Navigation (back, forward, refresh) in Selenium Java - Build an Automation Script

Verify browser navigation using back, forward, and refresh buttons

Preconditions (2)

Step 1: Open the browser and navigate to 'https://example.com/page1'

Step 2: Click on the link with id 'nextPageLink' to go to 'https://example.com/page2'

Step 3: Use the browser back navigation to return to 'https://example.com/page1'

Step 4: Verify the current URL is 'https://example.com/page1'

Step 5: Use the browser forward navigation to go to 'https://example.com/page2'

Step 6: Verify the current URL is 'https://example.com/page2'

Step 7: Refresh the current page

Step 8: Verify the page title is still 'Page 2 Title'

✅ Expected Result: The browser navigates back and forward correctly, and the page refresh reloads the current page without changing the URL or title.

Automation Requirements - Selenium WebDriver with Java

Assertions Needed:

Assert current URL after back navigation is 'https://example.com/page1'

Assert current URL after forward navigation is 'https://example.com/page2'

Assert page title after refresh is 'Page 2 Title'

Best Practices:

Use explicit waits to ensure page loads before assertions

Use By.id locator for the link element

Use WebDriver's navigate() methods for back, forward, and refresh

Keep test steps clear and separated

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;
import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;

public class NavigationTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));

        try {
            // Step 1: Navigate to page1
            driver.get("https://example.com/page1");

            // Step 2: Click link to go to page2
            WebElement nextPageLink = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("nextPageLink")));
            nextPageLink.click();

            // Wait for page2 to load
            wait.until(ExpectedConditions.urlToBe("https://example.com/page2"));

            // Step 3: Navigate back to page1
            driver.navigate().back();

            // Wait for page1 to load
            wait.until(ExpectedConditions.urlToBe("https://example.com/page1"));

            // Step 4: Assert URL is page1
            assertEquals("https://example.com/page1", driver.getCurrentUrl(), "URL after back navigation should be page1");

            // Step 5: Navigate forward to page2
            driver.navigate().forward();

            // Wait for page2 to load
            wait.until(ExpectedConditions.urlToBe("https://example.com/page2"));

            // Step 6: Assert URL is page2
            assertEquals("https://example.com/page2", driver.getCurrentUrl(), "URL after forward navigation should be page2");

            // Step 7: Refresh the page
            driver.navigate().refresh();

            // Wait for page2 title
            wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleIs("Page 2 Title"));

            // Step 8: Assert page title after refresh
            assertEquals("Page 2 Title", driver.getTitle(), "Page title after refresh should be 'Page 2 Title'");

            System.out.println("Test Passed: Navigation back, forward, and refresh works correctly.");
        } finally {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

This test script uses Selenium WebDriver with Java to automate browser navigation.

First, it opens https://example.com/page1. Then it clicks the link with id nextPageLink to go to page 2.

It waits explicitly for the URL to change to page 2 before continuing.

Next, it uses driver.navigate().back() to go back to page 1 and waits for the URL to confirm the navigation.

Assertions check the current URL after back and forward navigation to ensure correctness.

Then it navigates forward to page 2 again and refreshes the page.

After refresh, it waits for the page title to be correct and asserts it.

Explicit waits ensure the page is fully loaded before assertions, preventing flaky tests.

The test ends by closing the browser.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

Using Thread.sleep() instead of explicit waits

Using hardcoded XPath for the link instead of stable locators

Not verifying the URL after navigation

Not closing the browser after test

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different pairs of URLs and expected titles for navigation and refresh verification.

Show Hint

Practice

1. What does the driver.navigate().back() method do in Selenium WebDriver?

easy

A. It closes the browser window.

B. It navigates the browser to the previous page in history.

C. It navigates the browser to the next page in history.

D. It refreshes the current page.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the back() method

   The back() method simulates clicking the browser's back button, moving to the previous page in history.

2. Step 2: Compare with other navigation methods

   forward() moves forward, refresh() reloads the page, and closing the browser is done by driver.close().

3. Final Answer:

   It navigates the browser to the previous page in history. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   back() = previous page [OK]

Hint: Back() always goes to the previous page in browser history [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing back() with refresh()
• Thinking back() closes the browser
• Mixing back() with forward()

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to refresh the current page using Selenium WebDriver in Java?

easy

A. driver.navigate().refresh();

B. driver.refresh();

C. driver.navigate().reload();

D. driver.refreshPage();

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the refresh method syntax

   In Selenium Java, refreshing the page is done by calling driver.navigate().refresh();.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   driver.refresh(), driver.navigate().reload(), and driver.refreshPage() are not valid Selenium WebDriver methods.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.navigate().refresh(); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   refresh() method is under navigate() [OK]

Hint: Use navigate().refresh() to reload the page [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using driver.refresh() directly
• Using non-existent reload() method
• Confusing refresh with back or forward

3. Consider the following Selenium Java code snippet:

driver.get("https://example.com/page1");
driver.get("https://example.com/page2");
driver.navigate().back();
String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl();

What will be the value of currentUrl after execution?

medium

A. "https://example.com/home"

B. "https://example.com/page2"

C. "https://example.com/page1"

D. Throws an exception

Solution

1. Step 1: Trace navigation steps

   The driver first opens page1, then page2. Calling navigate().back() moves back to page1.

2. Step 2: Check current URL after back()

   After going back, getCurrentUrl() returns the URL of page1.

3. Final Answer:

   "https://example.com/page1" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   back() returns to previous URL [OK]

Hint: Back() returns to the last visited URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming current URL stays on page2
• Expecting an exception on back()
• Confusing back() with refresh()

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

driver.get("https://example.com");
driver.navigate().forward();
String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();

What is the problem?

medium

A. driver.get() should be replaced with driver.navigate().to().

B. Syntax error in navigate().forward() method call.

C. driver.getCurrentUrl() returns null after forward().

D. Calling forward() without a previous back() navigation does nothing.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand forward() behavior

   The forward() method moves forward in browser history only if there is a forward page available.

2. Step 2: Analyze code context

   Since no back() was called before, there is no forward page, so forward() does nothing.

3. Final Answer:

   Calling forward() without a previous back() navigation does nothing. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   forward() needs prior back() [OK]

Hint: Use back() before forward() to enable forward navigation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting forward() to always change page
• Thinking forward() causes syntax error
• Confusing get() and navigate().to()

5. You want to test that after navigating back and then forward, the browser returns to the original page URL. Which sequence of Selenium Java commands correctly achieves this?

hard

A. driver.navigate().back(); driver.navigate().forward(); String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();

B. driver.navigate().forward(); driver.navigate().back(); String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();

C. driver.navigate().refresh(); driver.navigate().back(); String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();

D. driver.navigate().back(); driver.navigate().refresh(); String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand navigation flow

   To test returning to the original page, first go back, then forward to return to the original page.

2. Step 2: Verify correct command order

   driver.navigate().back(); driver.navigate().forward(); String url = driver.getCurrentUrl(); correctly calls back() then forward(), then gets the current URL.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.navigate().back(); driver.navigate().forward(); String url = driver.getCurrentUrl(); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Back then forward returns to original URL [OK]

Hint: Back then forward returns to original page URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling forward() before back()
• Using refresh() instead of forward()
• Not checking URL after navigation