findElement by ID in Selenium Java - Build an Automation Script

Verify login button is clickable using findElement by ID

Preconditions (1)

Step 1: Locate the login button using its ID 'loginBtn'

Step 2: Click the login button

✅ Expected Result: The login button is found by ID and clicked successfully without errors

Automation Requirements - Selenium WebDriver with Java

Assertions Needed:

Verify the login button is displayed before clicking

Verify the login button is enabled before clicking

Best Practices:

Use By.id locator for finding the element

Use explicit waits to wait for the element to be clickable

Use try-catch to handle NoSuchElementException

Close the browser after test execution

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 java.time.Duration;

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

            WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
            WebElement loginButton = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("loginBtn")));

            if (loginButton.isDisplayed() && loginButton.isEnabled()) {
                loginButton.click();
                System.out.println("Login button clicked successfully.");
            } else {
                System.out.println("Login button is not ready for clicking.");
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            System.out.println("Exception occurred: " + e.getMessage());
        } finally {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

This code uses Selenium WebDriver with Java to automate the manual test case.

First, it sets up the ChromeDriver and opens the login page URL.

It uses WebDriverWait with ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable to wait until the login button with ID loginBtn is clickable. This avoids timing issues.

Then it checks if the button is displayed and enabled before clicking it, ensuring the element is interactable.

If the button is ready, it clicks the button and prints a success message.

Any exceptions are caught and printed to help debug failures.

Finally, the browser is closed with driver.quit() to clean up resources.

Common Mistakes - 3 Pitfalls

Using driver.findElement without waiting for the element to be present or clickable

Using incorrect locator type or wrong ID value

Not closing the browser after test execution

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different button IDs to verify each button is clickable

Show Hint

Practice

1. What does the Selenium method findElement(By.id("submitBtn")) do?

easy

A. Finds elements by their tag name "submitBtn".

B. Finds the first element on the page with the ID "submitBtn".

C. Finds elements by their class name "submitBtn".

D. Finds all elements with the ID "submitBtn".

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the method purpose

   The method findElement locates a single web element on the page.

2. Step 2: Analyze the locator used

   Using By.id("submitBtn") means it looks for an element with the exact ID "submitBtn".

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the first element on the page with the ID "submitBtn". -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   findElement + By.id = single element by ID [OK]

Hint: findElement(By.id) always returns one element by unique ID [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing findElement with findElements (plural)
• Using class name or tag name instead of ID
• Assuming it returns multiple elements

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find an element with ID "username" in Selenium Java?

easy

A. driver.findElement(By.id="username");

B. driver.findElement(By.Id("username"));

C. driver.findElement(By.ID("username"));

D. driver.findElement(By.id("username"));

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall correct method syntax

   The method By.id is called with parentheses and a string argument, like By.id("username").

2. Step 2: Check Java case sensitivity

   Java is case-sensitive, so By.id must be lowercase 'id', and parentheses are required.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.findElement(By.id("username")); -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Correct method call syntax = driver.findElement(By.id("username")); [OK]

Hint: Use By.id("value") with parentheses and lowercase 'id' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using assignment '=' instead of parentheses
• Wrong capitalization like By.ID or By.Id
• Missing parentheses around the ID string

3. What will happen when the following code runs if no element with ID "loginBtn" exists on the page?

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

medium

A. Throws NoSuchElementException at findElement line.

B. Throws NullPointerException at button.click().

C. The code clicks the button successfully.

D. Returns null and skips the click.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand findElement behavior when element missing

   If no element matches the ID, findElement throws NoSuchElementException immediately.

2. Step 2: Analyze code flow

   The exception occurs at the findElement line, so button.click() is never reached.

3. Final Answer:

   Throws NoSuchElementException at findElement line. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Missing element causes NoSuchElementException [OK]

Hint: findElement throws exception if ID not found, no null returned [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming findElement returns null if element missing
• Expecting NullPointerException instead
• Thinking click() runs even if element not found

4. Identify the error in this Selenium Java code snippet:

WebElement input = driver.findElement(By.id("email"));
input.sendKeys("[e-mail]");
WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.id("submit"));
submit.click();

Assuming the page has no element with ID "submit".

medium

A. Throws ElementNotInteractableException at sendKeys line.

B. No error; code runs fine.

C. Throws NoSuchElementException at finding "submit" element.

D. Throws StaleElementReferenceException at click line.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check element existence for each findElement

   The element with ID "email" exists, so sendKeys works fine.

2. Step 2: Analyze finding "submit" element

   Since "submit" ID does not exist, findElement(By.id("submit")) throws NoSuchElementException.

3. Final Answer:

   Throws NoSuchElementException at finding "submit" element. -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Missing ID causes NoSuchElementException [OK]

Hint: Missing ID in findElement causes NoSuchElementException [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming sendKeys fails if element missing later
• Confusing exceptions thrown at different lines
• Expecting click() to throw error instead of findElement

5. You want to fill a form field with ID "userEmail" and then click a button with ID "submitBtn". Which code snippet correctly handles the possibility that the button might not be present, avoiding test failure?

hard

A. driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]");
try {
driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn")).click();
} catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
System.out.println("Button not found, skipping click.");
}

B. driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]");
WebElement btn = driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn"));
if(btn != null) {
btn.click();
}

C. driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]");
driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn")).click();

D. driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]");
WebElement btn = null;
btn.click();

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the problem

   The button with ID "submitBtn" might not exist, so clicking it directly may cause an exception.

2. Step 2: Evaluate each option

   driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]"); driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn")).click(); clicks without checking, risking failure. driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]"); WebElement btn = driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn")); if(btn != null) { btn.click(); } attempts null check but throws NoSuchElementException at findElement since it never returns null. driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]"); try { driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn")).click(); } catch (NoSuchElementException e) { System.out.println("Button not found, skipping click."); } uses try-catch to handle missing button gracefully. driver.findElement(By.id("userEmail")).sendKeys("[e-mail]"); WebElement btn = null; btn.click(); assigns null and calls click(), causing NullPointerException.

3. Final Answer:

   Use try-catch to handle missing element and avoid failure. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Try-catch handles missing element safely [OK]

Hint: Use try-catch to handle missing elements safely [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not handling missing elements causing test failure
• Calling click() on null element
• Assuming findElement returns null if element is missing