Differences between Selenium WebElement.click() and triggering a click event using Javascript

I am curious about the distinctions between utilizing the click() method of the WebElement and locating the element by id to trigger the click event with JavaScript.

To clarify, the first approach involves calling the .click() on an instance of WebElement:

myWebElement.click();

The second method is:

((JavascriptExecutor)driver).executeScript("document.getElementById('myElementID').click()");

I want to understand the differences between these two methods for clicking web elements as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each.

javajavascriptseleniumselenium-webdriver

Answer №1

Webdriver takes advantage of a browser's built-in support to map DOM elements to WebElement objects using id/xpath, among other methods.

The JavascriptExecutor.executeScript runs an external script within the context of the currently active browser window (similar to extensions like grease monkey), and if the script returns a DOM element, it is converted into a WebElement object.

It can be said that WebDriver's simulated clicks on a browser mirror actual user interactions more closely compared to those triggered by Javascript.

In practice, not all events can be automated seamlessly across all web browsers, including different versions of the same browser (e.g., various versions of IE, FF, etc.). Nevertheless, WebDriver remains one of the best tools available for this purpose.

Around four years ago, we encountered issues with a specific version of IE where right clicks or mouse hovering on generated menu links was not possible through WebDriver, so we had to use JavaScript to simulate these actions in a browser-independent manner. This highlights the value of executing external JavaScript.

There are also automated web testing frameworks that rely solely on JavaScript instead of leveraging a browser's native capabilities. For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahi_%28software%29

References:

Answer №2

These types of examinations are more focused on end-to-end testing rather than behavior-driven development.

The initial test is currently being carried out, and in order to proceed to the next step, you will need to create a function that can delay execution, such as by fetching new data from the server.

The second snippet of code produces a promise which can be used to schedule a command to click on a specific element. You can utilize a then callback to execute the next action.

Similar questions

If you have not found the answer to your question or you are interested in this topic, then look at other similar questions below or use the search

Issue with Three.js: The mouse hover effect does not revert back to the previous color

Currently, I am working on creating a pattern using Three.js. The goal is to change the color of a face to gray when the user hovers over it with the mouse, and then revert it back to its original light blue color when the mouse moves away. Unfortunately, ...

javascriptthree.js

Is there a possibility of Typescript expressions `A` existing where the concept of truthiness is not the same as when applying `!!A`?

When working with JavaScript, it is important to note that almost all expressions have a "truthiness" value. This means that if you use an expression in a statement that expects a boolean, it will be evaluated as a boolean equivalent. For example: let a = ...

javascripttypescript

Do these two JavaScript statements behave the same under the principles of functional programming in a React environment?

Is there a rule in functional programming that states these two approaches are equivalent? When working on a React application, I initially passed a function as an attribute using the second version where the first parameter is also passed. Out of curiosi ...

javascriptreactjs

Modify File Name with Fine Uploader: Personalize Your File Titles

When attempting to save files with a specific directory structure in my S3 bucket, I am encountering an issue where the getName method only returns the reference instead of the actual value of the file name. The output of getName is displayed as [object O ...

javascriptjqueryamazon-s3fine-uploader

Tips for automatically inserting a "read more" link once text exceeds a certain character count

Currently utilizing an open-source code to fetch Google reviews, but facing an issue with long reviews. They are messing up the layout of my site. I need to limit the characters displayed for each review and provide an option for users to read the full rev ...

javascriptjqueryhtmlcss

Is it possible to initiate a series of node tasks in a predetermined sequence?

