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

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the findElement(By.tagName()) method do in Selenium?

It locates the first web element on the page that matches the specified HTML tag name, such as div, input, or button.

beginner

How do you use findElement(By.tagName()) to find a button element?

You call driver.findElement(By.tagName("button")) to find the first <button> element on the page.

intermediate

What happens if findElement(By.tagName()) does not find any matching element?

It throws a NoSuchElementException, meaning the element with that tag name does not exist on the current page.

intermediate

Why is it better to use more specific locators than just tag name in Selenium tests?

Because many elements share the same tag name, using only tag name can find the wrong element or cause flaky tests. More specific locators like id or class reduce errors.

beginner

Write a simple Java code snippet using Selenium to find the first input element and enter text "Hello".

WebElement inputField = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); inputField.sendKeys("Hello");

What does driver.findElement(By.tagName("div")) return?

A The first <div> element on the page

B All <div> elements on the page

C The element with id 'div'

D An error because 'div' is not a valid locator

The method returns the first element matching the tag name 'div'. It does not return all elements or look for an id.

If no element with the specified tag name exists, what happens?

A Returns an empty list

B Returns null

C Throws NoSuchElementException

D Returns the body element

Selenium throws NoSuchElementException if no matching element is found.

Which locator is generally more reliable than tag name alone?

A By.className

B By.tagName

C By.xpath with absolute path

D By.id

By.id is usually unique and more reliable than tag name or class name.

What type of value does By.tagName() expect?

A CSS selector

B HTML tag name as a string

C XPath expression

D Element text

By.tagName expects a string representing the HTML tag name, like 'input' or 'button'.

Which of these is a valid use of findElement(By.tagName())?

A driver.findElement(By.tagName("input"))

B driver.findElement(By.tagName("submit"))

C driver.findElement(By.tagName("#input"))

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

Only valid HTML tag names like 'input' can be used with By.tagName.

Explain how findElement(By.tagName()) works and when you might use it in a test.

Think about how you find elements by their tag in a webpage's HTML.

Describe the risks of using only tag name to locate elements and how to avoid them.

Consider how many buttons or inputs a page might have.