findElement by tagName in Selenium Java

Introduction

We use findElement by tagName to locate the first HTML element on a web page by its tag name, like <button> or <input>.

When you want to click the first button on a page.

When you need to check the text inside the first paragraph (&lt;p&gt;) element.

When you want to find the first image (&lt;img&gt;) to verify it is displayed.

When you want to interact with the first input field on a form.

When you want to quickly find a header tag like &lt;h1&gt; to check the page title.

Syntax

Selenium Java

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.tagName("tagName"));

Replace tagName with the actual HTML tag you want to find, like "button" or "p".

This finds only the first matching element on the page.

Examples

Finds the first <button> element on the page.

Selenium Java

WebElement firstButton = driver.findElement(By.tagName("button"));

Finds the first <p> (paragraph) element on the page.

Selenium Java

WebElement firstParagraph = driver.findElement(By.tagName("p"));

Finds the first <img> element on the page.

Selenium Java

WebElement firstImage = driver.findElement(By.tagName("img"));

Sample Program

This program opens a browser, goes to example.com, finds the first <h1> tag, prints its text, and checks if the text is not empty.

Selenium Java

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class FindElementByTagNameExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Set path to chromedriver if needed
        // System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");

        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        try {
            driver.get("https://example.com");

            // Find the first <h1> tag on the page
            WebElement header = driver.findElement(By.tagName("h1"));

            // Print the text inside the <h1> tag
            System.out.println("Header text: " + header.getText());

            // Simple assertion to check header text is not empty
            if (!header.getText().isEmpty()) {
                System.out.println("Test Passed: Header found and has text.");
            } else {
                System.out.println("Test Failed: Header text is empty.");
            }
        } finally {
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

Important Notes

If no element with the given tag name exists, findElement throws NoSuchElementException.

Use findElements(By.tagName()) to get all elements with that tag name.

Tag names are case-insensitive in HTML, but use lowercase in Selenium for consistency.

Summary

findElement by tagName finds the first HTML element by its tag name.

It is useful for quick access to common tags like <button>, <input>, <h1>, etc.

Remember it returns only one element or throws an error if none found.

Practice

1. What does the Selenium method findElement(By.tagName("button")) do?

easy

A. Finds the first <button> element on the page

B. Finds all <button> elements on the page

C. Finds the element with id 'button'

D. Finds the element with class name 'button'

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the method purpose

   findElement returns the first matching element found by the locator.

2. Step 2: Analyze the locator type

   By.tagName("button") looks for elements with the tag <button>.

3. Final Answer:

   Finds the first <button> element on the page -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   findElement + tagName = first matching element [OK]

Hint: findElement with tagName finds only the first matching tag [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing findElement with findElements
• Using tagName but expecting multiple elements
• Mixing tagName with id or class selectors

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find the first <input> element using Selenium in Java?

easy

A. driver.findElement(By.tagName['input']);

B. driver.findElement(By.tagName(input));

C. driver.findElement(By.tagName("input"));

D. driver.findElement(By.tagName{input});

Solution

1. Step 1: Check method usage

   The method findElement requires a By locator with a string argument for tagName.

2. Step 2: Validate syntax correctness

   Only driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); uses correct Java syntax with quotes around "input" and parentheses.

3. Final Answer:

   driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Correct method call with string tag name [OK]

Hint: Always put tag name in quotes inside By.tagName() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Missing quotes around tag name
• Using wrong brackets like [] or {}
• Omitting parentheses after findElement

3. Given the HTML snippet:

<div>
  <h1>Title</h1>
  <h1>Subtitle</h1>
</div>

What text will be printed by this Java Selenium code?

WebElement header = driver.findElement(By.tagName("h1"));
System.out.println(header.getText());

medium

A. Subtitle

B. Title

C. TitleSubtitle

D. No text, throws exception

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand findElement behavior

   findElement returns the first matching element, here the first <h1> which contains "Title".

2. Step 2: Check getText output

   Calling getText() on the first <h1> returns its text content "Title" only.

3. Final Answer:

   Title -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   findElement returns first tag's text [OK]

Hint: findElement by tagName returns first element only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming it returns all matching elements
• Expecting concatenated text of all tags
• Confusing findElement with findElements

4. What is wrong with this Selenium Java code snippet?

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.tagName("button"));
System.out.println(element.getText());

Assuming the page has no <button> tags.

medium

A. It compiles but does not run

B. It returns null and prints nothing

C. It prints empty string without error

D. It throws NoSuchElementException at runtime

Solution

1. Step 1: Check element presence

   Since no <button> tags exist, findElement cannot find any matching element.

2. Step 2: Understand exception behavior

   findElement throws NoSuchElementException if no element is found, causing runtime error.

3. Final Answer:

   It throws NoSuchElementException at runtime -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   findElement throws error if no match [OK]

Hint: findElement throws exception if tag not found [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting null instead of exception
• Assuming empty string returned
• Confusing with findElements behavior

5. You want to click the first <input> element of type 'submit' on a page using Selenium Java. Which code snippet correctly finds it using findElement(By.tagName()) and then clicks it?

hard

A. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); if ("submit".equals(submit.getAttribute("type"))) submit.click();

B. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input[type='submit']")); submit.click();

C. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("submit")); submit.click();

D. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); submit.click();

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand tagName limitations

   By.tagName("input") finds the first <input> element regardless of type attribute.

2. Step 2: Filter by type attribute manually

   Check if the found element's type attribute equals "submit" before clicking.

3. Step 3: Analyze options

   WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); if ("submit".equals(submit.getAttribute("type"))) submit.click(); correctly finds first input, checks type, then clicks. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input[type='submit']")); submit.click(); uses invalid tagName syntax. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("submit")); submit.click(); searches for non-existent tag <submit>. WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); submit.click(); clicks first input without type check.

4. Final Answer:

   WebElement submit = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input")); if ("submit".equals(submit.getAttribute("type"))) submit.click(); -> Option A

5. Quick Check:

   Use tagName then check attribute for type [OK]

Hint: findElement by tagName finds tag only; check attributes separately [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to use CSS selector syntax inside tagName
• Assuming tagName can filter by attribute
• Clicking without verifying element type