@FindBy annotations in Selenium Java - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ locator

intermediate

Identify the correct @FindBy annotation for locating a button by its exact text

Which @FindBy annotation correctly locates a button element with the exact visible text 'Submit'?

A @FindBy(css = "button:contains('Submit')")

B @FindBy(name = "Submit")

C @FindBy(id = "Submit")

D @FindBy(xpath = "//button[text()='Submit']")

💡 Hint

Remember that CSS selectors do not support :contains pseudo-class in Selenium.

The correct way to locate a button by its exact visible text is using XPath with the text() function. Option D uses this correctly.

Option D uses a CSS selector with :contains, which is not supported in Selenium.

Options C and D look for id or name attributes with value 'Submit', which may not exist.

❓ assertion

intermediate

Determine the assertion outcome for a missing element located by @FindBy

Given the following code snippet, what will happen when the test tries to access the element if it is not present on the page?

Selenium Java

public class LoginPage {
  @FindBy(id = "username")
  private WebElement usernameInput;

  public void enterUsername(String username) {
    usernameInput.sendKeys(username);
  }
}

A NoSuchElementException is thrown when enterUsername is called

B NullPointerException is thrown when enterUsername is called

C The test passes silently without error

D TimeoutException is thrown immediately when the page loads

💡 Hint

Think about when Selenium tries to find the element and what happens if it is missing.

The @FindBy annotation creates a proxy for the element. The actual search happens when the element is used.

If the element is not found, Selenium throws NoSuchElementException at the time of interaction (sendKeys).

NullPointerException does not occur because the proxy is not null.

TimeoutException is not immediate unless explicit waits are used.

❓ Predict Output

advanced

What is the output of this Selenium Page Object initialization?

Consider the following Java Selenium code snippet. What will be the value of the 'submitButton' variable after initialization?

Selenium Java

public class FormPage {
  @FindBy(css = "button.submit")
  private WebElement submitButton;

  public FormPage(WebDriver driver) {
    PageFactory.initElements(driver, this);
  }

  public WebElement getSubmitButton() {
    return submitButton;
  }
}

// In test method:
FormPage page = new FormPage(driver);
WebElement btn = page.getSubmitButton();
System.out.println(btn == null);

A false

B true

C NoSuchElementException at initialization

D Compilation error

💡 Hint

PageFactory creates proxies, so the variable is not null immediately after initElements.

PageFactory.initElements creates a proxy for the WebElement fields.

The variable 'submitButton' is not null after initialization, so 'btn == null' prints false.

No exception is thrown at initialization because the element is not searched yet.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Find the error in this @FindBy annotation usage

What is wrong with the following @FindBy annotation that causes a runtime error?

Selenium Java

public class DashboardPage {
  @FindBy(xpath = "//div[@class='menu'][1]")
  private WebElement firstMenu;

  @FindBy(css = "div.menu:nth-child(1)")
  private WebElement firstMenuCss;
}

A The XPath expression selects the first div.menu correctly; no error here

B The CSS selector 'div.menu:nth-child(1)' does not select the first div.menu as expected

C Both selectors cause NoSuchElementException at runtime

D The @FindBy annotation requires 'how' and 'using' parameters, so both are invalid

💡 Hint

Check how CSS :nth-child works compared to XPath indexing.

The XPath expression selects the first div with class 'menu' correctly.

The CSS selector 'div.menu:nth-child(1)' selects div.menu elements that are the first child of their parent, which may not be the first div.menu overall.

This causes the CSS selector to not find the intended element, leading to runtime errors when used.

Option B is incorrect because @FindBy supports direct use of xpath or css parameters.

❓ framework

expert

Best practice for using @FindBy with dynamic elements in Selenium

In a Selenium test framework, which approach best handles locating elements that may appear or change dynamically during test execution?

A Use @FindBy with PageFactory and rely on implicit waits to handle dynamic elements

B Avoid @FindBy and locate elements inside test methods with explicit waits each time

C Use @FindBy with PageFactory and add explicit waits before interacting with elements

D Use @FindBy with static locators only and refresh the page to reload elements

💡 Hint

Think about combining @FindBy with waits to handle timing issues.

Using @FindBy with PageFactory creates proxies for elements, but does not wait for elements to be ready.

Adding explicit waits before interacting ensures elements are present and ready, handling dynamic changes well.

Implicit waits alone are less reliable for dynamic content.

Locating elements inside test methods each time (option C) reduces code reuse and clarity.

Refreshing the page (option C) is inefficient and not practical.