XPath with text() in Selenium Java - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ locator

intermediate

Identify the correct XPath locator using text()

Given the HTML snippet below, which XPath expression correctly selects the

Selenium Java

<button>Submit</button>
<button>submit</button>
<button>Submit Form</button>

A //button[text()='submit']

B //button[contains(text(),'Submit')]

C //button[text()='Submit']

D //button[text()='Submit Form']

💡 Hint

Use text() to match exact visible text, case-sensitive.

Option C uses text() to match the exact text 'Submit'. Option C matches any button containing 'Submit' but would also match 'Submit Form'. Option C is case-sensitive and does not match 'Submit'. Option C matches a different button with text 'Submit Form'.

❓ assertion

intermediate

Assertion on element text using XPath with text()

In Selenium Java, which assertion correctly verifies that the element located by XPath //div[text()='Welcome'] has the text 'Welcome'?

Selenium Java

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.xpath("//div[text()='Welcome']"));

A assertEquals(element.getText(), "Welcome");

B assertTrue(element.isDisplayed());

C assertEquals(element.getText(), "welcome");

D assertFalse(element.isDisplayed());

💡 Hint

Check both visibility and exact text match with correct case.

Option A correctly asserts the element's text is exactly 'Welcome'. Option A checks visibility but not text. Option A fails due to case mismatch. Option A asserts the element is not displayed, which is incorrect.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

Output of XPath expression with text() and normalize-space()

What is the output count of elements selected by the XPath //p[normalize-space(text())='Hello World'] given the HTML below?

Selenium Java

<p> Hello World </p>
<p>Hello   World</p>
<p>Hello World!</p>
<p> HelloWorld </p>

A 2

B 3

C 1

D 4

💡 Hint

normalize-space() removes leading/trailing spaces and collapses multiple spaces.

The first two

elements normalize to 'Hello World' and match exactly. The third has an exclamation mark, the fourth has no space between words, so only 2 match.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Debug the failing XPath locator using text()

A test fails to locate the element with text 'Cancel' using the XPath //button[text()='Cancel']. The HTML is:

<button> Cancel </button>

What is the most likely reason for failure?

A XPath syntax is incorrect; missing parentheses.

B Extra spaces inside the button text cause exact text() match to fail.

C The button element is not visible on the page.

D The text 'Cancel' is inside a child span element, not directly in button.

💡 Hint

Check for whitespace differences in visible text.

The button text has spaces around 'Cancel', so exact text() match fails. Using normalize-space() would fix this. Options B, C, and D do not match the given HTML or XPath.

❓ framework

expert

Best practice for dynamic text matching in XPath locators

In a Selenium Java framework, which XPath locator is best to find a <span> element containing dynamic text that always includes the word 'Error' somewhere inside it?

A //span[text()[contains(.,'Error')]]

B //span[text()='Error']

C //span[starts-with(text(),'Error')]

D //span[contains(text(),'Error')]

💡 Hint

Use contains() to match partial text anywhere inside the element.

Option D correctly uses contains(text(),'Error') to match any span with 'Error' in its text. Option D matches exact text 'Error' only. Option D matches text starting with 'Error' only. Option D uses advanced text node filtering but is more complex than needed.

Practice

1. What does the XPath expression //button[text()='Submit'] select in a web page?

easy

A. A button element with the exact visible text 'Submit'

B. Any element with the attribute text='Submit'

C. All buttons regardless of their text

D. Any element containing the word 'Submit' anywhere

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the XPath syntax

   The expression //button selects all button elements in the document.

2. Step 2: Apply the text() condition

   The predicate [text()='Submit'] filters those buttons to only those whose visible text exactly matches 'Submit'.

3. Final Answer:

   A button element with the exact visible text 'Submit' -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   XPath with text() = exact text match [OK]

Hint: Use text() for exact visible text match in XPath [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing attribute text with text() function
• Assuming partial text match without contains()
• Selecting wrong element types

2. Which of the following is the correct XPath syntax to select a link (<a>) with visible text exactly 'Home'?

easy

A. //a[text()='Home']

B. //a[contains(text(), 'Home')]

C. //a[text()='home']

D. //a[@text='Home']

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify exact text match syntax

   The correct syntax for exact text match uses text()='Home' inside brackets.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   //a[contains(text(), 'Home')] uses contains(), which is partial match, not exact. //a[text()='home'] has wrong case 'home' (case-sensitive). //a[@text='Home'] incorrectly treats text as attribute.

3. Final Answer:

   //a[text()='Home'] -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Exact text match uses text()='value' [OK]

Hint: Use text()='ExactText' for precise text matching [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using contains() when exact match is needed
• Ignoring case sensitivity in text()
• Treating text as an attribute

3. Given the following HTML snippet:

<div>
  <button>Save</button>
  <button>Cancel</button>
  <button>Save As</button>
</div>

What will the XPath //button[text()='Save'] select?

medium

A. All three buttons

B. Both buttons with texts 'Save' and 'Save As'

C. No buttons because 'Save' is part of 'Save As'

D. The first button with text 'Save' only

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand exact text() matching

   The XPath text()='Save' matches only buttons whose visible text is exactly 'Save'.

2. Step 2: Analyze the buttons' text

   Only the first button has exactly 'Save'. The third button's text is 'Save As', which does not match exactly.

3. Final Answer:

   The first button with text 'Save' only -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   text()='Save' matches exact text only [OK]

Hint: Exact text() matches full text, not partial [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming partial match with text()
• Selecting multiple elements incorrectly
• Ignoring spaces or extra words

4. You wrote this XPath to select a label with text 'Username': //label[text()='username']. It does not find the element. What is the likely problem?

medium

A. Missing contains() function for partial match

B. XPath is case-sensitive; 'username' does not match 'Username'

C. text() cannot be used with label elements

D. XPath syntax requires @text attribute instead of text()

Solution

1. Step 1: Check case sensitivity in XPath text()

   XPath text() matching is case-sensitive, so 'username' does not match 'Username'.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   text() works with any element, contains() is optional, and @text is invalid attribute syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   XPath is case-sensitive; 'username' does not match 'Username' -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   XPath text() is case-sensitive [OK]

Hint: Match exact case in text() for correct XPath [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring case sensitivity
• Using attribute syntax instead of text()
• Assuming text() only works on certain tags

5. You want to select a <span> element that contains the exact text 'Error: Invalid input' but the page sometimes adds extra spaces before or after the text. Which XPath expression is best to handle this?

hard

A. //span[text()='Error: Invalid input']

B. //span[contains(text(), 'Error: Invalid input')]

C. //span[normalize-space(text())='Error: Invalid input']

D. //span[@text='Error: Invalid input']

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the problem with extra spaces

   Extra spaces before or after text cause exact text() match to fail.

2. Step 2: Use normalize-space() to trim spaces

   Using normalize-space(text())='Error: Invalid input' trims spaces and matches exact text.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   //span[text()='Error: Invalid input'] fails with spaces, //span[contains(text(), 'Error: Invalid input')] matches partial text (not exact), //span[@text='Error: Invalid input'] is invalid syntax.

4. Final Answer:

   //span[normalize-space(text())='Error: Invalid input'] -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   normalize-space() trims spaces for exact text match [OK]

Hint: Use normalize-space() to ignore extra spaces in text() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using text() without trimming spaces
• Using contains() when exact match needed
• Treating text as attribute