Find element by tag name in Selenium Python

Introduction

Finding elements by tag name helps you locate parts of a webpage using their HTML tags, like buttons or paragraphs.

You want to click the first button on a page.

You need to check all paragraphs for specific text.

You want to count how many images are on a page.

You want to verify if a header tag exists.

You want to extract all links by finding all 'a' tags.

Syntax

Selenium Python

element = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'tagname')
elements = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'tagname')

Use find_element to get the first matching element.

Use find_elements to get a list of all matching elements.

Examples

Finds the first <button> element on the page.

Selenium Python

button = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'button')

Finds all <p> elements and stores them in a list.

Selenium Python

all_paragraphs = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'p')

Finds the first image element on the page.

Selenium Python

first_image = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'img')

Sample Program

This script opens a simple webpage with headings, paragraphs, and a button. It finds the first paragraph, counts all paragraphs, and finds the button, printing their texts.

Selenium Python

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

# Start the browser
with webdriver.Chrome() as driver:
    # Open a simple webpage
    driver.get('data:text/html,<html><body><h1>Title</h1><p>Paragraph 1</p><p>Paragraph 2</p><button>Click me</button></body></html>')

    # Find the first paragraph
    first_p = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'p')
    print('First paragraph text:', first_p.text)

    # Find all paragraphs
    all_p = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'p')
    print('Number of paragraphs:', len(all_p))

    # Find the button
    button = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'button')
    print('Button text:', button.text)

Important Notes

Tag names are case-insensitive in HTML but use lowercase in Selenium for consistency.

If no element is found, find_element throws an error; find_elements returns an empty list.

Summary

Use find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'tagname') to get the first element by tag.

Use find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'tagname') to get all elements by tag.

This method is simple and useful for common HTML tags like button, p, img, etc.

Practice

1. What does find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'button') do in Selenium Python?

easy

A. Finds all <button> elements on the page

B. Finds elements by their ID 'button'

C. Finds elements by their class name 'button'

D. Finds the first <button> element on the page

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the method used

   The method find_element returns the first matching element found.

2. Step 2: Understand the locator type

   Using By.TAG_NAME with 'button' searches for the first <button> tag element.

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the first <button> element on the page -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   find_element + TAG_NAME = first matching tag element [OK]

Hint: find_element + TAG_NAME finds only the first matching tag [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing find_element with find_elements
• Using class name or ID instead of tag name
• Expecting all elements instead of first only

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find all p elements using Selenium Python?

easy

A. driver.find_element_by_tag_name('p')

B. driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'p')

C. driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'p')

D. driver.find_elements_by_class_name('p')

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify method for multiple elements

   To get all matching elements, use find_elements (plural).

2. Step 2: Use correct locator for tag name

   Use By.TAG_NAME with the tag string 'p'.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'p') -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   find_elements + TAG_NAME = all matching tags [OK]

Hint: Use find_elements (plural) to get all elements by tag [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using find_element instead of find_elements
• Using deprecated find_element_by_tag_name syntax
• Confusing class name locator with tag name

3. Given the HTML:

<div>
  <button>Click</button>
  <button>Submit</button>
</div>

What will driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'button').text return?

medium

A. "ClickSubmit"

B. "Click"

C. "Submit"

D. Throws NoSuchElementException

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand find_element behavior

   It returns the first matching element by tag name, which is the first <button> with text "Click".

2. Step 2: Access the text property

   The .text attribute returns the visible text inside that element, which is "Click".

3. Final Answer:

   "Click" -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   First button text = "Click" [OK]

Hint: find_element returns first tag; .text shows its text content [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming it returns all buttons' text combined
• Confusing find_element with find_elements
• Expecting an exception when element exists

4. You wrote this code:

element = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'img')

But you get an error when trying element.click(). What is the problem?

medium

A. find_elements returns a list, not a single element

B. The tag name 'img' is invalid

C. click() cannot be used on images

D. You must use find_element instead of find_elements

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand return type of find_elements

   find_elements returns a list of WebElements, not a single element.

2. Step 2: Identify why click() fails

   Calling click() on a list causes an error because lists don't have click method.

3. Final Answer:

   find_elements returns a list, not a single element -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   find_elements = list, cannot call click() directly [OK]

Hint: find_elements returns list; call click() on list item, not list [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling click() on list instead of element
• Confusing find_element and find_elements return types
• Assuming all tags support click() without checking

5. You want to click the second button on a page. Which code correctly finds and clicks it using tag name?

hard

A. buttons = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'button')
buttons[1].click()

B. button = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'button')
button[1].click()

C. button = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'button')
button.click()

D. buttons = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'button')
buttons.click()

Solution

1. Step 1: Use find_elements to get all buttons

   Use find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'button') to get a list of all button elements.

2. Step 2: Access second button and click

   Index 1 accesses the second button (0-based index), then call click() on it.

3. Final Answer:

   buttons = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'button') buttons[1].click() -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   find_elements + index + click = correct usage [OK]

Hint: Use find_elements, index second item, then click [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using find_element and indexing it like a list
• Calling click() on list instead of element
• Using wrong index (like 2 instead of 1 for second element)