DEV Community: Deepikandas

Handling Check Boxes in Selenium

Deepikandas — Sat, 30 May 2026 22:33:47 +0000

CheckBox:
The checkbox is a GUI element that allows users to select either single or multiple choices out of the given list.
How to recognize checkbox in HTML?

We can define a checkbox in HTML using input type="checkbox" tag.
Any locator strategy that uses DOM for locating web elements should use this tag and properties for recognizing the checkbox.

Locating checkbox by id:

import java.util.List;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class CheckBox {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver ch = new ChromeDriver(); // finding element by id
        ch.get("https://testautomationpractice.blogspot.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com");
        ch.findElement(By.id("sunday")).click();
        boolean tuesdayCheckbox = ch.findElement(By.id("tuesday")).isSelected();
        ch.findElement(By.id("monday")).click();
        System.out.println(tuesdayCheckbox + "Tuesday check box not selected");
                }

    }

LOCATE USING CSSSELECTOR AND SELECTING ALL CHECKBOXES USING FINDELEMENTS() METHOD:

import java.util.List;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class CheckBox_css {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver ch = new ChromeDriver();
        ch.get("https://testautomationpractice.blogspot.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com");
        List<WebElement> allCheckBoxes = ch.findElements(By.cssSelector("input.form-check-input[type='checkbox']"));
        System.out.println(allCheckBoxes.size());
        for (WebElement value : allCheckBoxes) {
            System.out.println(value.getAttribute("value"));
            if (!value.isSelected()) {
                value.click();
            }

        }

    }

}

LOCATE CHECKBOX USING XPATH:

import java.util.List;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class Checkbox_xpath {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver ch = new ChromeDriver(); // finding element by id
        ch.get("https://testautomationpractice.blogspot.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com");
        List<WebElement> allCheckBoxes = ch
                .findElements(By.xpath("//input[@class='form-check-input' and @type='checkbox']"));
        System.out.println(allCheckBoxes.size());
        for (WebElement value : allCheckBoxes) {
            System.out.println(value.getAttribute("value"));
            if (!value.isSelected()) {
                System.out.println("not selected");
                value.click();
            }

        }

    }
}

SELECTING ONLY PARTICULAR CHECKBOXES USING ARRAY

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class Checkbox_slectedValuesArray {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver ch = new ChromeDriver();
        ch.get("https://testautomationpractice.blogspot.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com");
        String toSelectid[] = { "sunday", "monday", "wednesday", "friday" };
        for (String id : toSelectid) {
            System.out.println(id);
            if (!ch.findElement(By.id(id)).isSelected())
                ch.findElement(By.id(id)).click();
        }
    }
}

SELECTING ONLY PARTICULAR CHECKBOXES USING ARRAY AND FINDELEMENTS

import java.util.List;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class Checkbox_xpath {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver ch = new ChromeDriver(); 
        String toSelectid[] = { "sunday", "monday", "wednesday", "friday" };
        ch.get("https://testautomationpractice.blogspot.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com");
        List<WebElement> allCheckBoxes = ch
                .findElements(By.xpath("//input[@class='form-check-input' and @type='checkbox']"));
        System.out.println(allCheckBoxes.size());
        for (WebElement value : allCheckBoxes) {
            System.out.println(value.getAttribute("id"));
            for(int i=0;i<toSelectid.length;i++) {
            if (!value.isSelected()&& value.getAttribute("id").equals(toSelectid[i])) {
                System.out.println("not selected");
                value.click();
            }

        }

    }
}
}

Types of Locators in Selenium -Part 2

Deepikandas — Sat, 30 May 2026 22:33:20 +0000

Types of Locators in selenium part1

Deepikandas — Sat, 30 May 2026 22:33:04 +0000

Finding WebElements and WebElement commands

Deepikandas — Thu, 28 May 2026 11:03:27 +0000

What is findElement() in Selenium?

findElement() is a WebDriver method used to locate a single web element on a web page using a locator.
What it actually does.
WebElement can be of any type, like it can be a Text, Link, Radio Button, Drop Down, WebTable or any HTML element.

When you call findElement():

Selenium sends request to browser driver (ChromeDriver, etc.)
Driver searches the DOM (Document Object Model)
It finds the first matching element
Returns it as a WebElement object

👉 That WebElement is your “handle” to interact with the element.
🧩** Syntax**

findElement(By locator)

1. Return Type: **WebElement
findElement() returns a single WebElement object
That object represents the first matching element in the DOM
**2. Parameter: By locator
✔ Meaning:
It accepts a By object
By is a locator strategy class in Selenium

What is By?
By is a class used to define how Selenium should locate an element
Examples:

By.id("username")
By.name("email")
By.xpath("//button[@id='login']")
By.cssSelector("#login")
WebElement Commands in Selenium

A WebElement represents an element on the webpage, and Selenium provides methods to interact, inspect, and verify it.

