Checking state (isDisplayed, isEnabled, isSelected) in Selenium Java - Build an Automation Script

Verify visibility, enablement, and selection state of elements on the login page

Preconditions (2)

Step 1: Locate the username input field and verify it is displayed

Step 2: Locate the password input field and verify it is displayed

Step 3: Locate the login button and verify it is enabled

Step 4: Locate the 'Remember Me' checkbox and verify it is displayed and not selected

Step 5: Click the 'Remember Me' checkbox

Step 6: Verify the 'Remember Me' checkbox is now selected

✅ Expected Result: Username and password fields are visible, login button is enabled, 'Remember Me' checkbox is visible and toggles selection state correctly

Automation Requirements - Selenium WebDriver with Java

Assertions Needed:

Assert username field is displayed

Assert password field is displayed

Assert login button is enabled

Assert 'Remember Me' checkbox is displayed

Assert 'Remember Me' checkbox is initially not selected

Assert 'Remember Me' checkbox is selected after clicking

Best Practices:

Use explicit waits to ensure elements are ready before interaction

Use meaningful locators such as By.id or By.name

Use assertions from a testing framework like TestNG or JUnit

Separate setup and teardown methods for browser management

Automated Solution

Selenium Java

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.ExpectedConditions;
import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.WebDriverWait;
import org.testng.Assert;
import org.testng.annotations.AfterClass;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeClass;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;
import java.time.Duration;

public class LoginPageStateTest {
    private WebDriver driver;
    private WebDriverWait wait;

    @BeforeClass
    public void setUp() {
        driver = new ChromeDriver();
        wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
        driver.get("https://example.com/login");
    }

    @Test
    public void testElementStates() {
        WebElement usernameField = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("username")));
        Assert.assertTrue(usernameField.isDisplayed(), "Username field should be displayed");

        WebElement passwordField = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("password")));
        Assert.assertTrue(passwordField.isDisplayed(), "Password field should be displayed");

        WebElement loginButton = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("loginBtn")));
        Assert.assertTrue(loginButton.isEnabled(), "Login button should be enabled");

        WebElement rememberMeCheckbox = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("rememberMe")));
        Assert.assertTrue(rememberMeCheckbox.isDisplayed(), "Remember Me checkbox should be displayed");
        Assert.assertFalse(rememberMeCheckbox.isSelected(), "Remember Me checkbox should not be selected initially");

        rememberMeCheckbox.click();
        Assert.assertTrue(rememberMeCheckbox.isSelected(), "Remember Me checkbox should be selected after clicking");
    }

    @AfterClass
    public void tearDown() {
        if (driver != null) {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

This test class uses Selenium WebDriver with TestNG for assertions.

setUp() opens the browser and navigates to the login page.

testElementStates() waits explicitly for each element to be visible or clickable before checking its state:

• Checks username and password fields are visible using isDisplayed().
• Checks login button is enabled using isEnabled().
• Checks 'Remember Me' checkbox is visible and initially not selected using isDisplayed() and isSelected().
• Clicks the checkbox and verifies it is selected.

tearDown() closes the browser after the test.

Explicit waits ensure elements are ready to interact, avoiding flaky tests. Using meaningful locators like By.id improves reliability. Assertions provide clear pass/fail results.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

Using Thread.sleep() instead of explicit waits

Using brittle XPath locators like absolute paths

Not checking if elements are displayed before interacting

Not verifying the selection state after clicking a checkbox

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different login page URLs to verify element states on each.

Show Hint

Practice

1. Which Selenium WebDriver method would you use to check if a button is visible on the web page?

easy

A. getText()

B. isEnabled()

C. isSelected()

D. isDisplayed()

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of isDisplayed()

   This method checks if an element is visible on the page, meaning it is rendered and not hidden.

2. Step 2: Compare with other methods

   isEnabled() checks if the element can be interacted with, isSelected() checks selection state, and getText() returns text content, so they don't check visibility.

