Finding multiple elements in Selenium Python - Build an Automation Script

Verify multiple product items are displayed on the products page

Preconditions (2)

Step 1: Open the products page URL

Step 2: Locate all product item elements by their common CSS class 'product-item'

Step 3: Count the number of product item elements found

✅ Expected Result: At least 3 product item elements are found and visible on the page

Automation Requirements - Selenium with Python

Assertions Needed:

Assert that the number of product items found is greater than or equal to 3

Assert that each product item element is displayed (visible)

Best Practices:

Use explicit waits to wait for product items to be present

Use By.CLASS_NAME locator for product items

Avoid hardcoded sleeps

Use Page Object Model pattern for maintainability

Automated Solution

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

class ProductsPage:
    def __init__(self, driver):
        self.driver = driver
        self.product_items_locator = (By.CLASS_NAME, 'product-item')

    def wait_for_products(self):
        WebDriverWait(self.driver, 10).until(
            EC.presence_of_all_elements_located(self.product_items_locator)
        )

    def get_product_items(self):
        return self.driver.find_elements(*self.product_items_locator)


def test_multiple_product_items_displayed():
    driver = webdriver.Chrome()
    try:
        driver.get('https://example.com/products')
        products_page = ProductsPage(driver)
        products_page.wait_for_products()
        items = products_page.get_product_items()

        assert len(items) >= 3, f'Expected at least 3 product items, found {len(items)}'

        for item in items:
            assert item.is_displayed(), 'Product item is not visible'
    finally:
        driver.quit()

The ProductsPage class uses the Page Object Model to keep locators and actions organized.

We use WebDriverWait with presence_of_all_elements_located to wait until product items appear on the page, avoiding fixed delays.

The test opens the products page URL, waits for product items, then finds all elements with the class product-item.

We assert that there are at least 3 such elements, matching the manual test case expectation.

We also check each product item is visible using is_displayed().

Finally, the browser is closed in a finally block to ensure cleanup.

Common Mistakes - 3 Pitfalls

Using time.sleep() instead of explicit waits

Using find_element instead of find_elements to get multiple elements

Using brittle XPath or CSS selectors that depend on exact element hierarchy

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different product pages URLs to verify multiple product items on each page.

Show Hint

Practice

1. What does the find_elements method in Selenium Python return when used to locate multiple elements?

easy

A. A list of WebElement objects matching the locator

B. A single WebElement object

C. A boolean indicating if elements exist

D. An integer count of elements found

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of find_elements

   This method is designed to find all elements matching a locator, not just one.

2. Step 2: Identify the return type

   It returns a list of WebElement objects, even if the list is empty when no elements match.

3. Final Answer:

   A list of WebElement objects matching the locator -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   find_elements returns list [OK]

Hint: Remember: plural 'elements' means a list, not one item [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing find_element (single) with find_elements (multiple)
• Expecting a single WebElement instead of a list
• Thinking it returns a count or boolean

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find all buttons on a page using Selenium Python?

easy

A. driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'button')

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

C. driver.find_elements('button')

D. driver.find_element('button')

Solution

1. Step 1: Use the correct method for multiple elements

   To find all buttons, use find_elements, not find_element.

2. Step 2: Use the correct locator syntax

   The method requires two arguments: locator strategy and locator value, e.g., By.TAG_NAME and 'button'.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'button') -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct method and locator = B [OK]

Hint: Use find_elements with By strategy and locator tuple [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using find_element instead of find_elements
• Passing only one argument instead of two
• Using string locator without By class

3. What will be the output of this code snippet if the page has exactly 3 <li> elements?

items = driver.find_elements(By.TAG_NAME, 'li')
print(len(items))

medium

A. Error

B. 1

C. 0

D. 3

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what find_elements returns

   It returns a list of all matching elements. Here, it finds all <li> tags.

2. Step 2: Use len() to count elements

   Since there are 3 <li> elements, len(items) returns 3.

3. Final Answer:

   3 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Count of found elements = 3 [OK]

Hint: len() on find_elements list gives number found [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting find_elements to return a single element
• Confusing find_element with find_elements
• Assuming print outputs elements instead of count

4. Identify the error in this code snippet:

elements = driver.find_elements(By.CLASS_NAME)
for el in elements:
    print(el.text)

medium

A. Incorrect loop syntax

B. Using find_elements instead of find_element

C. Missing locator value argument in find_elements

D. Cannot print text of elements

Solution

1. Step 1: Check find_elements method arguments

   find_elements requires two arguments: locator strategy and locator value. Here only one is given.

2. Step 2: Understand the error cause

   Missing the second argument (the class name string) causes a TypeError.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing locator value argument in find_elements -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Two arguments needed for find_elements [OK]

Hint: Always provide locator type and value in find_elements [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Passing only locator type without value
• Confusing find_element and find_elements usage
• Assuming loop syntax is wrong

5. You want to click all links inside a <div> with id 'menu'. Which code correctly finds and clicks all these links?

hard

A. links = driver.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, '#menu a')
for link in links:
link.click()

B. links = driver.find_elements(By.CSS_SELECTOR, '#menu a')
for link in links:
link.click()

C. links = driver.find_elements(By.ID, 'menu a')
for link in links:
link.click()

D. links = driver.find_elements(By.CLASS_NAME, 'menu a')
for link in links:
link.click()

Solution

1. Step 1: Use correct locator for links inside #menu

   The CSS selector '#menu a' selects all <a> tags inside the element with id 'menu'.

2. Step 2: Use find_elements to get all matching links

   find_elements returns a list of all matching elements, allowing iteration.

3. Step 3: Loop through each link and click

   Iterate over the list and call click() on each WebElement.

4. Final Answer:

   links = driver.find_elements(By.CSS_SELECTOR, '#menu a') for link in links: link.click() -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Correct locator and method = A [OK]

Hint: Use CSS selector '#menu a' with find_elements to get all links [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using find_element instead of find_elements
• Wrong locator syntax for nested elements
• Using By.ID with compound selector string