Multi-page navigation flow in Selenium Java - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test automates a user navigating through multiple pages on a website. It verifies that each page loads correctly by checking the page title after navigation.

Test Code - JUnit with Selenium WebDriver

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 org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
import java.time.Duration;

public class MultiPageNavigationTest {
    private WebDriver driver;
    private WebDriverWait wait;

    @BeforeEach
    public void setUp() {
        driver = new ChromeDriver();
        wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
    }

    @Test
    public void testMultiPageNavigation() {
        // Step 1: Open homepage
        driver.get("https://example.com");
        wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleIs("Example Domain"));
        assertEquals("Example Domain", driver.getTitle());

        // Step 2: Click on More Information link
        WebElement moreInfoLink = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.cssSelector("a[href='https://www.iana.org/domains/example']")));
        moreInfoLink.click();

        // Step 3: Wait for new page and verify title
        wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleContains("IANA"));
        assertEquals(true, driver.getTitle().contains("IANA"));

        // Step 4: Navigate back to homepage
        driver.navigate().back();
        wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleIs("Example Domain"));
        assertEquals("Example Domain", driver.getTitle());
    }

    @AfterEach
    public void tearDown() {
        if (driver != null) {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

Execution Trace - 7 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts and Chrome browser opens	Browser window is open with no page loaded	—	PASS
2	Navigates to https://example.com	Homepage loads with title 'Example Domain'	Check page title equals 'Example Domain'	PASS
3	Finds 'More Information' link by CSS selector and clicks it	Browser navigates to https://www.iana.org/domains/example	Wait until page title contains 'IANA'	PASS
4	Verifies page title contains 'IANA'	Page loaded with title containing 'IANA'	Assert page title contains 'IANA'	PASS
5	Navigates back to previous page	Browser returns to https://example.com homepage	Wait until page title is 'Example Domain'	PASS
6	Verifies page title is 'Example Domain' again	Homepage displayed with correct title	Assert page title equals 'Example Domain'	PASS
7	Test ends and browser closes	Browser window closed	—	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: The 'More Information' link is not found or not clickable

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the test verify after clicking the 'More Information' link?

A That the URL is exactly 'https://example.com'

B That the new page title contains 'IANA'

C That the homepage title is still 'Example Domain'

D That the browser closes immediately

Key Result

Always use explicit waits like WebDriverWait with ExpectedConditions to ensure elements or page states are ready before interacting or asserting. This prevents flaky tests in multi-page navigation flows.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of multi-page navigation testing in Selenium?

easy

A. To check database connections

B. To verify users can move through pages correctly

C. To test API responses

D. To validate CSS styles on a page

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand multi-page navigation testing

   It focuses on checking if users can move from one page to another as expected.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct purpose

   Among the options, only verifying page navigation matches this goal.

3. Final Answer:

   To verify users can move through pages correctly -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Multi-page navigation = verify page moves [OK]

Hint: Focus on user movement between pages [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing navigation testing with API or database testing
• Thinking CSS validation is part of navigation
• Ignoring the user flow aspect

2. Which Selenium Java command is used to navigate to a new URL in a multi-page test?

easy

A. driver.get("https://example.com")

B. driver.click("https://example.com")

C. driver.navigateTo("https://example.com")

D. driver.openPage("https://example.com")

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Selenium command to open URL

   The correct method is driver.get(url) to load a page.

2. Step 2: Check options for correct syntax

   Only driver.get("https://example.com") is valid Selenium Java syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.get("https://example.com") -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Open URL = driver.get() [OK]

Hint: Use driver.get() to open URLs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent methods like navigateTo or openPage
• Trying to click URLs directly
• Confusing navigation commands with click actions

3. Given the code snippet:

driver.get("https://example.com/page1");
driver.findElement(By.id("nextBtn")).click();
String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl();

What will currentUrl contain after execution if clicking the button navigates to page2?

medium

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

B. null

C. Throws NoSuchElementException

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

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand navigation flow in code

   The driver opens page1, then clicks a button that navigates to page2.

2. Step 2: Check what getCurrentUrl() returns after navigation

   It returns the URL of the current page, which should be page2 after clicking.

3. Final Answer:

   "https://example.com/page2" -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   After click, URL updates to new page [OK]

Hint: getCurrentUrl() shows current page URL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming URL stays the same after navigation
• Confusing getCurrentUrl() with getPageSource()
• Thinking click throws exception without checking element presence

4. Identify the error in this Selenium Java code for multi-page navigation:

driver.get("https://example.com/home");
WebElement link = driver.findElement(By.className("nav-link"));
link.click();
String title = driver.getTitle();
assert title.equals("Home Page");

medium

A. Missing driver.quit() after test

B. Incorrect assertion method syntax

C. Using className locator without checking multiple matches

D. Using getTitle() instead of getCurrentUrl()

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze locator usage

   Using By.className("nav-link") may find multiple elements, causing ambiguity.

2. Step 2: Check other code parts

   Assertion syntax is correct, driver.quit() is optional, and getTitle() is valid for title check.

3. Final Answer:

   Using className locator without checking multiple matches -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   className may match many elements [OK]

Hint: Ensure locators uniquely identify elements [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring that className can match multiple elements
• Thinking getTitle() is wrong for title checks
• Believing driver.quit() is mandatory in every snippet

5. You want to test a multi-page flow where after login, the user clicks a menu to open a settings page, then clicks a logout button. Which Selenium Java approach correctly verifies the flow?

hard

A. Use driver.get() for login page, findElement().sendKeys() for login, click menu link, verify settings URL, click logout, verify login URL

B. Use driver.navigate().refresh() after each click to ensure page loads

C. Use driver.get() only once at login, then use JavaScript to change URLs for other pages

D. Use driver.findElement(By.tagName("button")).click() for all clicks without verifying page changes

Solution

1. Step 1: Outline correct multi-page test steps

   Start at login page, perform login, navigate via clicks, verify URLs after each step.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for best practice

   Use driver.get() for login page, findElement().sendKeys() for login, click menu link, verify settings URL, click logout, verify login URL follows proper navigation and verification. Others misuse refresh, JavaScript URL changes, or skip verification.

3. Final Answer:

   Use driver.get() for login page, findElement().sendKeys() for login, click menu link, verify settings URL, click logout, verify login URL -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Navigate and verify URLs step-by-step [OK]

Hint: Navigate and verify each page URL after clicks [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Refreshing unnecessarily after clicks
• Changing URLs via JavaScript instead of real navigation
• Clicking without verifying page changes