Selenium From Scratch
Starting with Selenium from scratch can be an exciting journey for anyone interested in web automation and testing. Below, I’ll outline a step-by-step guide to help you get started with Selenium from the very beginning.
Step 1: Prerequisites
Before diving into Selenium, make sure you have the following prerequisites in place:
- A programming language: Selenium supports multiple programming languages like Java, Python, C#, and more. Choose one that you’re comfortable with or interested in learning.
- Integrated Development Environment (IDE): Install an IDE for your chosen programming language. Some popular choices include Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, Visual Studio Code, or even a basic text editor.
- Selenium WebDriver: Download the WebDriver executable for the web browser(s) you intend to automate (e.g., ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver for Firefox).
- Programming knowledge: Basic knowledge of your chosen programming language is essential.
Step 2: Set Up Your Project
Create a new project in your IDE and configure it for Selenium. For example, in Java, you can set up a Maven or Gradle project to manage dependencies easily. Add the Selenium WebDriver dependencies to your project configuration.
Step 3: Write Your First Selenium Script
Create a simple Selenium script to open a web page using your chosen web browser. Here’s an example using Java:
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class MyFirstSeleniumScript {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Set the path to the ChromeDriver executable (replace with your actual path)
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
// Create a Chrome WebDriver instance
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
// Navigate to a website
driver.get("https://www.example.com");
// Close the browser
driver.quit();
}
}
Step 4: Interact with Web Elements
Extend your script to interact with web elements on the page. For example, clicking a button or filling out a form. You’ll need to use the findElement
method to locate elements by various locators like ID, name, CSS selector, or XPath.
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class MySeleniumScript {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://www.example.com");
// Find an element by its ID and click it
WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.id("myButton"));
button.click();
// Find a text input field by name and enter text
WebElement textField = driver.findElement(By.name("username"));
textField.sendKeys("myUsername");
// Close the browser
driver.quit();
}
}
Step 5: Advanced Topics
As you become more comfortable with Selenium, explore advanced topics such as:
- Handling different types of web elements (e.g., dropdowns, checkboxes, radio buttons).
- Waiting strategies (explicit waits, implicit waits) to deal with dynamic web pages.
- Handling alerts and pop-ups.
- Switching between frames and windows.
- Taking screenshots for reporting.
- Using test frameworks like TestNG or JUnit for structured test organization.
Step 6: Best Practices and Design Patterns
Learn and apply best practices and design patterns like Page Object Model (POM) to make your Selenium scripts maintainable and scalable.
Step 7: Real-Life Automation
Apply your Selenium skills to automate tasks on real websites or web applications. Create test suites for functional testing and regression testing.
Step 8: Continuous Learning
Selenium is a vast field, and web technologies are constantly evolving. Keep learning and exploring new features and libraries that can enhance your automation efforts.
Demo Day 1 Video:
Conclusion:
Unogeeks is the No.1 IT Training Institute for Selenium Training. Anyone Disagree? Please drop in a comment
You can check out our other latest blogs on Selenium here – Selenium Blogs
You can check out our Best In Class Selenium Training Details here – Selenium Training
Follow & Connect with us:
———————————-
For Training inquiries:
Call/Whatsapp: +91 73960 33555
Mail us at: info@unogeeks.com
Our Website ➜ https://unogeeks.com
Follow us:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unogeeks
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/UnogeeksSoftwareTrainingInstitute
Twitter: https://twitter.com/unogeeks