File download handling in Selenium Java - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test automates downloading a file from a web page and verifies that the file is successfully saved in the expected folder.

Test Code - Selenium

Selenium Java

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeOptions;
import java.io.File;
import java.time.Duration;
import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;

public class FileDownloadTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
        String downloadFilepath = System.getProperty("user.dir") + "/downloads";
        File downloadDir = new File(downloadFilepath);
        if (!downloadDir.exists()) {
            downloadDir.mkdir();
        }

        ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
        options.addArguments("--headless=new");
        options.addArguments("--disable-gpu");
        options.addArguments("--window-size=1920,1080");
        options.addArguments("--no-sandbox");
        options.addArguments("--disable-dev-shm-usage");
        options.setExperimentalOption("prefs", java.util.Map.of(
            "download.default_directory", downloadFilepath,
            "download.prompt_for_download", false,
            "download.directory_upgrade", true,
            "safebrowsing.enabled", true
        ));

        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
        try {
            driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10));
            driver.get("https://www.selenium.dev/downloads/");

            // Find the download link for Selenium Server (example file)
            driver.findElement(By.linkText("4.12.0"))
                  .click();

            // Wait for the file to appear in the download folder
            File downloadedFile = new File(downloadFilepath + "/selenium-server-4.12.0.jar");
            int waitTime = 0;
            while (!downloadedFile.exists() && waitTime < 15000) { // wait max 15 seconds
                Thread.sleep(500);
                waitTime += 500;
            }

            assertTrue(downloadedFile.exists(), "Downloaded file should exist");
        } finally {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

Execution Trace - 5 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts and ChromeDriver is initialized with download preferences set to a custom folder	Browser is ready with headless mode and download folder configured	-	PASS
2	Browser navigates to https://www.selenium.dev/downloads/	Selenium downloads page is loaded	-	PASS
3	Finds the link with text '4.12.0' and clicks it to start file download	Download of selenium-server-4.12.0.jar file starts	-	PASS
4	Waits up to 15 seconds for the file selenium-server-4.12.0.jar to appear in the download folder	File appears in the download folder	Check if downloaded file exists in the folder	PASS
5	Test ends and browser closes	Browser closed, test complete	-	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: The file does not download within 15 seconds or is saved to a different location

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What is the purpose of setting 'download.default_directory' in ChromeOptions?

A To disable file downloads

B To open downloads in a new tab

C To specify where downloaded files are saved

D To clear browser cache before download

Key Result

Always configure the browser's download directory explicitly in automated tests to reliably verify file downloads without manual intervention.