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Selenium Automation Testing

📘 Index

  1. 📚 Overview

  2. Selenium Components

  3. Architecture & Design

  4. Environment Setup

  5. Selenium Methods

  6. Browser Navigation

  7. WebDriver & WebElement

  8. Locators in Selenium

  9. General Test Scenarios

  10. Wait Strategies

  1. Common Exceptions

  2. Practice Website

1 Selenium Components

a. Selenium IDE

  • A browser plugin (mostly for Chrome and Firefox)
  • Used for:
    • Record and playback of test cases
    • Creating automated test cases without programming knowledge
  • Best for:
    • Beginners
    • Simple UI flow testing

b. Selenium web driver

- component in selenium
- is an interface -->
	[ contains methods] -------------->implement in a class RemoteWebDriver Class ---- extended to child class [ChromeDriver,FireFoxDriver,EdgeDriver]
- is an API

i. Key Concepts:

Concept Description
WebDriver Interface Contains essential browser automation methods (like get(), findElement(), quit() etc.)
Implemented by RemoteWebDriver class implements the WebDriver interface.
Extended by Browser-specific drivers like ChromeDriver, FirefoxDriver, EdgeDriver extend RemoteWebDriver.

ii. WebDriver Hierarchy

SearchContext [I]  <-- root interface
     |
WebDriver [I]  <-- contains browser automation methods
     |
RemoteWebDriver [C]  <-- implementation of WebDriver
     |
+---------------------------+
|                           |
ChromeDriver [C]      FirefoxDriver [C]     EdgeDriver [C]

c. Selenium Grid

i. Purpose

Run tests in parallel across multiple machines/browsers/environments.

ii. Architecture & Use Case

  • Hub: Central point to control execution.
  • Node(s): Machines where actual tests run.
  • Use Case:
  • Suppose you want to run your tests on Chrome + Windows, Firefox + Linux, and Edge + macOS all at once. Selenium Grid allows you to do that using parallel test execution.

2 Architecture & Design

a. High-Level Design (HLD)

  1. JAVA client = contains java code to call web driver methods
  2. web driver = perform method action on browser & SOMETIME capture info from browser [eg. title of web page,text display on web page] | | // b/w some w3c protocols earlier jason |
  3. browser

b. Selenium Architecture Diagram

            SearchContext[I] **root interface**
					|
	JavascriptExecuter[I]	WebDriver[I]	TakescreenShot[I]
					|
				RemoteWebDriver[C] **supermost class**
					|
		ChromiumDriver[C]	FirefoxDriver[C]
			|
	ChromeDriver[c]  EdgeDriver[C]

c. JAR Files (Java Archive)

  • Similar to .zip file
  • Compress all java classes,methods,interfaces into 1 single file called jar file
  • full form : JavaArchiveFiles

3 ⚙️ Environment Setup

a. Old Manual Env. Setup Not Recommended

  1. create a new java project
  2. dowmload webdriver jars(.zip) and add to your project

b. Automated Env. Setup MAVEN[BUILD TOOL]

UNDERSTAND MAVEN AS PLAYSTORE

  1. create a simple maven project
  2. will write test scripts in src/test/java
  3. open pom.xml
  4. add selenium dependency [mvn repository] in boot project the version is managed by boot
  5. Update project

5 Selenium Methods

a. Selenium Interfaces and their respective method Description

i. SearchContext[I]

name work returns example
findElement(By locator) Locates a single web element on the page WebElement WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("username"));
findElements(By locator) Locates all matching elements using the specified locator. List<WebElement> (can be empty but never null) List<WebElement> links = driver.findElements(By.tagName("a"));

ii. WebDriver [I]