3. Final Answer:

   isDisplayed() -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Visibility check = isDisplayed() [OK]

Hint: Visibility means use isDisplayed() method [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing isDisplayed() with isEnabled()
• Using isSelected() for visibility
• Thinking getText() checks visibility

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to check if a checkbox element is selected in Selenium Java?

easy

A. checkbox.isSelected();

B. checkbox.isDisplayed();

C. checkbox.isEnabled();

D. checkbox.getSelected();

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the method to check selection state

   The correct method to check if a checkbox or radio button is selected is isSelected().

2. Step 2: Verify syntax correctness

   checkbox.isSelected(); is valid Java syntax. getSelected() does not exist, and the others check different states.

3. Final Answer:

   checkbox.isSelected(); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Check selection = isSelected() [OK]

Hint: Use isSelected() to check checkbox state [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using getSelected() which is invalid
• Confusing isDisplayed() with isSelected()
• Using isEnabled() to check selection

3. Given the following code snippet, what will be the output if the button is visible but disabled?

WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn"));
System.out.println(button.isDisplayed());
System.out.println(button.isEnabled());

medium

A. true true

B. true false

C. false true

D. false false

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand isDisplayed() output

   The button is visible, so isDisplayed() returns true.

2. Step 2: Understand isEnabled() output

   The button is disabled, so isEnabled() returns false.

3. Final Answer:

   true false -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Visible = true, Enabled = false [OK]

Hint: Visible true, enabled false if disabled button [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming disabled means not displayed
• Mixing up isDisplayed() and isEnabled() results
• Expecting both to be true always

4. Identify the error in the following code snippet that checks if a radio button is selected:

WebElement radio = driver.findElement(By.name("gender"));
if(radio.isEnabled()) {
    System.out.println("Selected");
} else {
    System.out.println("Not Selected");
}

medium

A. Should use isSelected() instead of isEnabled()

B. Missing semicolon after findElement()

C. Incorrect locator By.name should be By.id

D. No error, code is correct

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of isEnabled() vs isSelected()

   isEnabled() checks if the element can be interacted with, not if it is selected.

2. Step 2: Identify correct method to check selection

   To check if a radio button is selected, isSelected() must be used.

3. Final Answer:

   Should use isSelected() instead of isEnabled() -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Selection check = isSelected() [OK]

Hint: Use isSelected() to check radio button selection [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using isEnabled() to check selection
• Assuming enabled means selected
• Ignoring method purpose differences

5. You want to write a test that clicks a checkbox only if it is visible, enabled, and not already selected. Which of the following code snippets correctly implements this logic?

hard

A. if(!checkbox.isDisplayed() && checkbox.isEnabled() && checkbox.isSelected()) {
checkbox.click();
}

B. if(checkbox.isDisplayed() || checkbox.isEnabled() || checkbox.isSelected()) {
checkbox.click();
}

C. if(checkbox.isDisplayed() && checkbox.isEnabled() && !checkbox.isSelected()) {
checkbox.click();
}

D. if(checkbox.isDisplayed() && !checkbox.isEnabled() && !checkbox.isSelected()) {
checkbox.click();
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the required conditions

   The checkbox must be visible (isDisplayed()), enabled (isEnabled()), and not selected (!isSelected()).

2. Step 2: Analyze each option

   if(checkbox.isDisplayed() && checkbox.isEnabled() && !checkbox.isSelected()) { checkbox.click(); } uses AND (&&) to combine all correct conditions and negates isSelected() to ensure it is not selected before clicking.

3. Final Answer:

   if(checkbox.isDisplayed() && checkbox.isEnabled() && !checkbox.isSelected()) { checkbox.click(); } -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use AND for all true and NOT for selection [OK]

Hint: Use && for all true and ! for not selected [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using OR (||) instead of AND (&&)
• Not negating isSelected() when needed
• Clicking when checkbox is disabled or hidden