I have developed a framework that currently requires 4 user inputs to install, which is quite cumbersome. I am looking for a way to streamline the process to just one input. Essentially, I am seeking a solution to execute those 4 commands with only one in ...

javascriptnode.jsnpm

React Native: useEffect not triggering upon navigation to a screen that is already active

When I click on a notification in my React Native app, it navigates me to a chat screen. In that chat screen, there is a useEffect function that fetches the chat messages. The issue arises when the chat screen was the last screen opened before closing the ...

javascriptreactjsreact-native

Standardizing the file name in Internet Explorer 11 and generating a new file using JavaScript

While attempting to upload a file and normalize its name, I encountered an issue with IE11 not supporting the 'normalize' method. After some research, I discovered the 'unorm' polyfill which resolved the normalization problem. However, ...

javascriptangularjsfileblobinternet-explorer-11

Guide on selecting the 10:00 AM time slot using Python Selenium based on the HTML structure

HTML Code: <a class="btn btn-sm mb-1 text-white bg-success">10:15 AM</a> Screenshot: My test involves the following steps: 1. Log in to ####.live. 2. Click on "My Providers". 3. Go to "specialties". 4. Finally, select a date to ...

pythonseleniumxpathwebdriverwaitlinktext

Issue: Ajax is not defined

When attempting to call a URL in the background using the following code within a script tag: var request = new Ajax.Request(logoffURL, {method : 'post'}); I encountered a script error stating Ajax is undefined. Is it necessary to include any ...

javascriptajax

Java does not pay attention to discrepancies in parsed timestamps

After some effort, I managed to successfully parse timestamps in the format yyMMddHHmmss(+-)HHss, which includes a date along with a time shift. When providing identical timestamps with different time shifts, the expected outcome is for the results to dif ...

javadate-parsinglocaltime

Styling elements with CSS

I've been attempting to align a button to the right of another button. The example above illustrates what I'm trying to achieve. I used Bootstrap to build it, which has a useful navbar feature for layout. However, despite my efforts to use right ...

javascripthtmlcss

Incorporating dynamic images from local sources into a listview in a React Native

I'm currently having an issue with loading local images in a React Native app that I'm developing. As per the instructions provided in the documentation at https://facebook.github.io/react-native/docs/images.html It's mentioned in the guid ...

javascriptreactjsreact-native

Is it possible to utilize an IP address as a URL in Selenium WebDriver when programming in C# for navigation purposes?

After implementing the code provided, I was able to navigate to the desired page successfully. However, I encountered an issue where I could not access any elements on the page such as login buttons or user input fields despite trying various methods to ...

selenium-webdriver

Exploring the inner workings of self-referencing mechanics in functions

In a recent coding scenario, I encountered this situation: I attempted to define the func1() function and add several static methods to it simultaneously by passing it through the _init() function along with a hash containing properties to attach. However, ...

javascriptfunction

Sending information from a parent component to a child component in Vue.js and then showcasing the data

Hey there! I'm new to vue.js and I'm struggling to figure out why my data is not being passed to the child component. I've tried a few different approaches, but none seem to be working as expected. It feels like I'm really close, but so ...

javascriptvue.js

Does LocalDateTime protect against a null value being stored in my private attribute?

Here is the code snippet I want to share with you. I am still working on my program and just want to test if the attribute is saving correctly. Currently, it shows 'null'. public class Starter { public static void main(String[] args) throws Exc ...

javaoopdatetimenull

Revitalize Your Preact SSR with Live Reload and Rebuilding

I'm currently exploring the option of implementing automatic browser refreshing in my preact ssr build development environment. package.json "scripts": { "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" &am ...

javascriptnode.jswebpackserver-side-renderinghot-reload

Maven test encountering an invalid application context

When I run 'mvn test', I encounter the following error message: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Failed to load ApplicationContext ... Caused by: org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.XmlBeanDefinitionStoreException: An issue with Line 14 in ...

javaspringmaven-2

Rails feature testing experiencing hiccups post Yosemite update

Following my Mac's upgrade to Yosemite, I encountered issues with some feature tests, particularly with steps involving the usage of the `fill_in` method. The problem arises on the initial fill_in within the following step definition: def sign_in v ...

ruby-on-railsseleniumcucumberosx-yosemite