Locating Strategies in Selenium

Popular open-source Selenium is an automation tool for web applications. Selenium IDE is one of the most widely used tools in the Selenium suite. It is a record and playback tool that helps in creating automated tests for web applications. Selenium IDE provides various methods to locate the elements on a web page, which are known as Locators. These Locators help in identifying the web elements and performing actions on them. In this article, we will discuss different Locating Strategies available in Selenium IDE.

Selenium Locating Strategies

Selenium IDE supports eight different Locating Strategies, which are:

1. ID:

ID is the most reliable and fastest method to locate an element. Each element on the web page should have a unique ID, which can be used to identify the element. ID is a case-sensitive attribute.

Syntax:

id=id_value

Example: 

id=username

2. Name:

Name is another common method to locate an element. The Name attribute is used to specify the name of an element, and it should also be unique.

Syntax:

name=name_value

Example:

name=password

3. Class Name:

Class Name is used to locate an element based on its class attribute. It is not a unique attribute, and multiple elements can have the same class name.

Syntax: 

class=class_name

Example:

class=login_button

4. Tag Name:

A tag Name is used to locate an element based on its tag name. It is not a unique attribute, and multiple elements can have the same tag name.

Syntax:

tag=tag_name

Example:

tag=a

5. Link Text:

Link Text is used to locate an anchor element based on its visible text. This is case-sensitive.

Syntax:

link=link_text

Example:

link=Click Here

6. Partial Link Text:

Partial Link Text is used to locate an anchor element based on a partial match of its visible text.

Syntax:

partialLinkText=partial_link_text

Example:

partialLinkText=Here

7. CSS Selector:

CSS Selector is a powerful method to locate an element based on its CSS attributes such as class, ID, and tag name.

Syntax:

css=css_selector

Example:

css=#login_button

8. XPath:

XPath is the most flexible and powerful method to locate an element. It is used to traverse the XML structure of a web page.

Syntax:

xpath=xpath_expression

Example:

xpath=//input[@name='username']

9. Identifier:

Identifiers were commonly used earlier as a default method to locate web elements in Selenium IDE. However, Identifiers are not supported by WebDriver, the successor to Selenium IDE. The first web element that matches the ID attribute is used with Identifiers. If no element matches the ID attribute, then the first element with a matching name attribute is used instead.

It is important to note that the Identifier method is not recommended now due to its lack of support and potential limitations. For instance, an example of using an Identifier could be “login,” which could be either the ID or the Name attribute of the web element. Instead, it is recommended to use other supported locating strategies in Selenium WebDriver to ensure accurate and reliable test cases.

10. DOM:

The DOM is a hierarchical structure that represents the web page. Selenium IDE uses this structure to locate elements on the page. There are several ways to locate elements on a page using the DOM, including:

a. ID Locators – This involves selecting an element based on its unique ID attribute. You can use the command ‘click’ followed by ‘id=elementId’ to click on a specific element.

b. Name Locators – Elements can also be identified using their ‘name’ attribute. You can use the command ‘click’ followed by ‘name=elementName’ to click on the element.

c. Class Locators – This involves selecting elements based on their class attributes. You can use the command ‘click’ followed by ‘class=elementClass’ to click on the element.

d. Link Text and Partial Link Text – Elements can also be identified using the text of the link. You can use the command ‘click’ followed by ‘link=elementText’ or ‘partialLinkText=elementText’ to click on the element.

e. CSS Locators – You can also use CSS selectors to identify elements on the page. You can use the command ‘click’ followed by ‘css=cssSelector’ to click on the element.

By using the DOM locating strategy, users can create accurate and reliable test cases to ensure the functionality and performance of their web applications.

Conclusion

Locating Strategies are the essential elements in Selenium IDE that help in identifying web elements and performing actions on them. Choosing the right Locating Strategy is critical to ensure the stability and maintainability of the test scripts. ID and Name are the fastest and most reliable Locating Strategies, while XPath and CSS Selector are the most powerful and flexible. Link Text and Partial Link Text are used to locate anchor elements. Tag Name and Class Name are used to locate elements based on their tag name and class attribute, respectively. With the help of these Locating Strategies, we can create robust and stable automated test scripts using Selenium IDE.