1. SendKeys Command
✔ Purpose:
is mainly used to enter/input data into editable web elements.
It is commonly used for:
Text fields
Password fields
Text areas
Search boxes
sendKeys() is for giving input (typing data),** not for checkbox/radio button selection.**
✔ Parameter: CharSequence... keysToSend
This means:
👉 It accepts varargs (variable arguments)
👉 Each argument must be a CharSequence
What is CharSequence?

CharSequence is an interface in Java that represents a sequence of characters.
Common implementations:
String
StringBuilder
StringBuffer
So these are ALL valid:
element.sendKeys("admin"); // String
element.sendKeys(new StringBuilder("a")); // StringBuilder
⚡** Why varargs (...)?**

Because you can send multiple inputs in one call:
element.sendKeys("user", "name");
👉 Selenium internally concatenates them as:username
✔Return type: Nothing

2. clear() Command in Selenium
⚡ Method Signature
void clear()
🧠 What does clear() do?

👉 clear() is used to remove existing text from an input field (text box).

It deletes any pre-filled or previously entered value.

3.click() Command in Selenium
⚡ Method Signature
void click()
👉 click() simulates a real user mouse click(left) on a web element.
It is used to interact with:
buttons
links
checkboxes
radio buttons
dropdown triggers
icons

4.isDisplayed() Command in Selenium
⚡ Method Signature
boolean isDisplayed()
👉 isDisplayed() checks whether a web element is visible on the webpage or not.
It returns:
true → element is visible
false → element is not visible
🧩 Correct Definition

isDisplayed() is a WebElement method used to determine whether an element is present in the DOM and visible on the web page (i.e., not hidden by CSS or not outside the viewport). It returns a boolean value.

⚡ Example
WebElement logo = driver.findElement(By.id("logo"));

boolean status = logo.isDisplayed();
System.out.println(status);
🔍 What it actually checks

isDisplayed() verifies:

✔ Element exists in DOM
✔ Element is visible (not hidden using CSS like display: none)
✔ Element has non-zero size
✔ Element is not collapsed or invisible

5.isEnabled() Command in Selenium
🧾 Method Signature
boolean isEnabled()
🧠 Meaning
👉 isEnabled() checks whether a web element is enabled or disabled for interaction.
It returns:
true → element is enabled (can be used)
false → element is disabled (cannot be used)
🧩 Interview-ready Definition

isEnabled() is a WebElement method used to verify whether an element is in an active state and can be interacted with (like clicking or typing). It returns a boolean value.

⚡ Example
WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.id("login"));

boolean status = button.isEnabled();
System.out.println(status);
🔍 What it actually checks

isEnabled() verifies:

✔ Element is not disabled via HTML attribute (disabled)
✔ Element is interactive
✔ User actions like click/type are allowed
6.isSelected() Command in Selenium
🧾 Method Signature
boolean isSelected()
🧠 Meaning
👉 isSelected() is used to check whether a checkbox or radio button is selected (checked) or not.
It returns:
true → element is selected (checked)
false → element is not selected
🧩** Interview-ready Definition**
isSelected() is a WebElement method used to determine whether a checkbox, radio button, or option in a select list is currently selected. It returns a boolean value.

Selenium Execution Flow (Simple Step-by-Step)

Deepikandas — Wed, 27 May 2026 22:00:35 +0000

You run your Java program

You click Run in Eclipse / IntelliJ.

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://example.com");

👉 Execution starts from the main() method.

⚙️ 2. Selenium starts ChromeDriver
Selenium locates the ChromeDriver executable
ChromeDriver starts as a separate server process
A new Chrome browser opens

👉 Now 3 things exist:

Your Java code
ChromeDriver (middle layer)
Chrome browser
🌐 3. A browser session is created

ChromeDriver creates a session like:

Session ID: 12345
Browser: Chrome
Status: Active

👉 This session is used for all communication

🔗 4. Selenium sends commands to browser

Example:

driver.get("https://example.com");

This is converted into a request:

Open URL → https://example.com

Sent like:

Java → ChromeDriver → Chrome browser
🌍 5. Browser loads the webpage

Chrome does:

Downloads HTML
Downloads CSS + JS
Builds DOM (Document Object Model)
Renders UI on screen

