Step 7: run the script

Click “Run” → “Run without debugging” (or “Start debugging”)

The profile start if you follow all steps.

Congratulations! Now you've learned how to run scripts in IDE. You can modify Selenium script for your workflow. You can refer to the options of our API in the corresponding documentation: How to navigate Multilogin API documentation with Postman.