Handling Dropdowns - (Selenium Python Basic Commands)

Dropdowns are a common element in web applications, and as a web automation tester, it's important to know how to interact with them. In this tutorial, we'll go over how to handle dropdowns in Selenium using Python.

Syntax

The following is the syntax to handle dropdowns in Selenium Python:

from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import Select

# Create instance of Select class and pass dropdown element as argument
dropdown = Select(driver.find_element_by_id('dropdown_element_id'))

# Select a dropdown option by index
dropdown.select_by_index(index)

# Select a dropdown option by value
dropdown.select_by_value(value)

# Select a dropdown option by visible text
dropdown.select_by_visible_text(text)

# Get all dropdown options
options = dropdown.options

# Get the currently selected option
selected_option = dropdown.first_selected_option

Example

Suppose we have a webpage that contains a dropdown with id quality:

<select id="quality">
  <option value="high">High</option>
  <option value="medium">Medium</option>
  <option value="low">Low</option>
</select>

We can create a Select object and use it to select an option from the dropdown, like so:

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import Select

driver = webdriver.Chrome()

# Navigate to the web page
driver.get('http://example.com')

# Find the dropdown element
dropdown = Select(driver.find_element_by_id('quality'))

# Select an option by index
dropdown.select_by_index(1)

# Select an option by value
dropdown.select_by_value('high')

# Select an option by visible text
dropdown.select_by_visible_text('Low')

# Get all dropdown options
options = dropdown.options

# Get the currently selected option
selected_option = dropdown.first_selected_option

# Close the browser
driver.quit()

Explanation

Dropdowns are commonly used in web applications to allow users to select from a list of options. The Select object in Selenium can be used to interact with dropdowns, and provides a range of methods for selecting options, getting all options, and getting the currently selected option.

Use

Handling dropdowns is a critical skill for web automation testers, as they are a common element in web applications. Knowing how to select an option from a dropdown can help you automate the selection process, saving you time and effort.

Important Points

Here are some important points to keep in mind when handling dropdowns in Selenium Python:

• The Select object in Selenium can be used to interact with dropdowns.
• Dropdowns can be selected using index, value, or visible text.
• Getting all options and the currently selected option can be useful for data validation.
• Always ensure that you've selected the correct option before submitting any forms.

Summary

In this tutorial, we discussed how to handle dropdowns in Selenium using Python. We covered syntax, example, explanation, use, and important points of interacting with dropdowns in web applications. By following the best practices for handling dropdowns, you can automate the process of selecting options and improve the efficiency of your web automation tests.