Running Selenium Tests on Safari: Setup and Configuration with SafariDriver

Learn how to set up and run Selenium WebDriver tests on Safari using SafariDriver. This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide, including installation instructions, code examples, and troubleshooting tips, enabling you to automate tests on macOS using Safari.

Running Selenium Tests on Safari

Setting up SafariDriver

To use Selenium WebDriver with Safari, you need SafariDriver. SafariDriver acts as a bridge between your Selenium code and the Safari browser. It's important to note that SafariDriver only works on macOS; it's not supported on Windows.

Installation and Setup

  1. Install Safari: Make sure you have Safari installed on your macOS machine.
  2. Download SafariDriver: Download the latest SafariDriver from the SeleniumHQ downloads page. It's usually a `.zip` file.
  3. Extract SafariDriver: Extract the downloaded file. This will usually contain the `safaridriver` executable.
  4. (Optional) Configure SafariDriver path: If necessary (depending on your Selenium setup), you may need to add the SafariDriver executable's directory to your system's PATH environment variable so that the Selenium script can find and use it automatically.
  5. Trust the SafariDriver (Important): When you first run a test using SafariDriver, Safari will likely prompt you to allow the driver to control the browser. You'll need to explicitly trust the driver within Safari's settings.
  6. Restart Safari: After installing SafariDriver, restart your Safari browser for the changes to take effect.

Writing a Selenium Test for Safari

Here’s a basic Java example (adapt the code for your preferred language and adjust locators to match your target website’s HTML):


import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.safari.SafariDriver;

public class SafariTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        WebDriver driver = new SafariDriver(); // Instantiates a SafariDriver object
        driver.get("https://www.google.com"); // Navigates to Google

        // Find and interact with the search box and button (locators might need adjustment)
        driver.findElement(By.name("q")).sendKeys("Selenium WebDriver"); 
        driver.findElement(By.name("btnK")).click();

        // Close the browser
        driver.quit();
    }
}
      

(The browser will open, navigate to Google, perform the search, and then close. There's no console output in this simple example.)

Running the Test

In your IDE (like Eclipse), right-click on your Java file and select "Run As > Java Application". This will execute your Selenium test, launching Safari and performing the actions defined in your code.