Comprehensive Guide to Selenium WebDriver and SearchContext Methods

1 get()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Arguments: Takes a URL as a String.
• Returns: void (does not return anything).
• Purpose: Launches a website.
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://www.example.com");

2. getTitle()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Arguments: None.
• Returns: Title of the page as String type.
• Purpose: Useful to get the title of the current page.
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
String title = driver.getTitle();

3.getPageSource()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: Source code of the page as String type.
• Purpose: Useful to get the source code of the current page
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
String pageSource = driver.getPageSource();
4. getCurrentUrl()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: URL of the page as String type.
• Purpose: Useful to get the URL of the current page.

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl();

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5. getWindowHandle()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: Handle value of the current browser window/tab as String type.
• Purpose: Useful to get the handle value of the current browser window/tab.
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
String windowHandle = driver.getWindowHandle();
6. getWindowHandles()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: Handle values of all open browser windows/tabs as Set<String>.
• Purpose: Useful to get handle values of all open browser windows/tabs.
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
Set<String> Handles = driver.getWindowHandle();
7. close()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: void.
• Purpose: Useful to close the current browser window/tab.
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.close();
8. quit()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: void.
• Purpose: Useful to close all browser windows/tabs.
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.quit();
9. navigate()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class

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 • To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: Object of Navigation interface.
• Purpose: Useful to navigate through the browser (back, forward, refresh, navigate to
URL).
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.navigate().to("https://www.google.com");
driver.navigate().back();
driver.navigate().forward();
driver.navigate().refresh();
10. switchTo()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: Object of TargetLocator interface.
• Purpose: Useful to move the focus of the driver to a specific frame, alert, or active
element on the current page.
i. SwitchTo().frame()
Frames are HTML documents embedded inside another document. Use this method to
interact with elements inside them.
• Purpose: Shifts the focus of the driver to a specific frame on the webpage.
• Sub-Methods:
o driver.switchTo().frame(String frameNameOrId) – Switch using the frame's
name or ID.
o driver.switchTo().frame(int frameIndex) – Switch using the index (0-based).
o driver.switchTo().frame(WebElement frameElement) – Switch using a
WebElement representing the frame.
o driver.switchTo().parentFrame() – Switch back to the parent frame.
o driver.switchTo().defaultContent() – Return to the top-level page content.
ii. switchTo().alert()
Alerts are browser pop-ups requiring user interaction.
• Purpose: Switches the focus to an alert box on the page.
• Actions on Alerts:
o .accept(): Clicks the "OK" button on the alert.
o .dismiss(): Clicks the "Cancel" button on the alert.
o .getText(): Retrieves the alert's text.
o .sendKeys(String keysToSend): Sends input to the alert box (for prompts).

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 Alert alert = driver.switchTo().alert();

System.out.println(alert.getText());

alert.accept(); // Dismissing an alert

alert.dismiss(); // Dismissing the alert

alert.sendKeys("Test Input"); // Sending input to a prompt alert

driver.switchTo().alert().accept(); // Accepting the alert

iii. switchTo().window()

Handles switching between multiple browser tabs or windows.

• Purpose: Switches the focus to a specific browser window or tab using its handle.

Sub-Methods:

• driver.switchTo().window(String windowHandle) – Switch to a window using its

handle.
• driver.getWindowHandle() – Retrieve the current window's handle.
• driver.getWindowHandles() – Retrieve handles for all open windows.

String mainWindow = driver.getWindowHandle(); // Get main window handle

for (String window : driver.getWindowHandles()) {
driver.switchTo().window(window); // Switch to a new window
if (!window.equals(mainWindow)) {
driver.close(); // Close the new window
}
}
driver.switchTo().window(mainWindow); // Return to the main window

iv. switchTo().activeElement()
Focuses on the element currently active or in focus on the webpage.
• Purpose: Switches the focus to the element that is currently active (focused) on the
page.
• Method: driver.switchTo().activeElement()

// Get the active element and perform an action

WebElement activeElement = driver.switchTo().activeElement();
System.out.println("Active element is: " + activeElement.getTagName());
activeElement.sendKeys("Testing active element");

