Selenium is a robust and open-source framework that simplifies web browser automation. Using this multipurpose tool, developers may automate tedious and repetitive processes related to testing online web applications across several browsers and platforms.
The need for manual testing is considerably reduced by utilizing Selenium’s capabilities. This framework improves the built web application’s overall quality while rendering.
By automating the repeat of test cases, the Selenium framework allows testers to improve the efficiency of their testing cycles. It has become an essential component of a bug-resistant release deployment process, particularly in a Continuous Integration/ Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline.
Moreover, the following statistic reveals the programming language most commonly favored for Selenium scripts.
Components of Selenium
The components of selenium are:
- Selenium IDE
- Selenium WebDriver
- Selenium Grid
It’s crucial to fully comprehend these vital elements before beginning this Selenium WebDriver tutorial’s hands-on portion.
Selenium IDE
The Selenium IDE is a Record/Run tool accessed using Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox plugins. You do not need any prior programming language experience to use the IDE. It uses a record-and-playback methodology, where you may export the tests in the programming language of your choice that Selenium supports and record your test steps. Selenium WebDriver can then be used with these exported tests.
Selenium WebDriver
Selenium WebDriver executes faster and communicates directly with the browser to control it. With the help of Selenium WebDriver, web-based applications may be automatically tested to ensure they function as intended. You can select the programming language you want when writing test scripts using Selenium WebDriver.
Selenium Grid
A sophisticated proxy server called Selenium Grid makes it simple to run tests on several computers simultaneously. This is accomplished by acting as the hub and sending commands to distant web browser instances. This hub routes JSON-formatted test commands to several registered Grid nodes.
Setting up seamless Selenium automation
Now, let’s explore the crucial actions to get you started using Selenium.
Installation of Java for Selenium
Be sure you have installed all the required components before diving into Selenium. Following are the steps to set up Selenium using the Java language:
Install the Java Development Kit.
Setup of Eclipse IDE
- Download the Eclipse IDE from the website by choosing the compatible version with your operating system.
- Unzip the File.
- Double-clicking the “eclipse.exe” file in the Eclipse folder to open the program.
Setting Up the Selenium Library
- Now that you have all the requirements, it’s time to integrate Selenium into your project.
- Navigate to the Selenium Client and WebDriver Language Bindings area of the official Selenium website. To begin your Selenium testing, download the Java Binding.
Installation of Browser Drivers
You must now download the browser drivers to assist you instantiate the browser.
The URLs to obtain the drivers for a few popular browsers are provided below:
- GeckoDriver(Firefox)
- InternetExplorerDriver
- ChromeDriver
You must download browser drivers to use browsers without interruption. This guarantees browser compatibility and seamless instantiation
For access to drivers for different browsers, see the Browsers section of the Selenium website. Make sure to include the executable path for any browser you use. However, controlling browser drivers may be challenging, mainly when there are version changes.
For this, Selenium’s “WebDriverManager” class makes the procedure more accessible by making it simple to download drivers’ binary files, sometimes known as.exe files. Use WebDriverManager to automate your Selenium testing more efficiently and eliminate the headache of manual updating.
Sometimes, managing dependencies such as Java Development Kit (JDK), Eclipse IDE, Selenium libraries, and browser drivers can be error-prone, especially when dealing with various versions and configurations.
A platform for cross-browser testing and test automation, like LambdaTest, enables handling these issues by offering an automated and successful solution for Selenium Automation. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform providing automation testing on over 3000+ real browsers and operating systems.
Hurray!! You’ve set up the groundwork for a flawless Selenium automated testing environment.
Run your first test with Selenium Automation.
After discussing web automation and installing the required Java libraries, let’s develop our first Selenium script. Take into consideration the following test scenario to see how a Selenium script for web automation is run:
- Open the Chrome web browser.
- Go to the LambdaTest registration page.
- Press the “Sign In” button.
- Shut off the internet browser.
Now, please utilize the pom.xml file below to import the required dependencies.
File: pm.xml
Now, use the testng.xml file below to execute the test case:
Code walkthrough
A TestNG annotation called BeforeTest assists in running a set of statements each time before a test method runs. Thus, we can use this annotation to save a preset for each Test Method, such as opening the browser, entering the URL, and logging in, according to our needs.
One of the more significant TestNG Annotations is Test, which defines TestMethod as a common Java method.
The try catch block facilitates the handling of any runtime exceptions and the manner in which developers choose to terminate a program.
driver.get facilitates the necessary URL launch. Here, XPATH, a tag named “Sign In,” is used to identify the necessary element, the “Sign In” link.
Depending on the kind of element, each WebElement can be interacted with. Since this element is a link, a click event is triggered.
Java’s system.out.println function aids in console message printing.
Another TestNG annotation called AfterTest runs the statements following the execution of each Test Annotation method. We may create statements that aid in terminating the process, such as shutting off browsers and files.
The current active browser that WebDriver has opened is closed using the driver.close() function. If more than one browser is open, use driver.quit() to end each session.
Conclusion
Selenium automation is a potent and open-source tool that makes web browser automation easier. It covers the difficulties experienced by developers while testing web applications across different browsers and operating systems.
The main objective is to ensure precise and efficient implementation. By drastically lowering the requirement for manual testing, Selenium improves overall quality and speeds up the development process. Because of its adaptability, web applications can undergo thorough testing, guaranteeing a wide range of test coverage.