Name Work Returns Example
get(String url) Opens the given URL in the browser. void driver.get("https://www.google.com");
getTitle() Gets the title of the current page. String String title = driver.getTitle();
getCurrentUrl() Gets the URL of the current open page. String String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();
getPageSource() Gets the page source (HTML content) of the current page. String String html = driver.getPageSource();
findElement(By) Finds a single web element on the page. WebElement WebElement el = driver.findElement(By.id("username"));
findElements(By) Finds all elements matching the given locator. List<WebElement> List<WebElement> buttons = driver.findElements(By.tagName("button"));
getWindowHandle() Returns the ID of the current window (or tab). String String winId = driver.getWindowHandle();
getWindowHandles() Returns IDs of all open windows/tabs. Set<String> Set<String> allWins = driver.getWindowHandles();
switchTo() Switches driver's context to a different window, frame, or alert. TargetLocator driver.switchTo().window("win2");
manage() Accesses browser-level options like window size, cookies, etc. Options driver.manage().window().maximize();
close() Closes the current browser window. void driver.close();
quit() Quits the driver and closes every associated window. void driver.quit();

iii. JavascriptExecutor [I]

Name Work Returns Example
executeScript(script, args...) Executes synchronous JavaScript in the browser. Object JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver; js.executeScript("document.getElementById('btn').click();");
executeAsyncScript(script, args...) Executes asynchronous JavaScript using a callback mechanism. Object JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver; js.executeAsyncScript("window.setTimeout(arguments[arguments.length - 1], 500);");

iv. TakesScreenshot [I]

Name Work Returns Example
getScreenshotAs(OutputType<T>) Captures the screenshot of the browser window. File, String, or byte[] File src = ((TakesScreenshot) driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);

b. Selenium Interfaces and Method Examples (Real-Time Use Cases)

✅ i. SearchContext [I]

Method Real-Time Use Case
findElement(By) Suppose you're automating a login page, and you want to enter the username.
WebElement usernameInput = driver.findElement(By.id("username"));
findElements(By) On a dashboard page, you want to count all buttons with class "btn-primary".
List<WebElement> buttons = driver.findElements(By.className("btn-primary"));

✅ ii. WebDriver [I]

Method Real-Time Use Case
get(String url) You want to open the homepage of your application.
driver.get("https://yourapp.com/home");
getTitle() You verify if the page title matches the expected value after login.
assert driver.getTitle().equals("Dashboard");
getCurrentUrl() After clicking a link, check if the user is navigated to the correct page.
String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl();
getPageSource() You want to validate some HTML content in your test.
String source = driver.getPageSource();
findElement(By) Find and click the submit button on a form.
driver.findElement(By.id("submit")).click();
findElements(By) Collect all menu items in the navbar and iterate over them.
List<WebElement> menuItems = driver.findElements(By.cssSelector("ul.nav > li"));
getWindowHandle() You're testing a page that opens a new tab, and you want to store the current tab ID.
String parent = driver.getWindowHandle();
getWindowHandles() After clicking a "Help" link that opens in new tab, you want to switch to it.
Set<String> handles = driver.getWindowHandles();
switchTo() Used to switch to an alert or a popup.
driver.switchTo().alert().accept();
OR switch to frame: driver.switchTo().frame("frameName");
manage() Before starting, maximize the browser and clear cookies.
driver.manage().window().maximize();
driver.manage().deleteAllCookies();
close() Close the current tab after verifying the content.
driver.close();
quit() End the test completely by closing all tabs/windows.
driver.quit();

✅ iii. JavascriptExecutor [I]

Method Real-Time Use Case
executeScript() Scroll down the page to load more content dynamically.
js.executeScript("window.scrollBy(0,500);");
executeAsyncScript() Wait for some background script to finish (like animations or delayed loaders).
js.executeAsyncScript("window.setTimeout(arguments[arguments.length - 1], 2000);");

✅ iv. TakesScreenshot [I]

Method Real-Time Use Case
getScreenshotAs(OutputType) If a test fails (e.g., login error), take a screenshot and save it.
java <br>File src = ((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE); <br>FileUtils.copyFile(src, new File("error_login.png")); <br>

6 Browser Navigation Methods

a. Browser Navigation method (Description)

