Tosca XPath: Locating Elements Like a Pro

πŸ” Tosca XPath: Locating Elements Like a Pro

Tricentis Tosca is a powerful test automation tool that allows users to identify and interact with UI elements. One of the most precise and flexible ways to locate elements in Tosca is using XPath.


✅ What is XPath?

XPath (XML Path Language) is a query language used to navigate through elements and attributes in XML or HTML documents. Tosca supports XPath to identify web elements during test automation.


🧠 Why Use XPath in Tosca?

Precision: Target elements that can’t be found easily with default Tosca engines.


Flexibility: Use XPath to find elements based on partial matches, hierarchy, or attributes.


Fallback: Great backup when ID, name, or CSS selectors are inconsistent or missing.


πŸ“˜ Basic XPath Syntax

XPath Syntax Description Example

//tag Selects all elements with that tag //input

//tag[@attr='value'] Element with specific attribute //button[@type='submit']

//tag[text()='text'] Element with exact visible text //h1[text()='Welcome']

//tag[contains(text(),'x')] Contains partial text //div[contains(text(),'Hello')]

//tag[contains(@attr,'x')] Contains partial attribute value //a[contains(@href,'login')]

//div[@class='x']//span Nested elements Find <span> inside a <div>


πŸ§ͺ Using XPath in Tosca

Step 1: Scan the Application

Use Tosca XScan to scan the page where your element is located.


Step 2: Edit the Identifier

In the Tosca Module, select the element and open the Properties panel.


Change or add an XPath expression under the Identification tab.


Step 3: Insert XPath Manually

Change “Identification Method” to XPath.


Enter your XPath like:


bash

Copy

Edit

//input[@id='username']

πŸ”§ Pro Tips for Writing Efficient XPaths

🟒 Use Unique Attributes

xpath

Copy

Edit

//input[@name='email']

🟒 Use Partial Matching

xpath

Copy

Edit

//a[contains(@href, 'register')]

🟒 Use Text When Attributes Are Missing

xpath

Copy

Edit

//button[text()='Submit']

🟒 Use Index When Necessary

xpath

Copy

Edit

(//div[@class='product'])[3]

πŸ”΄ Avoid Absolute XPaths (brittle!)

xpath

Copy

Edit

/html/body/div[2]/div/div[1]/button  ❌

πŸ” Debug and Test XPath

Use browser DevTools (Chrome or Firefox)


Open Inspect


Press Ctrl+F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+F (Mac)


Paste your XPath and test if it finds the right element


🧩 Advanced Use in Tosca

Combine XPath with dynamic expressions and test data.


xpath

Copy

Edit

//a[text()='${LinkText}']

Use Conditions or Loops in Tosca TBox to iterate over matched elements.


✅ Summary

Best Practice Tip

Use unique attributes Look for id, name, type, etc.

Avoid absolute paths Use relative paths for robustness

Use contains() for partial matches Useful when values are dynamic

Test XPath in DevTools Before using it in Tosca

Use dynamic data in XPath For flexible test cases


Would you like a PDF cheat sheet with the most common XPath patterns used in Tosca?

Learn Tosca Training in Hyderabad

Read More

Tosca and SAP: End-to-End Test Automation

Automating Desktop Applications Using Tosca

Visit Our IHUB Talent Training Institute in Hyderabad

Get Directions

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

How to Install and Set Up Selenium in Python (Step-by-Step)

Feeling Stuck in Manual Testing? Here’s Why You Should Learn Automation Testing

A Beginner's Guide to ETL Testing: What You Need to Know