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v. driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType)
• Purpose: Automatically create and switch to a new tab or window in the browser.
driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.TAB); // Opens a new browser tab
driver.switchTo().newWindow(WindowType.WINDOW); // Opens a new browser
window
11. manage()
• Declared in: WebDriver interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• To call this non-static method, create an object of WebDriver interface.
• Argument: None.
• Returns: Object of Options interface.
• Purpose: Useful to work with cookies, timeouts, browser window, and browser logs.
Detailed Sub-Methods and Examples
i. Cookies
Cookies are small pieces of data stored in the browser. This feature allows adding, deleting,
or retrieving cookies during testing.
• Purpose: Handle browser cookies.
• Sub-Methods:
o driver.manage().getCookies() – Retrieve all cookies.
o driver.manage().getCookieNamed(String name) – Retrieve a specific cookie by
its name.
o driver.manage().addCookie(Cookie cookie) – Add a new cookie to the
browser.
o driver.manage().deleteCookie(Cookie cookie) – Delete a specific cookie.
o driver.manage().deleteCookieNamed(String name) – Delete a cookie by name.
o driver.manage().deleteAllCookies() – Clear all cookies from the browser.
ii. Timeouts
Timeouts are used to configure waits for browser operations like loading pages, finding
elements, or script execution.
• Purpose: Define time limits for browser operations.
• Sub-Methods:
o driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration duration) – Set the time
WebDriver waits when searching for elements.
o driver.manage().timeouts().pageLoadTimeout(Duration duration) – Set the
time limit for a page to load.
o driver.manage().timeouts().scriptTimeout(Duration duration) – Set the time
limit for script execution.
iii. Window Management
Window management helps control the browser window's state, size, and position.
• Purpose: Manage browser window behavior.
• Sub-Methods:

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 o driver.manage().window().maximize() – Maximize the browser window.
o driver.manage().window().minimize() – Minimize the browser window.
o driver.manage().window().fullscreen() – Open the browser in full-screen
mode.
o driver.manage().window().getSize() – Retrieve the current size of the browser
window.
o driver.manage().window().getPosition() – Retrieve the current position of the
browser window.
o driver.manage().window().setSize(Dimension dimension) – Set a specific size
for the browser window.
o driver.manage().window().setPosition(Point point) – Set the position of the
browser window.
iv. Logs (Available in some browsers and for advanced debugging)
Logs allow you to access browser or driver-level logs for debugging purposes.
• Purpose: Retrieve logs for debugging.
• Sub-Methods:
o driver.manage().logs().get(String logType) – Retrieve logs of a specific type
(e.g., "browser", "driver").
o driver.manage().logs().getAvailableLogTypes() – Retrieve the list of available
log types.
The driver.manage() method provides essential capabilities for:
1. Managing cookies for session control.
2. Configuring timeouts for smoother test execution.
3. Controlling browser window states and positions.
4. Debugging with logs to identify and fix issues.
12. findElement(By)
• Declared in: SearchContext interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• The SearchContext interface is the parent of the WebDriver interface (inheritance).
• Argument: Takes a By class object.
• Returns: WebElement interface.
• Purpose: Useful to locate an element in the page source.
• Note: By is an abstract class, but it has 8 static methods (id, name, className,
tagName, linkText, partialLinkText, xpath, cssSelector) to create its object.
Sub-Methods (for Locating Elements)
The By class in Selenium WebDriver is a fundamental utility used for locating elements on a
web page. It is part of the org.openqa.selenium package and plays a crucial role in
identifying web elements for interaction during test automation.
o By is an abstract class, so you cannot create its object directly using new By().
o Instead, it provides static methods to return By objects for different locator
strategies (e.g., ID, name, XPath, etc.).

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findElement is primarily used with various locator strategies to identify elements. Below are
the common locator strategies used with findElement:
i. By ID
o Locates an element using its unique id attribute.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.id("element_id"))
o Use Case: When the element has a unique id.
Example:
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("username"));
element.sendKeys("testUser");
ii. By Name
o Locates an element using the name attribute.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.name("element_name"))
o Use Case: When the element has a name attribute.
Example:
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.name("password"));
element.sendKeys("password123");
iii. By XPath
o Locates an element using its XPath expression.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.xpath("xpath_expression"))
o Use Case: For locating elements with complex conditions or relative paths.
Example:
WebElement element =
driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@id='username']"));
element.sendKeys("testUser");
iv. By CSS Selector
o Locates an element using its CSS selector.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("css_selector"))
o Use Case: When elements have distinct CSS classes, IDs, or attributes.
Example:
WebElement element =
driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("input#username"));
element.sendKeys("testUser");
v. By Class Name
o Locates an element using its CSS class name.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.className("class_name"))
o Use Case: When elements have a specific class.
Example:
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.className("login-
button"));
element.click();

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 vi. By Tag Name
o Locates an element by its tag name.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.tagName("tag_name"))
o Use Case: When looking for elements like buttons, links, input fields, etc.
Example:
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.tagName("button"));
element.click();
vii. By Link Text
o Locates an anchor (<a>) element by its exact link text.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.linkText("link_text"))
o Use Case: When locating a link by its visible text.
Example:
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Click Here"));
element.click();
viii. By Partial Link Text
o Locates an anchor (<a>) element by a partial match to its link text.
o Syntax: driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("partial_text"))
o Use Case: When only part of the link text is known.
Example:
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("Click"));
element.click();
13. findElements(By)
• Declared in: SearchContext interface
• Implemented by: RemoteWebDriver class
• The SearchContext interface is the parent of the WebDriver interface (inheritance).
• Argument: Takes a By class object.
• Returns: List<WebElement>
• Purpose: Useful to locate and collect one or more matched elements in the page
source.
List<WebElement> elements = driver.findElements(By.className("exampleClass"));

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