S.No Method Description Return Type Example Code
1 navigate().to(String url) Opens a specified URL (similar to get() method) void driver.navigate().to("https://example.com");
2 navigate().refresh() Reloads the current page void driver.navigate().refresh();
3 navigate().back() Navigates back to the previous page in browser history void driver.navigate().back();
4 navigate().forward() Moves forward to the next page in browser history void driver.navigate().forward();

b. Get Vs Navigate

Feature driver.get(url) driver.navigate().to(url)
Purpose Opens a URL in the browser Also opens a URL in the browser
Return Type void void
Navigation History ❌ Does not maintain browser history ✅ Maintains browser history (allows back/forward)
Chaining ❌ Cannot be chained ✅ Can be chained using navigate() object
Support for Other Actions ❌ No support for back(), forward() etc. ✅ Supports back(), forward(), refresh()
Common Use Case Basic page load Page load with navigation control
Syntax driver.get("https://example.com") driver.navigate().to("https://example.com")
Performance ⚡ Slightly faster (direct load) 🕒 Slightly slower due to history tracking

✅ Tip:
Use get() when simply loading a page. Use navigate().to() when you plan to use browser navigation (like back(), forward()).

7 Selenium WebDriver & WebElement Methods

  • WebElements : Anything which is present on webpage is called as webelement

a. WebDriver Interface-Locator Methods

S.No Method Description Return Type Example Code
1 findElement(By by) Finds a single WebElement matching the given locator WebElement WebElement btn = driver.findElement(By.id("submit"));
2 findElements(By by) Finds multiple WebElements (returns empty list if none) List<WebElement> List<WebElement> items = driver.findElements(By.tagName("li"));

b. WebElement Interface-Action & Property Methods

S.No Method Description Return Type Example Code
1 click() Clicks on the element void driver.findElement(By.id("submit")).click();
2 sendKeys(CharSequence... keysToSend) Sends input text to the element void driver.findElement(By.name("username")).sendKeys("admin");
3 clear() Clears the text from an input field void driver.findElement(By.name("email")).clear();
4 getText() Gets the visible (inner) text of the element String String msg = driver.findElement(By.id("message")).getText();
5 getAttribute(String name) Returns the value of the given attribute of the element String String type = element.getAttribute("type");
6 getCssValue(String propertyName) Gets the CSS property value of the element String String color = element.getCssValue("color");
7 getTagName() Returns the tag name of the element String String tag = element.getTagName();
8 isDisplayed() Checks if the element is visible boolean if (element.isDisplayed()) { ... }
9 isEnabled() Checks if the element is enabled (can be interacted with) boolean if (element.isEnabled()) { ... }
10 isSelected() Checks if a checkbox or radio button is selected boolean if (checkbox.isSelected()) { ... }
11 submit() Submits a form element void driver.findElement(By.id("form")).submit();
12 getLocation() Gets the coordinates of the element Point Point point = element.getLocation();
13 getSize() Returns the height and width of the element Dimension Dimension size = element.getSize();
14 getRect() Returns element's dimensions and position Rectangle Rectangle rect = element.getRect();

c. WebElements testing process

  1. Inspect elem
  2. locate elem
  3. find elem
  4. perform action

8 Locators in Selenium

a. Locator Types

  1. id[string] By.id("username")
  2. name[string] By.name("username")
  3. classname[string]
  4. tagname[string]
  5. linkedtext[string] This is link text By.linkText("This is link text")
  6. partiallinktext[string] This is link text By.linkText("link text")
  7. cssselector[string] : tagname['attribute name'='attribute value'] input[type='password'] || id=> input#email class=>tagName.classValue
  8. xpath[string]

