Verify file upload functionality on the upload page

Preconditions (2)

Step 1: Open the browser and navigate to http://example.com/upload

Step 2: Locate the file input field with id 'file-upload'

Step 3: Upload the file 'testfile.txt' using the file input field

Step 4: Click the upload button with id 'upload-button'

Step 5: Wait for the upload confirmation message with id 'upload-success' to appear

✅ Expected Result: The upload confirmation message 'File uploaded successfully' is displayed on the page

Automation Requirements - Selenium with Python

Assertions Needed:

Verify the upload confirmation message text is exactly 'File uploaded successfully'

Verify the confirmation message element is visible after upload

Best Practices:

Use explicit waits to wait for elements to be visible or clickable

Use By.ID locator strategy for stable element identification

Use absolute file path for file upload input

Handle browser setup and teardown properly

Automated Solution

Selenium Python

import unittest
import os
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 TestFileUpload(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.driver = webdriver.Chrome()
        self.driver.maximize_window()
        self.wait = WebDriverWait(self.driver, 10)

    def test_file_upload(self):
        driver = self.driver
        wait = self.wait

        # Step 1: Open the upload page
        driver.get('http://example.com/upload')

        # Step 2: Locate file input field
        file_input = wait.until(EC.presence_of_element_located((By.ID, 'file-upload')))

        # Step 3: Upload the file
        file_path = os.path.abspath('testfile.txt')
        file_input.send_keys(file_path)

        # Step 4: Click upload button
        upload_button = wait.until(EC.element_to_be_clickable((By.ID, 'upload-button')))
        upload_button.click()

        # Step 5: Wait for confirmation message
        success_msg = wait.until(EC.visibility_of_element_located((By.ID, 'upload-success')))

        # Assertions
        self.assertTrue(success_msg.is_displayed(), 'Upload success message is not visible')
        self.assertEqual(success_msg.text, 'File uploaded successfully', 'Upload success message text mismatch')

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

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

This test script uses Python's unittest framework with Selenium WebDriver.

In setUp, we start the Chrome browser and set an explicit wait of 10 seconds.

The test test_file_upload follows the manual steps exactly:

Open the upload page URL.
Wait for the file input field by its ID and send the absolute path of the test file.
Wait for the upload button to be clickable and click it.
Wait for the success message to appear and verify it is visible and has the correct text.

Using explicit waits ensures the test waits only as long as needed for elements to appear or be clickable, avoiding flaky tests.

In tearDown, the browser closes to clean up after the test.

This structure keeps the test clear, reliable, and easy to maintain.

Common Mistakes - 4 Pitfalls

Using hardcoded relative file path without converting to absolute path

Using time.sleep() instead of explicit waits

Locating elements with brittle XPath or CSS selectors

Not verifying the upload confirmation message text

Bonus Challenge

Now add data-driven testing with 3 different files: 'testfile.txt', 'image.png', and 'document.pdf'

Show Hint