👉 Now you SEE the page

🌳 6. DOM is created in memory

Example:

Becomes:

A DOM node inside browser memory
🤖 7. Selenium finds elements (WebElement creation)

Example:

WebElement btn = driver.findElement(By.id("login"));

What happens:

Selenium asks ChromeDriver:
👉 “Find element with id = login”
ChromeDriver searches DOM
Returns matching node

👉 Selenium gets a WebElement reference

🖱️ 8. You perform actions

Example:

btn.click();

Flow:

Selenium → ChromeDriver → Browser → DOM click event

Browser then:

Executes click
Runs JS (if any)
Updates UI if needed
🔁 9. Each command repeats same cycle

Example:

driver.findElement(By.id("user")).sendKeys("admin");
driver.findElement(By.id("pass")).sendKeys("1234");
driver.findElement(By.id("login")).click();

Each step:

👉 Find element → Send command → Browser executes → Response

🧹 10. Closing browser
driver.quit();

What happens:

All tabs close
ChromeDriver session ends
Memory is released

Why WebDriver is called a Client–Server Model

Because Selenium and the browser do NOT talk directly. Instead, they communicate through a structured request–response system, just like a client and a server.

🧠 Simple Definition

👉 Selenium WebDriver follows a client–server architecture where:

Client (Selenium code) sends requests
Server (Browser Driver + Browser) processes them
Response is sent back to the client
🧩 Who is Client and who is Server?
🔹 Client Side

👉 Your Selenium test code

Example:

driver.findElement(By.id("login")).click();

✔ This is the request generator

🔹 Server Side (Two layers)

ChromeDriver (Server bridge) Receives commands from Selenium Translates them into browser-understandable actions
Chrome Browser (execution server) Actually performs actions Works with: Blink (rendering engine) V8 (JavaScript engine) 🔁 How communication happens CLIENT (Selenium Code) ↓ HTTP Request SERVER (ChromeDriver) ↓ Internal Commands BROWSER (Chrome) ↓ DOM / UI updated ↓ HTTP Response CLIENT (Selenium Code) 📡 Why HTTP communication?

Selenium uses:

W3C WebDriver Protocol (JSON over HTTP)

Example request:

POST /session/{id}/element
{
"using": "id",
"value": "login"
}

👉 ChromeDriver reads it and acts on the browser

🧠 Why this design?

Language independence 🌍 Client can be Java, Python, C#, JS Server (browser driver) understands standard protocol
Browser independence 🌐 Same client works with: ChromeDriver GeckoDriver (Firefox) EdgeDriver

Locators :cssSelector

Deepikandas — Wed, 27 May 2026 21:58:24 +0000

`package locators;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class csslocators {

public static void main(String[] args) {
    WebDriver ch = new ChromeDriver(); // finding element by id
    ch.get("https://www.saucedemo.com/"); 
    //using cssSelector id attribute
    ch.findElement(By.cssSelector("input[id='user-name']")).sendKeys("standard_user");
    ch.findElement(By.cssSelector("input[id='password']")).sendKeys("secret_sauce");
    ch.findElement(By.cssSelector("input[id='login-button']")).click();

    //using cssSelector name attribute
    ch.findElement(By.cssSelector("input[name='user-name']")).sendKeys("standard_user");
    ch.findElement(By.cssSelector("input[name='password']")).sendKeys("secret_sauce");
    ch.findElement(By.cssSelector("input[name='login-button']")).click();

}

}
`

Locators in Selenium WebDriver

Deepikandas — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:37:04 +0000

Locators are the way to identify an HTML element on a web page
Locators are one of the essential components of Selenium infrastructure, which help Selenium scripts in uniquely identifying the WebElements(such as text box, button, etc.) present of the web page.

Selenium:What is WebElement?

Deepikandas — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:34:44 +0000

What is a HTML Element?
A HTML element = an HTML tag + its content + attributes
Example:
Login
Here:
→ element type
id="loginBtn" → attribute
Login → visible content

So this entire piece is a HTML element (button element).

What is a WebElement in Selenium?

👉 A WebElement is a representation of an HTML element in Selenium.
A WebElement in Selenium is an interface that represents an HTML element on a web page. It provides methods to interact with web elements like clicking, typing, and reading attributes.”
In simple terms:
A WebElement is a Java object that represents an element in the web page DOM (like a button, textbox, checkbox, link, etc.)
Simple Meaning

✔ HTML element lives in browser DOM
✔ Selenium creates a WebElement object to control it
WebElement vs DOM Element (Core Difference)
🌐 1. DOM Element (Browser Side Concept)

A DOM element is the actual element present inside the browser’s page structure.

