What is the relationship between Protractor's implicit wait and explicit wait mechanisms?

Question

What is the relationship between Protractor's implicit wait and explicit wait mechanisms?

There is a common misunderstanding when the implicit wait time is set lower than the explicit wait:

var timeOut = 5000;
var search = element(by.xpath(`//*[@name='qwer']`));
browser.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(4000);
browser.ignoreSynchronization = true;

describe('Protractor Test', function () {
    beforeEach(function () {
        browser.get('https://www.google.com.ua');
    });
    it('EC', function () {
        console.log('START');
        // browser.sleep(timeOut);
        browser.wait(protractor.ExpectedConditions.presenceOf(search), timeOut);
    });
});

The total execution time with an implicitlyWait of 4000 milliseconds was 8.613 seconds. When the wait time is reduced by one second to 3000 milliseconds, the total execution time decreases to 6.865 seconds. How does this optimization work behind the scenes? Thank you in advance for any insights!

javascript selenium webdriver protractor wait

Answer 1

Answer №1

What a great question! Many QA automation experts have struggled with this issue.

Understanding Implicit Waits

Implicit waits are automatic hidden waits that occur before every driver.findElement(...) call. The original webdriver in JavaScript, Python, or Java throws a NoSuchElementException if the element cannot be found in the page's DOM structure. This special kind of wait is executed prior to each driver.findElement() regardless of the type of locator used. If the implicit wait times out, the NoSuchElementException is thrown outside of the findElement function.

How to Enable Implicit Waits:

By default, the implicit wait timeout is set to 0. Setting

browser.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(3000)

allows the webdriver to automatically handle this exception by retrying to find the element. If after 3 seconds (the timeout) the element is still not present in the DOM, then the NoSuchElementException is raised.

When Implicit Waits Work Well:

Implicit waits are beneficial when your page dynamically modifies the DOM structure and some elements take a short time to appear (within 1-3 seconds). Instead of using explicit waits and writing more code, you can try setting an implicit wait timeout.

When Implicit Waits Present Challenges:

... (updated content here) ...

I hope this information provides clarity!

Answer 2

What a great question! Many QA automation experts have struggled with this issue.

Understanding Implicit Waits

Implicit waits are automatic hidden waits that occur before every driver.findElement(...) call. The original webdriver in JavaScript, Python, or Java throws a NoSuchElementException if the element cannot be found in the page's DOM structure. This special kind of wait is executed prior to each driver.findElement() regardless of the type of locator used. If the implicit wait times out, the NoSuchElementException is thrown outside of the findElement function.

How to Enable Implicit Waits:

By default, the implicit wait timeout is set to 0. Setting

browser.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(3000)

allows the webdriver to automatically handle this exception by retrying to find the element. If after 3 seconds (the timeout) the element is still not present in the DOM, then the NoSuchElementException is raised.

When Implicit Waits Work Well:

Implicit waits are beneficial when your page dynamically modifies the DOM structure and some elements take a short time to appear (within 1-3 seconds). Instead of using explicit waits and writing more code, you can try setting an implicit wait timeout.

When Implicit Waits Present Challenges:

... (updated content here) ...

I hope this information provides clarity!

Answer 3

Answer №2

That's an excellent question regarding the use of implicit and explicit waits, as highlighted in the Selenium documentation. It's important to note that browser.wait() represents an explicit wait, which should not be combined with an implicit wait like

browser.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait()

.

The concept of waiting involves delaying automated task execution for a specific duration before proceeding to the next step. It is crucial to choose between Explicit Waits and Implicit Waits wisely.

However, caution must be exercised when combining implicit and explicit waits, as this can lead to unpredictable delays. For instance, setting an implicit wait of 10 seconds alongside an explicit wait of 15 seconds could result in a timeout after 20 seconds.

Answer 4

That's an excellent question regarding the use of implicit and explicit waits, as highlighted in the Selenium documentation. It's important to note that browser.wait() represents an explicit wait, which should not be combined with an implicit wait like

browser.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait()

.

The concept of waiting involves delaying automated task execution for a specific duration before proceeding to the next step. It is crucial to choose between Explicit Waits and Implicit Waits wisely.

However, caution must be exercised when combining implicit and explicit waits, as this can lead to unpredictable delays. For instance, setting an implicit wait of 10 seconds alongside an explicit wait of 15 seconds could result in a timeout after 20 seconds.

Answer 5

Answer №3

Both waits operate in parallel, with the implicit wait polling every 4 seconds and timing out after two attempts. At the same time, the explicit wait is also waiting for a total of 5 seconds before ultimately timing out. This results in an error occurring after wasting 3 additional seconds. For instance, if the Implicit wait is set to 8 seconds and the Explicit wait is set to 17 seconds, the overall wait time would be 24 seconds. It's important to note that script execution time should be considered, as delays can impact the start of the next iteration.

Answer 6

Both waits operate in parallel, with the implicit wait polling every 4 seconds and timing out after two attempts. At the same time, the explicit wait is also waiting for a total of 5 seconds before ultimately timing out. This results in an error occurring after wasting 3 additional seconds. For instance, if the Implicit wait is set to 8 seconds and the Explicit wait is set to 17 seconds, the overall wait time would be 24 seconds. It's important to note that script execution time should be considered, as delays can impact the start of the next iteration.

What is the relationship between Protractor's implicit wait and explicit wait mechanisms?

Answer №1

Understanding Implicit Waits

Answer №2

Answer №3

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