Browser options and capabilities in Selenium Python - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

What is the output of this Selenium browser options code?

Consider the following Python Selenium code snippet that sets Chrome options. What will be printed when the code runs?

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')
options.add_argument('--disable-gpu')
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
print(driver.capabilities.get('headless'))
driver.quit()

A None

B True

C KeyError

D False

💡 Hint

Check how the headless argument affects the capabilities dictionary.

When Chrome is launched with the '--headless' option, the capabilities dictionary includes 'headless': True. So printing driver.capabilities.get('headless') outputs True.

❓ assertion

intermediate

Which assertion correctly verifies the browser is running in incognito mode?

You want to check if Chrome is running in incognito mode using Selenium Python. Which assertion correctly verifies this?

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument('--incognito')
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)

# Which assertion below is correct?

A assert '--incognito' in driver.capabilities['goog:chromeOptions']['args']

B assert 'incognito' in driver.capabilities['browserName']

C assert driver.capabilities['incognito'] == True

D assert driver.capabilities['chromeOptions']['incognito'] is not None

💡 Hint

Check where Chrome options arguments are stored in capabilities.

The incognito mode is passed as an argument in 'goog:chromeOptions' under 'args'. So checking if '--incognito' is in that list is the correct way.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Why does this Selenium code fail to set the user agent?

The following code tries to set a custom user agent in Chrome but it does not work. What is the reason?

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument('user-agent=MyCustomAgent/1.0')
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
print(driver.execute_script('return navigator.userAgent;'))
driver.quit()

A Missing double dashes before 'user-agent' argument; should be '--user-agent=MyCustomAgent/1.0'

B User agent cannot be set via Chrome options; must use capabilities instead

C The argument should be passed as options.set_capability('userAgent', 'MyCustomAgent/1.0')

D The user agent string is ignored if headless mode is not enabled

💡 Hint

Check the syntax of Chrome command line arguments.

Chrome command line arguments require two dashes '--' before the argument name. Missing them causes the argument to be ignored.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

What is the main purpose of browser capabilities in Selenium?

Choose the best description of the main purpose of browser capabilities in Selenium WebDriver.

A To store test results and logs during test execution

B To define the test case steps and assertions

C To specify browser-specific settings and features before launching the browser

D To manage network traffic and proxy settings only

💡 Hint

Think about what capabilities configure before the browser starts.

Capabilities tell Selenium how to start the browser with specific settings like headless mode, proxy, or extensions.

❓ framework

expert

How to correctly combine Chrome options and capabilities in Selenium Python?

You want to run Chrome in headless mode and set a proxy using Selenium Python. Which code snippet correctly combines Chrome options and capabilities?

A

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')
options.add_argument('--proxy-server=http://proxy.example.com:8080')
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)

B

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')
capabilities = webdriver.DesiredCapabilities.CHROME.copy()
capabilities['proxy'] = {'proxyType': 'manual', 'httpProxy': 'proxy.example.com:8080'}
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options, desired_capabilities=capabilities)

C

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')
capabilities = webdriver.DesiredCapabilities.CHROME.copy()
capabilities['proxy'] = {'proxyType': 'manual', 'httpProxy': 'proxy.example.com:8080'}
driver = webdriver.Chrome(desired_capabilities=capabilities)

D

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options

options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')
options.set_capability('proxy', {'proxyType': 'manual', 'httpProxy': 'proxy.example.com:8080'})
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)

💡 Hint

Check how to set proxy with Chrome options in Selenium Python 4+.

In Selenium Python 4+, the recommended way is to set proxy via options.set_capability, combining options and capabilities cleanly.