Find element by tag name in Selenium Python - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the Selenium method find_element_by_tag_name do?

It finds the first web element on the page that matches the given HTML tag name, like <button> or <input>.

beginner

How do you find the first <h1> element on a page using Selenium in Python?

Use driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'h1') after importing By from selenium.webdriver.common.by.

intermediate

Why is it better to use By.TAG_NAME instead of the older find_element_by_tag_name method?

Because By.TAG_NAME is the current recommended way in Selenium 4+, making your code more future-proof and compatible with updates.

beginner

What happens if find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'tag') does not find any matching element?

Selenium raises a NoSuchElementException, meaning no element with that tag name exists on the page.

beginner

Can find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'tag') find multiple elements?

No, it finds only the first matching element. To find all matching elements, use find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'tag').

Which Selenium method finds the first element by tag name in Python?

A find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'tag')

B find_element_by_id('tag')

C find_elements(By.CLASS_NAME, 'tag')

D find_element_by_name('tag')

The correct method to find by tag name is find_element with By.TAG_NAME.

What exception is raised if no element is found by tag name?

A TimeoutException

B ElementNotVisibleException

C NoSuchElementException

D StaleElementReferenceException

NoSuchElementException is raised when no matching element is found.

To find all <div> elements on a page, which method should you use?

A find_element_by_class_name('div')

B find_element(By.TAG_NAME, 'div')

C find_element_by_tag_name('div')

D find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'div')

find_elements returns all matching elements, not just the first.

Why is using By.TAG_NAME preferred over find_element_by_tag_name?

A It is deprecated and should be avoided

B It is the recommended modern syntax in Selenium 4+

C It runs faster

D It works only with Chrome

By.TAG_NAME is the modern, recommended way to locate elements by tag.

Which tag name would you use to find the main heading of a webpage?

A h1

B span

C div

D p

The

tag is used for main headings.

Explain how to find an element by tag name using Selenium in Python.

Think about the modern Selenium syntax and error handling.

Describe the difference between find_element and find_elements when using tag name locator.

Consider what happens when multiple elements match or none match.

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)