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.

Practice

1. What does the Selenium method findElement(By.tagName("button")) do?

easy

A. Finds the first <button> element on the page

B. Finds all <button> elements on the page

C. Finds the element with id 'button'

D. Finds the element with class name 'button'

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the method purpose

   findElement returns the first matching element found by the locator.

2. Step 2: Analyze the locator type

   By.tagName("button") looks for elements with the tag <button>.

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the first <button> element on the page -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   findElement + tagName = first matching element [OK]

Hint: findElement with tagName finds only the first matching tag [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing findElement with findElements
• Using tagName but expecting multiple elements
• Mixing tagName with id or class selectors

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find the first <input> element using Selenium in Java?

easy

A. driver.findElement(By.tagName['input']);

B. driver.findElement(By.tagName(input));

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

D. driver.findElement(By.tagName{input});

Solution

1. Step 1: Check method usage

   The method findElement requires a By locator with a string argument for tagName.

2. Step 2: Validate syntax correctness

   Only driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); uses correct Java syntax with quotes around "input" and parentheses.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Correct method call with string tag name [OK]

Hint: Always put tag name in quotes inside By.tagName() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Missing quotes around tag name
• Using wrong brackets like [] or {}
• Omitting parentheses after findElement

3. Given the HTML snippet:

<div>
  <h1>Title</h1>
  <h1>Subtitle</h1>
</div>

What text will be printed by this Java Selenium code?

WebElement header = driver.findElement(By.tagName("h1"));
System.out.println(header.getText());

medium

A. Subtitle

B. Title

C. TitleSubtitle

D. No text, throws exception

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand findElement behavior

   findElement returns the first matching element, here the first <h1> which contains "Title".

2. Step 2: Check getText output

   Calling getText() on the first <h1> returns its text content "Title" only.

3. Final Answer:

   Title -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   findElement returns first tag's text [OK]

Hint: findElement by tagName returns first element only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming it returns all matching elements
• Expecting concatenated text of all tags
• Confusing findElement with findElements

4. What is wrong with this Selenium Java code snippet?

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.tagName("button"));
System.out.println(element.getText());

Assuming the page has no <button> tags.

medium

A. It compiles but does not run

B. It returns null and prints nothing

C. It prints empty string without error

D. It throws NoSuchElementException at runtime

Solution

1. Step 1: Check element presence

   Since no <button> tags exist, findElement cannot find any matching element.

2. Step 2: Understand exception behavior

   findElement throws NoSuchElementException if no element is found, causing runtime error.

3. Final Answer:

   It throws NoSuchElementException at runtime -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   findElement throws error if no match [OK]

Hint: findElement throws exception if tag not found [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting null instead of exception
• Assuming empty string returned
• Confusing with findElements behavior

5. You want to click the first <input> element of type 'submit' on a page using Selenium Java. Which code snippet correctly finds it using findElement(By.tagName()) and then clicks it?

hard

A. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); if ("submit".equals(submit.getAttribute("type"))) submit.click();

B. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input[type='submit']")); submit.click();

C. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("submit")); submit.click();

D. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); submit.click();

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand tagName limitations

   By.tagName("input") finds the first <input> element regardless of type attribute.

2. Step 2: Filter by type attribute manually

   Check if the found element's type attribute equals "submit" before clicking.

3. Step 3: Analyze options

   WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); if ("submit".equals(submit.getAttribute("type"))) submit.click(); correctly finds first input, checks type, then clicks. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input[type='submit']")); submit.click(); uses invalid tagName syntax. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("submit")); submit.click(); searches for non-existent tag <submit>. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); submit.click(); clicks first input without type check.

4. Final Answer:

   WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); if ("submit".equals(submit.getAttribute("type"))) submit.click(); -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Use tagName then check attribute for type [OK]

Hint: findElement by tagName finds tag only; check attributes separately [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to use CSS selector syntax inside tagName
• Assuming tagName can filter by attribute
• Clicking without verifying element type