New window and tab creation in Selenium Python - Test Execution Trace

Test Overview

This test opens a new browser tab and a new browser window, then verifies that the number of open windows/tabs matches the expected count.

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 TestNewWindowTab(unittest.TestCase):
    def setUp(self):
        self.driver = webdriver.Chrome()
        self.driver.get('https://example.com')

    def test_new_tab_and_window(self):
        driver = self.driver
        original_windows = driver.window_handles
        original_count = len(original_windows)

        # Open new tab
        driver.execute_script('window.open("https://example.com", "_blank");')
        WebDriverWait(driver, 10).until(lambda d: len(d.window_handles) == original_count + 1)

        # Open new window
        driver.execute_script('window.open("https://example.com", "_blank", "width=600,height=400");')
        WebDriverWait(driver, 10).until(lambda d: len(d.window_handles) == original_count + 2)

        # Verify total windows/tabs count
        self.assertEqual(len(driver.window_handles), original_count + 2)

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

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

Execution Trace - 6 Steps

Step	Action	System State	Assertion	Result
1	Test starts and Chrome browser opens	Browser opened at https://example.com with one tab	—	PASS
2	Get current window handles and count	One window/tab handle present	Count of window handles is 1	PASS
3	Execute JavaScript to open a new tab with URL https://example.com	Two tabs open in the same browser window	Wait until window handles count is original + 1 (2)	PASS
4	Execute JavaScript to open a new window with URL https://example.com and size 600x400	Two tabs plus one new window open (total 3 windows/tabs)	Wait until window handles count is original + 2 (3)	PASS
5	Assert that total window handles count equals original count + 2	Three window handles present	len(driver.window_handles) == original_count + 2	PASS
6	Test ends and browser closes	Browser closed, all windows/tabs closed	—	PASS

Failure Scenario

Failing Condition: New tab or new window did not open, so window handles count did not increase as expected

Execution Trace Quiz - 3 Questions

What does the test verify after opening a new tab and a new window?

A The URL of the original tab changed

B The total number of open windows/tabs increased by two

C The browser title changed

D The new tab opened in a separate browser instance

Key Result

Always verify the number of open windows or tabs after opening new ones to ensure your test environment matches expectations.

Practice

1. Which Selenium Python command opens a new browser tab?

easy

A. driver.switch_to.new_window('tab')

B. driver.open_new_tab()

C. driver.create_tab()

D. driver.new_tab()

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Selenium's new window method

   Selenium provides driver.switch_to.new_window() to open new tabs or windows by specifying the type as 'tab' or 'window'.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct argument for a new tab

   To open a new tab, the argument must be the string 'tab'. So the correct command is driver.switch_to.new_window('tab').

3. Final Answer:

   driver.switch_to.new_window('tab') -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Open new tab = driver.switch_to.new_window('tab') [OK]

Hint: Use 'tab' string inside new_window() to open a new tab [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using non-existent methods like driver.open_new_tab()
• Passing 'window' instead of 'tab' to open a tab
• Trying driver.new_tab() which is invalid

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to open a new browser window in Selenium Python?

easy

A. driver.switch_to.new_window('tab')

B. driver.switch_to.new_window('window')

C. driver.new_window('window')

D. driver.open_window('window')

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the method to open new windows

   Selenium's correct method is driver.switch_to.new_window() with argument 'window' to open a new window.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   Only driver.switch_to.new_window('window') uses the correct method and argument. driver.new_window('window') and driver.open_window('window') use invalid method names, and driver.switch_to.new_window('tab') opens a tab, not a window.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.switch_to.new_window('window') -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Open new window = driver.switch_to.new_window('window') [OK]

Hint: Use 'window' string inside new_window() to open a new window [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'tab' and 'window' arguments
• Using wrong method names like driver.new_window()
• Missing the switch_to part in the command

3. What will be the output of the following Selenium Python code snippet?

driver.get('https://example.com')
original_handle = driver.current_window_handle
driver.switch_to.new_window('tab')
driver.get('https://selenium.dev')
print(len(driver.window_handles))

medium

A. 2

B. 1

C. 0

D. Error

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze window handles before and after new tab

   Initially, the driver opens one window (example.com). After driver.switch_to.new_window('tab'), a new tab opens, so total windows/tabs become 2.

2. Step 2: Count window handles

   The driver.window_handles list contains all open windows/tabs. After opening the new tab, its length is 2.

3. Final Answer:

   2 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   New tab adds one handle, total handles = 2 [OK]

Hint: Count window_handles after new_window() to get total tabs/windows [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming window_handles length stays 1 after new tab
• Confusing current_window_handle with window_handles list
• Expecting an error due to missing switch focus

4. Identify the error in this Selenium Python code that tries to open a new tab:

driver.get('https://example.com')
driver.new_window('tab')
driver.get('https://selenium.dev')

medium

A. driver.new_window() is not a valid method

B. Cannot open new tab after driver.get()

C. Missing driver.switch_to before new_window()

D. driver.get() cannot be called twice

Solution

1. Step 1: Check method usage for opening new tab

   The correct method to open a new tab is driver.switch_to.new_window('tab'). The code misses switch_to.

2. Step 2: Understand why missing switch_to causes error

   Calling driver.new_window('tab') directly is invalid and will raise an AttributeError.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing driver.switch_to before new_window() -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use driver.switch_to.new_window() to open tabs/windows [OK]

Hint: Always use driver.switch_to.new_window() to open tabs/windows [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling new_window() directly on driver
• Thinking driver.get() limits opening new tabs
• Believing driver.get() can only be called once

5. You want to open a new tab, switch to it, load a URL, then switch back to the original tab. Which code snippet correctly does this in Selenium Python?

hard

A. original = driver.current_window_handle
driver.switch_to.new_window('tab')
driver.switch_to.window(original)
driver.get('https://selenium.dev')

B. driver.new_window('tab')
driver.get('https://selenium.dev')
driver.switch_to.window(original)

C. original = driver.current_window_handle
driver.switch_to.new_window('window')
driver.get('https://selenium.dev')
driver.switch_to.window(original)

D. original = driver.current_window_handle
driver.switch_to.new_window('tab')
driver.get('https://selenium.dev')
driver.switch_to.window(original)

Solution

1. Step 1: Save original window handle before opening new tab

   Store driver.current_window_handle in a variable to switch back later.

2. Step 2: Open new tab and load URL

   Use driver.switch_to.new_window('tab') to open a new tab, then load the URL with driver.get().

3. Step 3: Switch back to original tab

   Use driver.switch_to.window(original) to return focus to the original tab.

4. Final Answer:

   Code snippet D correctly opens a new tab, loads URL, and switches back -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Save handle, open tab, load URL, switch back [OK]

Hint: Save handle, open tab, load URL, then switch back [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not saving original window handle before opening new tab
• Using 'window' instead of 'tab' when a tab is needed
• Switching back to original tab before loading the URL in the new tab