> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://libretto.sh/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# File downloads

> Intercept file downloads triggered by clicking DOM elements.

When a click triggers a file download in the browser, Playwright can intercept it before the browser handles it natively. This is especially useful for files like PDFs that the browser would otherwise open in a new tab instead of downloading. `downloadViaClick` captures the file contents as a buffer so your workflow can process the file directly without relying on browser rendering behavior.

### `downloadViaClick()`

Clicks a DOM element and intercepts the resulting download using Playwright's download event. The download listener is registered **before** the click so the event is never missed.

```typescript theme={null} theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
async function downloadViaClick(
  page: Page,
  selector: string,
  options?: DownloadViaClickOptions,
): Promise<DownloadResult>;
```

#### Parameters

<ParamField path="page" type="Page" required>
  The Playwright `Page` to operate on.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="selector" type="string" required>
  CSS selector for the element that triggers the download when clicked.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="options" type="DownloadViaClickOptions">
  <Expandable title="properties">
    <ParamField path="logger" type="MinimalLogger">
      Optional logger. Logs download filename, size, and duration on completion.
    </ParamField>

    <ParamField path="timeout" type="number">
      Milliseconds to wait for the download event. Defaults to `30000`.
    </ParamField>
  </Expandable>
</ParamField>

#### `DownloadResult`

<ResponseField name="buffer" type="Buffer">
  The raw file contents.
</ResponseField>

<ResponseField name="filename" type="string">
  The filename suggested by the server via the `Content-Disposition` header or
  the URL.
</ResponseField>

#### Example

```typescript theme={null} theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark"}}
import { downloadViaClick } from "libretto";

const { buffer, filename } = await downloadViaClick(page, "#export-btn", {
  logger,
  timeout: 60_000,
});

console.log(`Downloaded ${filename} (${buffer.length} bytes)`);
```