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How to start learning selenium in 2023

Selenium is a popular open-source tool for web automation testing. It allows you to write test scripts in various programming languages and run them on different browsers and platforms. Selenium has several components, such as Selenium IDE, Selenium WebDriver, and Selenium Grid. In this guide, we will cover the basics of selenium and how to get started with it in 2023.

Core Java concepts

To use Selenium WebDriver with Java, you need to have a good understanding of the core Java concepts, such as:

  • Variables, data types, operators, and expressions
  • Control flow statements, such as if-else, switch-case, loops, and break
  • Arrays and collections, such as lists, sets, maps, and iterators
  • Object-oriented programming principles, such as classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction
  • Exception handling, such as try-catch-finally and throws
  • File handling, such as reading and writing files using streams and buffers
  • Multithreading, such as creating and running threads, synchronization, and concurrency
  • JDBC, such as connecting to databases and executing SQL queries

You can learn these concepts from various online resources, such as Java Tutorials or W3Schools Java Tutorial.

Scope of test automation

Test automation is the process of using software tools to execute predefined test cases and compare the actual results with the expected results. Test automation can help you to:

  • Save time and effort by running tests faster and more frequently
  • Improve test coverage and quality by testing more scenarios and edge cases
  • Reduce human errors and biases by eliminating manual intervention
  • Enhance test reporting and analysis by generating logs and reports
  • Support continuous integration and delivery by integrating tests with development tools

However, test automation also has some limitations and challenges, such as:

  • High initial cost and maintenance effort by developing and updating test scripts
  • Dependency on the availability and stability of the application under test
  • Difficulty in testing complex features and user interactions that require human judgment
  • Risk of over-reliance on automation and ignoring manual testing

Therefore, you need to understand the scope of test automation and decide when to automate and when not to automate based on factors such as:

  • Test objectives and requirements
  • Test complexity and feasibility
  • Test frequency and duration
  • Test resources and budget

Test cases using Selenium IDE

Selenium IDE is a browser extension that allows you to record and playback test cases using a graphical user interface. It is a simple and easy way to create test scripts without writing any code. You can use Selenium IDE to:

  • Record your actions on the web browser as test steps
  • Edit the test steps by adding or modifying commands, parameters, or locators
  • Playback the test steps on the same or different browser
  • Export the test steps as code in various languages, such as Java, Python, or C#

To use Selenium IDE, you need to install it from the official website or the Chrome Web Store or the Firefox Add-ons. Then you can follow these steps to create a test case using Selenium IDE:

  1. Launch Selenium IDE from the browser toolbar.
  2. Click on the "Create a new project" button and enter a project name.
  3. Click on the "Record a new test in a new tab" button and enter a test name.
  4. Navigate to the web page that you want to test and perform your actions.
  5. Click on the "Stop recording" button when you are done.
  6. Review the test steps in the Selenium IDE window and make any changes if needed.
  7. Click on the "Run current test" button to execute the test case.
  8. Check the test results in the log panel and fix any errors if found.
  9. Click on the "Export" button to save the test case as code in your preferred language.

Selenium WebDriver

Selenium WebDriver is a library that allows you to write test scripts in various programming languages and run them on different browsers and platforms. It is a more advanced and powerful way to create test scripts with more flexibility and control. You can use Selenium WebDriver to:

  • Interact with web elements using various methods, such as click, sendKeys, getText, etc.
  • Perform actions using keyboard or mouse events, such as drag-and-drop, double-click, etc.
  • Handle alerts, pop-ups, frames, windows, tabs, etc.
  • Manage browser settings, such as cookies, cache, proxy, etc.
  • Take screenshots, capture network traffic, generate logs, etc.
  • Implement various testing frameworks, such as TestNG, JUnit, PyTest, etc.
  • Integrate with various tools, such as Maven, Jenkins, Cucumber, etc.

To use Selenium WebDriver, you need to have the following components:

  • A programming language, such as Java, Python, C#, etc.
  • An IDE, such as Eclipse, Visual Studio Code, PyCharm, etc.
  • A testing framework, such as TestNG, JUnit, PyTest, etc.
  • A browser driver, such as ChromeDriver, FirefoxDriver, EdgeDriver, etc.
  • A Selenium WebDriver library for your language, such as selenium-java, selenium-python, selenium-csharp, etc.

Then you can follow these steps to create a test case using Selenium WebDriver:

  1. Create a new project in your IDE and add the Selenium WebDriver library and the testing framework library as dependencies.
  2. Create a new class and import the required packages and classes.
  3. Create a test method and annotate it with the testing framework annotation, such as @Test for TestNG or @pytest.mark.test for PyTest.
  4. Instantiate a browser driver object and assign it to a WebDriver variable.
  5. Use the driver object to navigate to the web page that you want to test and perform your actions using the driver methods and web element locators.
  6. Use the testing framework assertions to verify the expected results and report any failures.
  7. Use the driver.quit() method to close the browser and end the test session.
  8. Run the test method using the testing framework runner or the IDE.

Locating techniques

Locating techniques are the ways to identify and locate web elements on a web page using Selenium WebDriver. Web elements are the HTML elements that make up the web page, such as buttons, links, text boxes, images, etc. Locating techniques are also known as locators or selectors. There are various types of locators in Selenium WebDriver, such as:

  • ID: It is a unique attribute of a web element that can be used to locate it. For example: driver.findElement(By.id("username")).
  • Name: It is another attribute of a web element that can be used to locate it. For example: driver.findElement(By.name("password")).
  • Class Name: It is an attribute of a web element that specifies its CSS class name. It can be used to locate one or more elements with the same class name. For example: driver.findElements(By.className("btn")).
  • Tag Name: It is an attribute of a web element that specifies its HTML tag name. It can be used to locate one or more elements with the same tag name. For example: driver.findElements(By.tagName("a")).
  • Link Text: It is a locator that matches the text of a link element. It can be used to locate a link element by its exact text. For example: driver.findElement(By.linkText("Forgot Password?")).
  • Partial Link Text: It is a locator that matches a part of the text of a link element. It can be used to locate a link element by its partial text. For example: driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("Forgot")).
  • CSS Selector: It is a locator that uses CSS syntax to select web elements based on their attributes, classes, pseudo-classes, etc. It is a powerful and versatile locator that can locate any web element. For example: driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("input[type='email']")).
  • XPath: It is a locator that uses XML path syntax to select web elements based on their hierarchy, attributes, text content, etc. It is another powerful and versatile locator that can locate any web element. For example: driver.findElement(By.xpath("//div[@id='login']/form/input[1]")).

Some tips for choosing and using locators are:

  • Prefer locators that are unique and stable over locators that are dynamic and prone to change.
  • Avoid locators that depend on the position or index of web elements as they may break if the web page layout changes.
  • Use relative locators over absolute locators as they are more robust and readable.
  • Use CSS selectors over XPath whenever possible as they are faster and simpler.
  • Use tools such as browser developer tools or extensions to inspect web elements and generate locators.

Selenium Grid with TestNG

Selenium Grid is a tool that allows you to run your test scripts on multiple browsers and platforms in parallel using a distributed network of machines. It consists of two components:

  • Hub: It is the central server that coordinates the test execution across different nodes. It receives the test requests from the test scripts and assigns them to the available nodes based on the desired capabilities.
  • Node: It is a machine that runs one or more browser instances and executes the test scripts sent by the hub. It registers itself with the hub and provides information about its capabilities.

TestNG is a testing framework that provides various features and annotations to organize and execute