XPath axes (parent, child, sibling) in Selenium Python - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test verifies locating elements using XPath axes: parent, child, and sibling. It checks if the test can find a child element, then its parent, and a sibling element correctly on a sample webpage.

Test Code - Selenium

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
import unittest

class TestXPathAxes(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.driver = webdriver.Chrome()
        self.driver.get('https://example.com/xpath-axes-sample')

    def test_xpath_axes(self):
        driver = self.driver
        wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10)

        # Find child element using child axis
        child = wait.until(EC.presence_of_element_located((By.XPATH, "//div[@id='parent']/child::span[@class='child']")))
        self.assertEqual(child.text, 'Child Element')

        # Find parent element using parent axis
        parent = child.find_element(By.XPATH, "parent::div")
        self.assertEqual(parent.get_attribute('id'), 'parent')

        # Find sibling element using following-sibling axis
        sibling = child.find_element(By.XPATH, "following-sibling::span[@class='sibling']")
        self.assertEqual(sibling.text, 'Sibling Element')

    def tearDown(self):
        self.driver.quit()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    unittest.main()

Execution Trace - 5 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts and Chrome browser opens	Browser window opens and navigates to https://example.com/xpath-axes-sample	—	PASS
2	Waits until child element located by XPath using child axis is present	Page loaded with a div#parent containing span.child and span.sibling elements	Checks child.text equals 'Child Element'	PASS
3	Finds parent element of child using parent axis XPath	Parent div element with id='parent' found	Checks parent.get_attribute('id') equals 'parent'	PASS
4	Finds sibling element of child using following-sibling axis XPath	Sibling span element with class='sibling' found next to child	Checks sibling.text equals 'Sibling Element'	PASS
5	Browser closes and test ends	Browser window closed	—	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: If the XPath does not locate the expected element (child, parent, or sibling) due to incorrect XPath or page structure changes

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

Which XPath axis is used to find the parent element of a given node?

A following-sibling

B child

C parent

D descendant

Key Result

Using XPath axes like parent, child, and sibling helps navigate complex page structures precisely, making tests more robust and easier to maintain.

Practice

1. Which XPath axis selects the direct parent of the current node?

easy

A. child::

B. parent::

C. following-sibling::

D. preceding-sibling::

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand XPath axes

   XPath axes describe relationships between nodes, such as parent, child, or siblings.

2. Step 2: Identify the axis for parent node

   The parent:: axis selects the direct parent of the current node.

3. Final Answer:

   parent:: -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Parent axis = parent:: [OK]

Hint: Parent axis always uses 'parent::' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing parent:: with child::
• Using sibling axes to find parent
• Forgetting axes syntax with double colons

2. Which of the following is the correct XPath syntax to select all child <li> elements of a <ul> element?

easy

A. //ul/parent::li

B. //ul/preceding-sibling::li

C. //ul/following-sibling::li

D. //ul/child::li

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand child axis usage

   The child:: axis selects direct children of the current node.

2. Step 2: Apply correct syntax for child li elements

   Using //ul/child::li selects all li children of ul.

3. Final Answer:

   //ul/child::li -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Child axis syntax = child:: [OK]

Hint: Use 'child::' to select direct children nodes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using parent:: instead of child::
• Using sibling axes for children
• Omitting the axis and expecting child selection

3. Given the following HTML snippet:

<div>
  <h2>Title</h2>
  <p>Paragraph 1</p>
  <p>Paragraph 2</p>
</div>

What does the XPath //h2/following-sibling::p[1] select?

medium

A. No element, XPath is invalid

B. The second p element inside the div

C. The first p element inside the div

D. The h2 element itself

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand following-sibling axis

   The following-sibling::p[1] selects the first p sibling after the h2 node.

2. Step 2: Apply to given HTML

   After h2, the first p is "Paragraph 1", so it selects that element.

3. Final Answer:

   The first <p> element inside the <div> -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   following-sibling::p[1] = first p after h2 [OK]

Hint: following-sibling::p[1] picks first p after current node [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Selecting the second p instead of the first
• Confusing preceding-sibling with following-sibling
• Thinking it selects children instead of siblings

4. You wrote this XPath to select the previous sibling of a div element:
//div/preceding-sibling::div[1]
But it returns no elements. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. The div has no preceding sibling div elements

B. The syntax is incorrect; axes cannot be used with //

C. You should use parent::div instead

D. preceding-sibling axis selects children, not siblings

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand preceding-sibling axis

   The preceding-sibling::div[1] selects the immediate previous sibling div element.

2. Step 2: Reason why no elements returned

   If no elements are returned, it means the current div has no preceding sibling div.

3. Final Answer:

   The <div> has no preceding sibling <div> elements -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   preceding-sibling returns nothing if no previous siblings [OK]

Hint: No preceding sibling means empty result, not syntax error [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking axes can't be used with //
• Confusing parent:: with preceding-sibling::
• Assuming preceding-sibling selects children

5. You want to select all span elements that are children of a div whose immediate parent is a section. Which XPath expression correctly uses axes to achieve this?

hard

A. //section/child::div/child::span

B. //div/parent::section/child::span

C. //section/parent::div/child::span

D. //span/parent::div/parent::section

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the hierarchy

   The span elements are children of div, and that div is a child of section.

2. Step 2: Build XPath with axes

   //section/child::div/child::span selects span children of div children of section.

3. Step 3: Check other options

   //div/parent::section/child::span selects span children of section, which is incorrect. //section/parent::div/child::span and D misuse axes or order.

4. Final Answer:

   //section/child::div/child::span -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Use child axes from section to div to span [OK]

Hint: Chain child:: axes from parent to target child [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using parent:: in wrong direction
• Selecting wrong node levels
• Mixing sibling axes instead of child axes