findElement by linkText in Selenium Java - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does findElement(By.linkText()) do in Selenium?

It finds the first web element on the page that exactly matches the visible text of a link (anchor tag).

beginner

How do you use findElement(By.linkText()) to click a link with text "Home"?

Use driver.findElement(By.linkText("Home")).click(); to find and click the link with text "Home".

intermediate

What is the difference between By.linkText() and By.partialLinkText()?

By.linkText() matches the full visible text of a link exactly, while By.partialLinkText() matches any part of the link text.

intermediate

Why should you avoid using findElement(By.linkText()) with very common link texts like "Click here"?

Because it may find the wrong link if multiple links have the same text, causing flaky or incorrect tests.

beginner

What exception is thrown if findElement(By.linkText()) does not find any matching element?

It throws NoSuchElementException indicating no element with the given link text was found.

Which Selenium method finds a link by its exact visible text?

A findElement(By.partialLinkText())

B findElement(By.id())

C findElement(By.className())

D findElement(By.linkText())

By.linkText() matches the full visible text of a link exactly.

What happens if findElement(By.linkText("Submit")) does not find a matching link?

A Throws NoSuchElementException

B Returns an empty list

C Returns null

D Clicks the first link on the page

Selenium throws NoSuchElementException when no element is found.

Which locator should you use to find a link containing the text "Login" anywhere in its visible text?

A By.linkText("Login")

B By.id("Login")

C By.partialLinkText("Login")

D By.name("Login")

By.partialLinkText() matches part of the link text.

Why is By.linkText() considered a good locator for links?

A Because link text rarely changes and is visible to users

B Because it uses element ID

C Because it matches CSS classes

D Because it finds hidden elements

Link text is user-visible and often stable, making it a reliable locator.

Which of these is a valid way to click a link with text "Contact Us" using Selenium Java?

A driver.findElement(By.id("Contact Us")).click();

B driver.findElement(By.linkText("Contact Us")).click();

C driver.findElement(By.name("Contact Us")).click();

D driver.findElement(By.className("Contact Us")).click();

Use By.linkText() to find links by their visible text.

Explain how findElement(By.linkText()) works and when to use it.

Think about how you find a link on a webpage by reading its text.

Describe the difference between By.linkText() and By.partialLinkText() in Selenium.

Consider exact vs partial matching of link text.

Practice

1. What does driver.findElement(By.linkText("Home")) do in Selenium Java?

easy

A. Finds the first link on the page with visible text exactly "Home"

B. Finds all links containing the text "Home" anywhere

C. Finds a button with the label "Home"

D. Finds an element by its HTML id "Home"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the method used

   findElement(By.linkText("Home")) searches for a link whose visible text exactly matches "Home".

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other locators

   It does not find buttons or elements by id, nor does it find partial matches (that would be partialLinkText).

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the first link on the page with visible text exactly "Home" -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Exact link text = Finds link by text [OK]

Hint: Exact visible text matches linkText locator [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing linkText with partialLinkText
• Using linkText to find buttons or other elements
• Expecting partial matches with linkText

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find a link with text "Contact Us" using Selenium Java?

easy

A. driver.findElement(By.linkText("Contact Us"));

B. driver.findElement(By.linkText(Contact Us));

C. driver.findElement(By.linkText['Contact Us']);

D. driver.findElement(By.linkText{ "Contact Us" });

Solution

1. Step 1: Check correct method and parameter format

   The method findElement(By.linkText("Contact Us")) uses double quotes around the string and parentheses correctly.

2. Step 2: Identify syntax errors in other options

   Options B, C, and D have missing quotes, wrong brackets, or braces which cause syntax errors.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.findElement(By.linkText("Contact Us")); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax uses parentheses and quotes [OK]

Hint: Use parentheses and quotes exactly as method requires [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting quotes around link text
• Using wrong brackets like [] or {}
• Missing parentheses after method call

3. What will happen when this code runs?

WebElement link = driver.findElement(By.linkText("About"));
System.out.println(link.getText());

Assuming the page has a link with visible text exactly "About".

medium

A. It prints the href attribute of the link

B. It throws NoSuchElementException

C. It prints "About" to the console

D. It prints null

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate the link by exact text

   The code finds the link with visible text "About" successfully because it exists on the page.

2. Step 2: Print the visible text of the found element

   link.getText() returns the visible text of the link, which is "About".

3. Final Answer:

   It prints "About" to the console -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   getText() returns visible text [OK]

Hint: getText() returns exact visible text of found element [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting getText() to print href attribute
• Assuming NoSuchElementException without checking page content
• Thinking getText() returns null if element found

4. You wrote this code but it throws NoSuchElementException:

driver.findElement(By.linkText("Login"));

The page has a link with text "Log In" (with a space). What is the problem?

medium

A. You must use partialLinkText for any link with spaces

B. linkText cannot find links with spaces

C. The method findElement is deprecated for links

D. The linkText must match the text exactly, so "Login" does not match "Log In"

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand exact matching requirement

   By.linkText requires the visible text to match exactly, including spaces.

2. Step 2: Compare given text and actual link text

   "Login" (no space) does not match "Log In" (with space), so element is not found.

3. Final Answer:

   The linkText must match the text exactly, so "Login" does not match "Log In" -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exact text match required for linkText [OK]

Hint: Check spaces and case exactly when using linkText [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming partial matches work with linkText
• Thinking spaces are ignored in linkText
• Believing findElement is deprecated for links

5. You want to click a link with text "Terms & Conditions" but the page sometimes shows it as "Terms and Conditions". How can you write Selenium Java code to handle both cases?

hard

A. Use findElement(By.id("terms")) assuming id is always present

B. Use try-catch: try findElement(By.linkText("Terms & Conditions")), if fails try findElement(By.linkText("Terms and Conditions"))

C. Use findElement(By.partialLinkText("Terms &")) to match both

D. Use findElement(By.linkText("Terms")) to match both

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand exact matching limitation

   linkText requires exact text, so you must try both versions separately.

2. Step 2: Use try-catch to attempt both texts

   Try finding the link with "Terms & Conditions" first; if it throws exception, catch it and try "Terms and Conditions".

3. Final Answer:

   Use try-catch: try findElement(By.linkText("Terms & Conditions")), if fails try findElement(By.linkText("Terms and Conditions")) -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Try both exact texts with error handling [OK]

Hint: Try exact texts one by one with try-catch [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using partialLinkText that may match wrong links
• Assuming partial text "Terms" matches both safely
• Assuming id locator is always available