Getting and setting attributes in Selenium Java - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What is the output of this Selenium Java code snippet?

Consider the following Selenium Java code that tries to get the value of an input field's attribute. What will be printed?

Selenium Java

WebElement input = driver.findElement(By.id("username"));
String value = input.getAttribute("value");
System.out.println(value);

A Throws a NoSuchElementException

B Prints the placeholder text of the input field

C Prints the current text typed inside the input field

D Prints the value of the "value" attribute as set in the HTML source

💡 Hint

Remember that getAttribute returns the attribute value as in the HTML, not necessarily the visible text.

The getAttribute("value") method returns the value attribute of the input element as defined in the HTML source or last set by JavaScript. It does not return the visible text typed by the user unless it matches the attribute value.

❓ assertion

intermediate

Which assertion correctly verifies that a button's disabled attribute is set to true?

You want to check if a button is disabled by verifying its "disabled" attribute using Selenium Java and JUnit. Which assertion is correct?

Selenium Java

WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.id("submitBtn"));
String disabledAttr = button.getAttribute("disabled");

A assertEquals("true", disabledAttr);

B assertFalse(disabledAttr.isEmpty());

C assertTrue(disabledAttr != null);

D assertNull(disabledAttr);

💡 Hint

The disabled attribute may be present without a value or with value "true".

The disabled attribute in HTML is a boolean attribute. If present, getAttribute returns "true" or an empty string depending on the browser. Checking that it is not null confirms the attribute is present, meaning the button is disabled.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this code fail to set the placeholder attribute?

This Selenium Java code tries to set the placeholder attribute of an input field but it does not work. What is the reason?

Selenium Java

WebElement input = driver.findElement(By.id("searchBox"));
input.setAttribute("placeholder", "Search here");

A WebElement does not have a setAttribute method; attributes cannot be set directly this way

B The placeholder attribute is read-only and cannot be changed

C The element must be clicked before setting attributes

D The attribute name "placeholder" is invalid

💡 Hint

Check the WebElement API for attribute setting methods.

Selenium WebElement does not provide a setAttribute method. To change attributes, JavaScript execution is required via JavascriptExecutor.

❓ framework

advanced

Which Selenium Java code correctly sets an attribute using JavaScript?

You want to set the "data-test" attribute of a WebElement using Selenium Java. Which code snippet correctly does this?

Selenium Java

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.cssSelector(".test-element"));

A element.getAttribute("data-test").setValue("value");

B ((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("arguments[0].setAttribute('data-test', 'value')", element);

C driver.executeScript("element.setAttribute('data-test', 'value')");

D element.setAttribute("data-test", "value");

💡 Hint

Remember how to run JavaScript in Selenium Java.

Only option B uses JavascriptExecutor correctly to run JavaScript on the element to set the attribute. WebElement does not have setAttribute method, and driver does not have executeScript without casting.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What is the difference between getAttribute("value") and getText() for an input element?

In Selenium Java, what is the key difference between calling getAttribute("value") and getText() on an input element?

A getAttribute("value") returns the current input content; getText() returns empty string for input elements

B Both return the same visible text inside the input field

C getText() returns the current input content; getAttribute("value") returns the placeholder

D getAttribute("value") returns the HTML source code of the input element; getText() returns the attribute value

💡 Hint

Think about what getText() returns for input elements.

Input elements do not have inner text, so getText() returns empty string. The current text typed in the input is stored in the "value" attribute, so getAttribute("value") returns that content.