b. Selenium Locator Syntax Table

S.No Locator Type Syntax Example Description / Usage
1 id By.id("username") Locates element by the id attribute.
2 name By.name("username") Locates element by the name attribute.
3 className By.className("form-control") Locates element by the class attribute. Only one class name is allowed.
4 tagName By.tagName("input") Locates element by tag name (e.g. input, button, div).
5 linkText By.linkText("Click here") Locates anchor (<a>) elements by exact visible text.
6 partialLinkText By.partialLinkText("Click") Locates anchor (<a>) elements by partial match of visible text.
7 cssSelector By.cssSelector("input[type='text']") Uses CSS rules to locate elements. Fast and flexible.
By.cssSelector("input#email") ID selector using CSS.
By.cssSelector("input.form-control") Class selector using CSS.
8 xpath By.xpath("//input[@id='email']") Powerful way to locate elements using path-based expressions.
Absolute XPath /html/body/div/form/input[1] Full path from root node (not recommended).
Relative XPath //input[@name='email'] Starts from anywhere in the DOM (preferred).
XPath by text //button[text()='Login'] Matches exact visible text.
XPath contains() //div[contains(@class, 'login-box')] Partial match of attribute or text.
XPath index (//input[@type='text'])[1] Selects the first match.
XPath last() (//input[@type='text'])[last()] Selects the last match.
Parent-child //div[@id='box']/input Finds child element inside parent.
Child-parent //input[@id='email']/.. Navigates to parent of current element.

💡 Note: Prefer id, name, and cssSelector when available — they’re usually faster and more readable.

c. XPath Essentials

Locates elements using XPath expression.

i. Absolute & Relative XPath

  1. Absolute XPath (not recommended)
/html/body/div[2]/form/input[1]
  1. Relative XPath (preferred)
//input[@type='text']                      // By attribute
//input[text()='Username']                // By exact text
//input[contains(text(),'User')]          // By partial text
//img[contains(@src,'logo')]              // By partial attribute
//div[1]                                  // First matching div
//div[last()]                             // Last matching div
//input[@id='email']                      // By specific attribute

ii. XPath Tips & Tricks

//_ = all elements //_[atribute='value'] = all matching attribute value //tagname = all matching tagname //tagname[1] = all the 1st matching tagname //tagname[last()] = all matching tagname //tagname[@attribute='value']

     xpath by attribute  = tagname[@an='av']
     xpath by text       = tagname[text()='tv']
      xpath by  contains =   tn[contains(text(),'tv')] OR tn[contains(@an,'av')] OR img[contains(@src,'img')]

iii. Handling Special Characters in XPath

//a[contains(text(),"It's here")]         // use double quotes outside
//a[contains(text(),'He said "Hello"')]   // use single quotes outside

iv. XPath Traversing Examples

Traversing Type Example Description
Parent to child //div[@id='box']/input Select input inside a div
Child to parent //input[@id='email']/.. Go up to parent
Following-sibling //label[text()='Email']/following-sibling::input Locate input after a label
Ancestor //input[@id='email']/ancestor::form Go to ancestor element (form)
Preceding-sibling //input[@id='email']/preceding-sibling::label Get the label before input

9 General Test Scenarios

S.No Task Action Steps Link to Code
1 Open browser based on user input - Accept browser name (e.g., Chrome, Firefox)
- Open respective browser		 To be added
2 Perform manage operations (browser-level operations) - Open browser
- deleteAllCookies()
- setSize()
- setPosition()
- maximize()		 To be added
3 Perform navigation operations - Open browser
- maximize()
- deleteAllCookies()
- goto url
- navigate to diff url
- navigate to previous page
-navigate to next page
-refresh current page		 To be added

10 Wait Strategies

  • We use wait strategies in cases where: Your page loads slower than automation script = so when script runs it dosen't find elements and show error ,but actually everyting is fine just the page loads slowly
  • This is called syncronization problem
  • So what wait does is it actually tells to wait for some time before searching/checking for that element