When a webpage loads, the browser converts HTML into a DOM (Document Object Model) tree.

Example HTML:

<button id="login">Login</button>

In the browser DOM, this becomes a node like:

DOM Tree
 └── button#login

🔥 Key point:
It exists inside the browser memory
It is part of the rendered page structure
JavaScript directly interacts with it.
WebElement (Selenium Side Concept)

A WebElement is a Selenium representation (proxy/reference) of a DOM element.

When you write:

WebElement loginBtn = driver.findElement(By.id("login"));

👉 Selenium does NOT store the actual button
👉 It stores a reference (locator + session info) to that DOM element

Selenium Webdriver Browser Commands

Deepikandas — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:33:39 +0000

What are Browser Commands?
Selenium WebDriver provides predefined methods and functions that enable developers to interact directly with browsers.

These commands provide exact control over the browser's actions, like loading specific pages, extracting details such as page titles and URLs, accessing page source code, and controlling browser windows.

1. get(String url) command

get(String arg0):
return type: Nothing
parameter: String
calling driver.get() multiple times does not open a new window; it simply reloads the same page in the current browser tab.
Wait until page load completes
driver.get()
↓
Browser starts loading page
↓
Wait until page load completes (basic level)
↓
Next line of code executes

//***get(String url) command*********
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class BrowserCommands {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver driver=new ChromeDriver();
         driver.get("https://eduplaynation.2-min.in/"); 
        String URL = "https://eduplaynation.2-min.in/";
        driver.get(URL);
    }
}

2.Get CurrentUrl Command
getCurrentUrl() retrieves the web address (URL) of the page currently displayed by the browser.
return type: String
parameter: Nothing

It is mainly used to:
Verify page navigation
Check redirects
Validate whether expected page opened
Debug test execution

public class BrowserCommands {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver driver=new ChromeDriver();
        driver.get("https://google.com");
        System.out.println(driver.getCurrentUrl());
    }
}

3.Get Title Command
getTitle();
This method fetches the Title of the current page.
Return type:String
Parameter: Nothing.

4.Get page Source Command:
getPageSource() is a method in Selenium WebDriver that returns the complete HTML source code of the currently loaded webpage as a String.
Return type:String
Parameter: Nothing.

5.Quit command
Return Type:Nothing
Parameter: Nothing
This command will only close the browser's window opened by the selenium in the same session. If any browser is opened manually, this will have no impact on the same. Also, there is no impact on the browsers opened in another run or session even by the Selenium.

6.Close command:
This method Close only the current window the WebDriver is currently controlling.
Return Type:Nothing
Parameter: Nothing

Selenium WebDriver Achitecture

Deepikandas — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:31:25 +0000

What is Selenium WebDriver?
Selenium WebDriver is a set of open-source APIs, which provided the capabilities to interact with any of the modern web-browsers and then, in-turn to automate the user actions with that browser. It is an essential component of the Selenium family. As we know, Selenium is not an independent tool; rather, it is a collection of tools that make the Selenium suite, which was created when two projects Selenium RC and WebDriver were merged.

Client Libraries (Language Bindings)

👉 This is just your programming language support

Examples:

Java
Python
C#
JavaScript
Simple meaning:

“Selenium lets you write automation code in your favorite language.”

So you can say:

Java code → Selenium library understands it
Python code → Selenium library understands it
📡 2. Communication (JSON /W3C+ HTTP)

👉 This is how Selenium sends messages

Simple meaning:

“Your code talks to browser using messages sent over the internet format (HTTP + JSON)”

Think like:

You (Java code)
↓ message
Browser driver

Message looks like:

click button
open URL
type text
🚗 3. Browser Drivers

Examples:

ChromeDriver
GeckoDriver
Simple meaning:

“Each browser has its own helper program that understands Selenium commands”

So:

Chrome → ChromeDriver
Firefox → GeckoDriver

👉 This driver acts like a translator

🌍 4. Browsers

Examples:

Chrome
Firefox
Edge
Simple meaning:

“This is where your website actually opens and runs”

Browser must be installed because:

Selenium does NOT create browsers
It only controls existing browsers
🔁 Full flow (very simple)
Your Code (Java/Python)
↓
Selenium Library
↓
HTTP + JSON messages
↓
Browser Driver (ChromeDriver / GeckoDriver)
↓
Browser (Chrome / Firefox)

Selenium 4 - Selenium Manager:
👉 Selenium Manager is an internal feature of Selenium 4 WebDriver that automatically handles browser drivers.
Built inside Selenium 4 WebDriver library itself
⚙️** What it does**
✔ Detects installed browser version
✔ Downloads correct driver (ChromeDriver/GeckoDriver, etc.)
✔ Sets driver path automatically
✔ Removes need for System.setProperty()
❌ In Selenium 3
No Selenium Manager
You had to manually set:
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path");

What is Selenium?

