Custom wait conditions in Selenium Python

Introduction

Sometimes, you need to wait for something special on a webpage before continuing your test. Custom wait conditions let you tell the test exactly what to wait for.

Waiting for a specific text to appear inside an element.

Waiting for a button to become clickable after some animation.

Waiting for a custom attribute to change value on an element.

Waiting for multiple elements to be visible at the same time.

Waiting for a loading spinner to disappear before proceeding.

Syntax

Selenium Python

from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

class CustomCondition:
    def __init__(self, locator):
        self.locator = locator

    def __call__(self, driver):
        element = driver.find_element(*self.locator)
        if element.text == 'Ready':
            return element
        else:
            return False

The custom condition is a class with a __call__ method that Selenium calls repeatedly.

Return the element or True when the condition is met; return False to keep waiting.

Examples

This waits until the element's text is exactly 'Ready'.

Selenium Python

class TextIsReady:
    def __init__(self, locator):
        self.locator = locator

    def __call__(self, driver):
        element = driver.find_element(*self.locator)
        return element.text == 'Ready'

This waits until a specific attribute of an element matches the expected value.

Selenium Python

class AttributeChanged:
    def __init__(self, locator, attribute, expected_value):
        self.locator = locator
        self.attribute = attribute
        self.expected_value = expected_value

    def __call__(self, driver):
        element = driver.find_element(*self.locator)
        return element.get_attribute(self.attribute) == self.expected_value

Sample Program

This test opens a page, waits up to 10 seconds for the element with ID 'status' to have text 'Ready', then prints the text.

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait

class TextIsReady:
    def __init__(self, locator):
        self.locator = locator

    def __call__(self, driver):
        element = driver.find_element(*self.locator)
        if element.text == 'Ready':
            return element
        else:
            return False

# Setup driver (example with Chrome)
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get('https://example.com/wait_test')

locator = (By.ID, 'status')
wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10)

# Use custom wait condition
ready_element = wait.until(TextIsReady(locator))
print(f"Element text is: {ready_element.text}")

driver.quit()

Important Notes

Custom wait conditions help when built-in waits are not enough.

Always return False or None to keep waiting, and a truthy value to stop waiting.

Use descriptive class names to keep your tests clear.

Summary

Custom wait conditions let you wait for exactly what you need.

Create a class with a __call__ method that returns True or the element when ready.

Use WebDriverWait with your custom condition to pause your test smartly.