Opening URLs (get) in Selenium Python

Introduction

Opening a URL in a browser lets you test how a website loads and behaves.

When you want to start testing a website from its homepage.

When you need to check if a specific webpage loads correctly.

When automating navigation to different pages during a test.

When verifying that links or redirects lead to the right page.

Syntax

Selenium Python

driver.get("https://example.com")

driver is your browser control object.

The URL must be a full web address starting with http:// or https://.

Examples

Open Google's homepage in the browser.

Selenium Python

driver.get("https://www.google.com")

Navigate directly to the About page of example.com.

Selenium Python

driver.get("https://example.com/about")

Sample Program

This script opens the URL https://example.com in a headless Chrome browser, prints the page title, then closes the browser.

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
import time

options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')  # Run browser without opening window
service = Service()
driver = webdriver.Chrome(service=service, options=options)

try:
    driver.get("https://example.com")
    print(f"Page title is: {driver.title}")
finally:
    driver.quit()

Important Notes

Always close the browser with driver.quit() to free resources.

Using headless mode lets tests run faster without opening a visible window.

If the URL is incorrect or the site is down, driver.get() may raise an error or timeout.

Summary

Use driver.get(url) to open a webpage in your test browser.

Make sure the URL is complete and correct.

Close the browser after testing to avoid resource leaks.

Practice

1. What does the Selenium command driver.get(url) do in a test script?

easy

A. It refreshes the current page.

B. It opens the specified URL in the browser controlled by Selenium.

C. It closes the browser window.

D. It finds an element on the page.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of driver.get(url)

   This command tells Selenium to open a web page at the given URL in the browser it controls.

2. Step 2: Compare with other commands

   Closing the browser is done by driver.quit(), refreshing by driver.refresh(), and finding elements by driver.find_element().

3. Final Answer:

   It opens the specified URL in the browser controlled by Selenium. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   driver.get(url) opens URL [OK]

Hint: Remember: get() means open URL in browser [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing get() with close() or quit()
• Thinking get() refreshes the page
• Assuming get() finds elements

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to open the URL "https://example.com" using Selenium WebDriver in Python?

easy

A. driver.open("https://example.com")

B. driver.navigate("https://example.com")

C. driver.get("https://example.com")

D. driver.load_url("https://example.com")

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the correct method to open a URL

   The Selenium WebDriver method to open a URL is get(), used as driver.get(url).

2. Step 2: Check the syntax of each option

   Only driver.get("https://example.com") uses the correct method name and syntax. The others use invalid method names.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.get("https://example.com") -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Correct method is get() [OK]

Hint: Use driver.get() to open URLs, not open() or navigate() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using driver.open() instead of driver.get()
• Forgetting to put URL in quotes
• Using incorrect method names

3. What will happen when the following Selenium Python code runs?

from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://www.google.com")
print(driver.title)
driver.quit()

medium

A. It opens Google homepage, prints the page title, then closes the browser.

B. It throws a syntax error because of missing parentheses.

C. It opens the browser but does not navigate to any page.

D. It opens Google homepage but does not close the browser.

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the code step-by-step

   The code creates a Chrome browser instance, opens Google's homepage with get(), prints the page title, then closes the browser with quit().

2. Step 2: Check for errors or missing parts

   All syntax is correct, and the browser is properly closed at the end.

3. Final Answer:

   It opens Google homepage, prints the page title, then closes the browser. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   driver.get() opens URL, driver.quit() closes browser [OK]

Hint: driver.get() opens URL; driver.quit() closes browser [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to call driver.quit() to close browser
• Assuming print(driver.title) prints URL
• Confusing syntax errors with correct code

4. Identify the error in this Selenium Python code snippet:

from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Firefox()
driver.get("www.example.com")
driver.quit()

medium

A. The get() method requires two arguments.

B. webdriver.Firefox() is not a valid WebDriver.

C. driver.quit() should be called before driver.get().

D. The URL is missing the protocol (http:// or https://).

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the URL format in driver.get()

   The URL "www.example.com" lacks the protocol prefix like "http://" or "https://", which is required for Selenium to open it correctly.

2. Step 2: Verify other parts of the code

   webdriver.Firefox() is valid, driver.quit() is correctly placed after get(), and get() takes only one argument.

3. Final Answer:

   The URL is missing the protocol (http:// or https://). -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   URL must include protocol [OK]

Hint: Always include http:// or https:// in URLs [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting protocol in URL
• Calling quit() before get()
• Thinking get() needs multiple arguments

5. You want to write a Selenium test that opens two URLs one after another in the same browser session. Which code snippet correctly does this?

hard

A. driver.get("https://first.com")
driver.get("https://second.com")
driver.quit()

B. driver.get("https://first.com")
driver.quit()
driver.get("https://second.com")

C. driver.open("https://first.com")
driver.get("https://second.com")
driver.quit()

D. driver.navigate("https://first.com")
driver.navigate("https://second.com")
driver.quit()

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand how to open multiple URLs in one session

   Calling driver.get() multiple times in a row opens each URL sequentially in the same browser window.

2. Step 2: Check each option for correctness

   driver.get("https://first.com") driver.get("https://second.com") driver.quit() correctly calls get() twice before quitting. driver.get("https://first.com") driver.quit() driver.get("https://second.com") quits before second get(), which closes browser early. Options A and C use invalid methods.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.get("https://first.com") driver.get("https://second.com") driver.quit() -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple get() calls open URLs sequentially [OK]

Hint: Use multiple driver.get() calls before driver.quit() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling driver.quit() before opening all URLs
• Using invalid methods like open() or navigate()
• Assuming get() opens new tabs automatically