🔰 Getting Started with Selenium & Python
🔰 Getting Started with Selenium & Python
Selenium is a powerful open-source tool for automating web browsers. Combined with Python, it becomes an excellent choice for tasks like:
Automated web testing
Web scraping
Repetitive browser tasks
✅ What You’ll Learn
What Selenium is
How to install Selenium for Python
How to launch a browser and automate basic tasks
Writing your first Selenium script
🧩 What is Selenium?
Selenium automates browsers using drivers like ChromeDriver, GeckoDriver (Firefox), etc. It simulates human interactions with web elements such as clicking, typing, and submitting forms.
⚙️ Step 1: Install Selenium
You can install Selenium with pip:
bash
Copy
Edit
pip install selenium
You’ll also need a WebDriver (e.g., for Chrome):
Download ChromeDriver (match your Chrome version)
Place the driver in a known path or the same directory as your script.
🖥️ Step 2: Your First Selenium Script
python
Copy
Edit
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
import time
# Set up the driver (Chrome in this case)
driver = webdriver.Chrome() # Make sure chromedriver is in PATH
# Open a website
driver.get("https://www.google.com")
# Wait for a few seconds
time.sleep(2)
# Find the search box and type a query
search_box = driver.find_element(By.NAME, "q")
search_box.send_keys("Selenium with Python")
# Submit the search
search_box.submit()
# Wait and close the browser
time.sleep(5)
driver.quit()
🔎 Common WebDriver Methods
Task Code Example
Open a URL driver.get("https://example.com")
Find element by name driver.find_element(By.NAME, "q")
Click a button element.click()
Enter text element.send_keys("text")
Submit a form element.submit()
Get page title driver.title
Close browser driver.quit()
📌 Tips
Use time.sleep() for simple delays, but prefer WebDriverWait for reliable waits.
Always check for the right locator (By.ID, By.CLASS_NAME, By.XPATH, etc.)
Use browser headless mode if you don't need a GUI.
python
Copy
Edit
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
options = Options()
options.add_argument("--headless")
driver = webdriver.Chrome(options=options)
🔐 Best Practice: Use WebDriverWait
python
Copy
Edit
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC
wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10)
element = wait.until(EC.presence_of_element_located((By.NAME, "q")))
🧠 Summary
Component Purpose
webdriver Automates the browser
find_element Locates elements for interaction
send_keys() Simulates typing
click() / submit() Interacts with buttons/forms
WebDriverWait Waits dynamically for elements to load
Learn Selenium Python Training in Hyderabad
Read More
How to Integrate Selenium with Python Logging for Better Test Reports
Automating Social Media Login and Posting Using Selenium
Visit Our IHUB Talent Training Institute in Hyderabad
Comments
Post a Comment