In selenium we have only 2 type of wait strategies

a. Implicit wait[Only Conider Time for wait ]

i. How works

  • Keept at the begining of the page Before the driver is added
  • only write one time for each method/page
  • Applicable for all the statements in your method That is you don't have to write the same code line again and again before each action to perform wait
  • will automatically see with element is facing Synchronization problem and the wait before that element
  • It will continue to stay alive until you close the driver: That is before closing the driver it will see all the methods and solve the synchronization problem of all the methods that are present before closing the driver
  • If the page is open faster than the maximum time then it will not wait for the full time to complete but it will move forward thereby increase performance of script
  • We Provide the max time to load here : i.e. The maximum time that the website will try to load That is if you provide 15mins as a maximum time then your website should be loaded within 15mins because waiting for more than 15mins doesn't make sense and there should be an issue that you need to address

ii. Advantage & Dis-Advantage

SNo Advantage Dis-Advantage
1 easy to use If the page is more slow & takes more than the max time you provide to method to load : then you will get exception
2 If the page is loaded fater time is not wasted you move forward,don't wait for complete time to be overno time waste
3 Only write for once
4 Hard Coded value

iii. Compare to thread.sleep()

SNo thread.sleep() Implicit wait
1 wait until the hard coded time is over dosen't matter if the page is already loaded,you still wait until time is over As soon as the page is loaded , don't waste time to complete the full time provided you move forward
2 write every time you need only write once
3 Hard code value Hard Code value 
CODE:
webDriver driver=new ChromeDriver();  //get chrome driver to run chrome browser
/*Now wait for page to load before jumping into finding web page elements */
driver.manage.timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(5))
/*after the wait is over now search or do want you want to do on the page*/
driver.get("url");//goto the page using get/navigate
driver.manage().window().maximize();//max the browser window [optional]
driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@id='email']")).sendKeys("abc@gmail.com"); //send email to the email input feild

b. Explicit & Fluent Wait [ Conider Time & Condition for wait ]

Explicit Wait

i. How works

  • Specific to elements not like implicit i.e. common to all statements (write once)
  • Requires an extra class WebDriverWait(takes driver,the time) : this will create a time for explicit wait
  • Now we require condition : which will be provided by obj of WebDriverWait.until() method
  • IT WAIT FOR CONDITION TO BE TRUE THEN CHECK IF THE MAX TIME IS USED
  • until methods accepts conditions using : ExpectedConditions class which provide multiple conditions options as methods
  • Summary => mywait.until(ConditionBox.ConditionOptions)
  • Explicit wait -> under explicit wait we have Fluent Wait
  • LOCATING ELEMENT & IDENTIFYING THE ELEMENT is inclusive no need to re-locate ,it locates and returns the web element
  • It returns webElement
  • works effectvly on conditions based situation

ii. Advantage & Dis-Advantage

SNo Advantage Dis-Advantage
1 will provide the max/ideal time the site is allowed to load
2 no need to write driver.find method : identifying is iclusive exception
3 You have to write the code line again and again each time above the action you want to wait befor : predict the scanarios where wait would be required
4 will wait for condition to be true ,then consider time it takes to load the page 
CODE:
webDriver driver=new ChromeDriver();  //get chrome driver to run chrome browser

WebDriverWait mywait=new WebDriverWait(driver,Duration.ofSeconds(10)); //decelaration : this is my explicit wait


driver.get("url");//goto the page using get/navigate
driver.manage().window().maximize();//max the browser window [optional]

/*Now wait for page to load before jumping into finding web page elements */

WebElement txtEmail=mywait.until(ExpectedConditions.visiblityOfElementLocated(By.xpath("//input[@id='email']")));
txtEmail.sendKeys("abc@gmail.com");
driver.close();


// no need for this line above direct webElement is returned❌driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@id='email']")).sendKeys("abc@gmail.com"); //send email to the email input feild

Fluent Wait

i. How works

  • Specific to elements not like implicit i.e. common to all statements (write once)
  • require time+condition
  • time in decleartion : done using method chaining
  • condition in implementation : until takes condition as an arrow fn
  • Addtion for explicit wait is :
    • It will wait form max : 30sec for the webiste to load
    • And in that boundary of 30sec it will go and check after every 5sec if the page is loaded or not
    • In every cycle of 5 sec wait then check then 5sec wait and check till time reaches 30sec there is a chance that we check and the element is not loaded then: that exception will be handled by it for each cycle
  • After 30 sec if elemnt is not found then the exception will not be handled/ignored and error will be shown

ii. Advantage & Dis-Advantage

CODE:
webDriver driver=new ChromeDriver();  //get chrome driver to run chrome browser

