Checking element state (displayed, enabled, selected) in Selenium Python

Introduction

We check if elements are visible, clickable, or selected to make sure our tests interact with the right parts of a webpage.

Before clicking a button, check if it is enabled to avoid errors.

Verify if a checkbox is selected before submitting a form.

Confirm that a popup or message is displayed before reading its content.

Ensure a link is visible before trying to click it.

Check if a radio button is selected to validate user choices.

Syntax

Selenium Python

element.is_displayed()
element.is_enabled()
element.is_selected()

is_displayed() returns True if the element is visible on the page.

is_enabled() returns True if the element can be interacted with (not disabled).

is_selected() returns True if the element is selected (mainly for checkboxes, radio buttons, and options).

Examples

Check if the submit button is enabled before clicking.

Selenium Python

button = driver.find_element(By.ID, "submit")
print(button.is_enabled())

Check if the subscribe checkbox is selected.

Selenium Python

checkbox = driver.find_element(By.NAME, "subscribe")
print(checkbox.is_selected())

Check if a popup message is visible on the page.

Selenium Python

popup = driver.find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "popup-message")
print(popup.is_displayed())

Sample Program

This script opens a webpage with a checkbox, checks if it is visible, enabled, and selected before and after clicking it.

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
import time

# Setup driver (make sure chromedriver is in PATH)
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://www.w3schools.com/howto/howto_css_custom_checkbox.asp")

# Find checkbox element
checkbox = driver.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, "input[type='checkbox']")

# Check if checkbox is displayed
print(f"Checkbox displayed: {checkbox.is_displayed()}")

# Check if checkbox is enabled
print(f"Checkbox enabled: {checkbox.is_enabled()}")

# Check if checkbox is selected
print(f"Checkbox selected before click: {checkbox.is_selected()}")

# Click the checkbox to select it
checkbox.click()

# Check if checkbox is selected after click
print(f"Checkbox selected after click: {checkbox.is_selected()}")

# Close the browser
driver.quit()

Important Notes

Always wait for elements to load before checking their state to avoid errors.

Use explicit waits in real tests to handle dynamic pages.

is_selected() works mainly for checkboxes, radio buttons, and options.

Summary

Use is_displayed() to check if an element is visible.

Use is_enabled() to check if an element can be interacted with.

Use is_selected() to check if checkboxes or radio buttons are selected.