Deepikandas — Sun, 17 May 2026 12:30:14 +0000

Selenium is an open-source automation tool used for automating web browsers to test web applications by mimicking real user actions.
Features of Selenium:
1. Open Source
Free to use
No license cost

2. Cross-Browser Testing
Works with different browsers like:
Google Chrome
Mozilla Firefox
Microsoft Edge
Safari
This helps test whether your website works everywhere.

3. Supports Multiple Programming Languages
You can write Selenium scripts in:
Java
Python
C#
JavaScript
4. Automates Web Browsers
It can perform user actions like:
Click buttons
Enter text
Select dropdowns
Navigate pages
5. Supports Parallel Testing
Run multiple test cases at the same time using tools like TestNG.
This saves testing time.

6. Supports Web Element Identification
Find elements using:
ID
Name
XPath
CSS Selector
Class Name
7. Platform Independent
Works on:
Windows
macOS
Linux
8. Integration with Testing Tools
Can integrate with:
TestNG
JUnit
Maven
Jenkins

Components of Se

What is Selenium IDE?
Selenium IDE is an extension available for both Firefox and Chrome, which has the record and replay functionality available. Selenium IDE also now has the capability of exporting the code in various predefined languages. It also gives the ability to use one test case inside another.

Selenium RC
Selenium RC (Remote Control) was the older version of Selenium used before WebDriver.
Its job was to act as a middleman between your test code and the browser.
How it worked:

Your Java Code → Selenium RC Server → JavaScript → Browser

It converted your test commands into JavaScript and injected them into the browser to perform actions like:

Clicking buttons
Typing text
Opening webpages

It was created because browsers did not support direct automation at that time.

Problems with Selenium RC:

Slower (because of extra server layer)
Browser security issues (Same Origin Policy)
More setup complexity
Because of these issues, it was replaced by Selenium WebDriver, which talks more directly to browsers.

One-line summary:
Selenium RC was an old Selenium tool that controlled browsers indirectly using a server and JavaScript, but it was replaced by WebDriver because WebDriver is faster and more reliable.
Selenium WebDriver
Selenium WebDriver is a collection of open-source tools/APIs that allows users to write custom code in their language of choice and interact with the browser of their choice, through browser-specific drivers.
Selenium Grid
Selenium GRID allows users to run tests on different machines, with different browsers and OS simultaneously, which gives the ability to run tests in parallel, as such saving a lot of time and resources testing on several machines.
Selenium Advantages

Open Source → Free to download and use

- Automates User Actions → Can perform clicks, typing, scrolling, drag & drop, etc.

-Easy to Use → Simple to learn and customizable

-Supports Many Languages → Works with Java, Python, JavaScript, C#, etc.

Cross-Browser Support → Works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, etc.
Cross-Platform Support → Runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS
Framework Integration → Supports TestNG, Maven, PyTest, Jenkins, and other tools
Code Reusability → Same test scripts can run on different browsers and machines
Selenium Limitations
No Desktop Application Testing → Cannot automate desktop/software applications, only web applications
No Built-in Assertions → Needs testing frameworks like JUnit, TestNG, or PyTest for validation
No Image/Barcode/CAPTCHA Testing → Cannot handle image-based validations or CAPTCHA scanning
No API Testing → Cannot test APIs directly
No Performance Testing → Cannot measure speed, load, or performance of applications
No Inbuilt Reporting → Requires external tools/frameworks for test reports

Note:

Assertions are checks used in testing to verify whether the actual result matches the expected result.

#39 LinkedList implements Queue

Deepikandas — Mon, 11 May 2026 13:49:59 +0000

Hierarchy
Collection Interface
↓
Queue Interface
↓
Deque Interface
↓
LinkedList class
Declaration as Queue

Queue q = new LinkedList();

Queue does NOT support indexing
So these are invalid concepts for Queue:
❌get(0)
❌add(2, value)
❌remove(1)
Queues work only:
front insertion/removal
FIFO operations
You process elements sequentially.
You don't jump to middle positions.
Queue Operations
Method ** Purpose**
add() Insert element
offer() Insert safely
poll() Remove first element
remove() Remove first element
peek() View first element
element() View first element