//decelaration : this is my fluent wait
wait<WebDriver> mywait=new FluentWait<WebDriver>(driver)
            .withTimeOut(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
            .pollingEverything(Duration.ofSeconds(5))
            .ignore(NoSuchElementException.class);


driver.get("url");//goto the page using get/navigate
driver.manage().window().maximize();//max the browser window [optional]


/*Now wait for page to load before jumping into finding web page elements */
webElement emailTxt=mywait.until(new Function<WebDriver,WebElement>(){
   public WebElement apply(WebDriver driver){
      return driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@id='email']"));
   }
})


// no need for this line above direct webElement is returned❌driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@id='email']")).sendKeys("abc@gmail.com"); //send email to the email input feild

driver.close();

c. Thread.sleep() [Only Conider Time for wait ]

NOTE: thread.sleep() method came from java its not a wait strategy of selenium.but can be used for wait but will wait for exact time period that is defined in it.

i. Advantage & Dis-Advantage

SNo Advantage Dis-Advantage
1 Can set custom polling time (e.g., check every 5 sec) Complex syntax compared to implicit and explicit wait
2 Can ignore exceptions (like NoSuchElementException) during wait If the element is slow and takes more time than given → exception will occur
3 Supports custom conditions using functions Too frequent polling can affect performance (e.g., if polling every 100 ms unnecessarily)
4 Works well with elements that load dynamically or with AJAX Need to write wait code again and again before each required action
5 Doesn’t wait full time if condition is met early → saves time Uses hardcoded time and polling values unless managed through configuration 
CODE:
webDriver driver=new ChromeDriver();  //get chrome driver to run chrome browser
driver.get("url");//goto the page using get/navigate
driver.manage().window().maximize();//max the browser window [optional]
/*Now wait for page to load before jumping into finding web page elements */
thread.sleep(1000); //seconds
/*after the wait is over now search or do want you want to do on the page*/
driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@id='email']")).sendKeys("abc@gmail.com"); //send email to the email input feild

d. Summary

Feature / Wait Type Implicit Wait Explicit Wait Fluent Wait Thread.sleep()
Applies To All elements globally Specific element(s) Specific element(s) Whole thread
Waits for Condition ❌ Only time ✅ Yes (uses ExpectedConditions) ✅ Yes (custom condition via Function) ❌ No, fixed time
Polling Frequency Default (500ms) Default (500ms) ✅ Customizable (e.g., every 5 sec) ❌ Not applicable
Exception Handling ❌ Basic ❌ Limited ✅ Can ignore specific exceptions (e.g., NoSuchElementException) ❌ None
Reusability ✅ Set once per session ❌ Needs to be written before each target element ❌ Needs to be written before each target element ❌ Needs to be used every time
Performance ✅ Efficient if page loads fast ✅ Efficient (waits only if needed) ✅ Efficient with retries (but slower if polling too frequent) ❌ Always waits full time
Control & Flexibility ❌ Low (only timeout) ✅ Medium (condition-based) ✅✅ High (time + polling + exception control) ❌ None
Syntax Complexity ✅ Simple ⚠️ Moderate ❌ Verbose (method chaining + function) ✅ Very Simple
Use Case Basic sync for all actions Sync on specific conditions Dynamic elements, custom wait logic Quick temporary wait

11 Common Exceptions

  1. NoSuchElementException = synchronization problem(when your automation script run faster than the page)
  2. ElementNotFoundException = when the locator is incorrect

12 Handling Form Feilds

a. Checkboxes

b. Frames

i. Frames

ii. IFrames

iii. Nested Frames

c. Dropdown

i. Select Dropdown

ii. Bootstrap Dropdown

iii. Hidden Dropdown

iv. Auto Sugestion Dropdown

d. Table

i. Static Table

ii. Dynamic Pagenation Web Table

e. Date Pickers

n Practice Website

  1. OrangeHRM
  2. Adactin

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Contains Selenium automation notes and programs to learn selenium automation testing.

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