ExpectedConditions class in Selenium Java

Introduction

The ExpectedConditions class helps wait for certain things to happen on a web page before continuing. This avoids errors when elements are not ready yet.

Waiting for a button to become clickable before clicking it.

Waiting for a text message to appear after submitting a form.

Waiting for a page title to change after navigation.

Waiting for an element to be visible before reading its text.

Waiting for an alert popup to appear before accepting it.

Syntax

Selenium Java

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.condition(locator));

Replace condition with the specific wait condition you want, like elementToBeClickable or visibilityOfElementLocated.

The locator is how you find the element, for example By.id("submit").

Examples

Waits until the element with id 'submit' can be clicked.

Selenium Java

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit")));

Waits until an element with class 'message' is visible on the page.

Selenium Java

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.className("message")));

Waits until the page title contains the word 'Welcome'.

Selenium Java

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleContains("Welcome"));

Sample Program

This test opens a login page, waits for the username field to appear, enters text, waits for the login button to be clickable, clicks it, then waits for a welcome message to show and prints it.

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 java.time.Duration;

public class WaitExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        driver.get("https://example.com/login");

        WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));

        // Wait until the username field is visible
        WebElement username = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("username")));
        username.sendKeys("testuser");

        // Wait until the login button is clickable
        WebElement loginButton = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("loginBtn")));
        loginButton.click();

        // Wait until the welcome message appears
        WebElement welcomeMsg = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("welcomeMessage")));
        System.out.println(welcomeMsg.getText());

        driver.quit();
    }
}

Important Notes

Always use ExpectedConditions with WebDriverWait to avoid errors from elements not ready yet.

Set a reasonable timeout to avoid waiting too long or too short.

Use the right condition for your need, like visibility, clickability, or presence.

Summary

ExpectedConditions helps wait for web page elements or states before acting.

Use it with WebDriverWait and a locator to wait safely.

This avoids errors and makes tests more reliable.