findElement by ID in Selenium Java - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test opens a browser, navigates to a sample page, finds a button by its ID, clicks it, and verifies the expected text appears.

Test Code - JUnit with Selenium WebDriver

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.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;

public class FindElementByIdTest {
    private WebDriver driver;

    @BeforeEach
    public void setUp() {
        driver = new ChromeDriver();
    }

    @Test
    public void testClickButtonById() {
        driver.get("https://example.com/testpage");
        WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.id("submit-btn"));
        button.click();
        WebElement message = driver.findElement(By.id("result-message"));
        assertEquals("Success!", message.getText());
    }

    @AfterEach
    public void tearDown() {
        driver.quit();
    }
}

Execution Trace - 7 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts and ChromeDriver is initialized	Browser window opens, ready for commands	—	PASS
2	Navigate to URL https://example.com/testpage	Browser displays the test page with a button having ID 'submit-btn'	—	PASS
3	Find element by ID 'submit-btn'	Button element located on the page	Element with ID 'submit-btn' is found	PASS
4	Click the button element	Button is clicked, page updates to show result message	—	PASS
5	Find element by ID 'result-message'	Result message element located on the page	Element with ID 'result-message' is found	PASS
6	Assert that the text of 'result-message' is 'Success!'	Text content of the element is 'Success!'	AssertEquals passes confirming text matches expected	PASS
7	Close the browser and end test	Browser window closes	—	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: Element with ID 'submit-btn' is not found on the page

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What method is used to find the button element in this test?

A driver.findElement(By.name("submit-btn"))

B driver.findElement(By.className("submit-btn"))

C driver.findElement(By.id("submit-btn"))

D driver.findElement(By.tagName("button"))

Key Result

Always use unique and stable IDs for elements you want to find with findElement(By.id) to ensure reliable and fast element location in Selenium tests.

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