Getting element text in Selenium Python

Introduction

We get the text from a web element to check what the user sees on the page.

To verify a button label matches what is expected.

To check if a message or alert text appears correctly after an action.

To confirm that a heading or paragraph contains the right content.

To read the text inside a list or table cell for validation.

To capture dynamic text that changes after user interaction.

Syntax

Selenium Python

element_text = driver.find_element(By.LOCATOR_TYPE, "locator_value").text

Use By with the right locator type like ID, CSS_SELECTOR, or XPATH.

The .text property gets the visible text inside the element.

Examples

Get text from a button with ID 'submit-btn'.

Selenium Python

button_text = driver.find_element(By.ID, "submit-btn").text

Get text from a header using a CSS selector.

Selenium Python

header_text = driver.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, "h1.main-title").text

Get text from an alert message using XPath.

Selenium Python

alert_text = driver.find_element(By.XPATH, "//div[@class='alert-message']").text

Sample Program

This script opens a webpage, finds the main heading <h1>, gets its visible text, prints it, then closes the browser.

Selenium Python

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

# Setup driver (make sure chromedriver is in PATH)
driver = webdriver.Chrome()

# Open example page
url = "https://example.com"
driver.get(url)

# Find the heading and get its text
heading = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "h1")
heading_text = heading.text

print(f"Heading text is: '{heading_text}'")

# Close the browser
driver.quit()

Important Notes

The .text property only returns visible text, not hidden or script content.

If the element has child elements, .text returns combined visible text inside.

Always wait for the element to be present and visible before getting text to avoid errors.

Summary

Use .text to get visible text from a web element.

Locate the element first with a proper locator strategy.

Check the text to verify what the user sees on the page.

Practice

1. What does the .text property do in Selenium when used on a web element?

easy

A. It retrieves the visible text inside the element on the webpage.

B. It clicks the element on the webpage.

C. It returns the HTML code of the element.

D. It clears the text inside an input field.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of .text

   The .text property in Selenium is used to get the visible text content from a web element.

2. Step 2: Compare with other actions

   Clicking, returning HTML, or clearing text are different actions and not related to .text.

3. Final Answer:

   It retrieves the visible text inside the element on the webpage. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   .text gets visible text [OK]

Hint: Remember: .text always gets visible text from element [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing .text with .click() method
• Expecting .text to return HTML code
• Using .text to clear input fields

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to get the text of a web element stored in variable element in Selenium Python?

easy

A. element.getText()

B. element.text()

C. element.get_text()

D. element.text

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Selenium Python syntax for text retrieval

   In Selenium Python, the visible text of an element is accessed using the property .text without parentheses.

2. Step 2: Check other options for correctness

   getText() and get_text() are not valid in Selenium Python. text() with parentheses is incorrect because text is a property, not a method.

3. Final Answer:

   element.text -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use property .text without parentheses [OK]

Hint: Use element.text without () to get text [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding parentheses after .text
• Using Java-style getText() in Python
• Using incorrect method names like get_text()

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

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

# Assume driver is already initialized and page loaded
button = driver.find_element(By.ID, "submit-btn")
print(button.text)

Assuming the button on the page shows the label "Submit Form", what will be printed?

medium

A. "submit-btn"

B. An empty string ""

C. "Submit Form"

D. Raises NoSuchElementException

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate element and get text

   The code finds the element with ID "submit-btn" and prints its visible text using .text.

2. Step 2: Understand what .text returns

   The visible label on the button is "Submit Form", so button.text returns this string.

3. Final Answer:

   "Submit Form" -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Element text matches visible label [OK]

Hint: Text property prints visible label, not element ID [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting element ID instead of visible text
• Assuming empty string if element found
• Confusing element attribute with text

4. You wrote this code to get text from a web element:

element_text = driver.find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "title").text()

But it raises an error. What is the problem?

medium

A. Using parentheses after .text which is a property, not a method.

B. Incorrect locator strategy; CLASS_NAME is invalid.

C. Missing import for By class.

D. The element with class "title" does not exist.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check usage of .text property

   In Selenium Python, .text is a property and should not have parentheses. Using .text() causes a TypeError.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   CLASS_NAME is a valid locator, imports are assumed correct, and element existence is not guaranteed but error is about syntax here.

3. Final Answer:

   Using parentheses after .text which is a property, not a method. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use .text without () to avoid errors [OK]

Hint: Remember: .text is a property, no parentheses [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling .text as a method with ()
• Confusing locator validity
• Assuming missing imports cause this error

5. You want to verify that a paragraph with id "info" contains the exact text "Welcome to the site!". Which Selenium Python assertion is correct to check this?

hard

A. assert driver.find_element(By.ID, "info").getText() == "Welcome to the site!"

B. assert driver.find_element(By.ID, "info").text == "Welcome to the site!"

C. assert driver.find_element(By.ID, "info").text() == "Welcome to the site!"

D. assert driver.find_element(By.ID, "info").get_text == "Welcome to the site!"

Solution

1. Step 1: Use correct property to get text

   In Selenium Python, use .text property without parentheses to get visible text.

2. Step 2: Write assertion correctly

   The assertion compares the text property to the expected string exactly.

3. Step 3: Identify incorrect options

   getText() and get_text are invalid in Selenium Python; text() with parentheses is wrong.

4. Final Answer:

   assert driver.find_element(By.ID, "info").text == "Welcome to the site!" -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   Use .text property in assertion without () [OK]

Hint: Assert with .text property, no parentheses [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using .text() with parentheses in assertion
• Using Java-style getText() method
• Using get_text property which doesn't exist