Selenium Interview Questions and Answers

This section covers frequently asked Selenium interview questions.

1. What is Automation Testing?

Automation testing uses specialized software tools to automate the execution of test cases. This eliminates manual testing, speeding up the process and improving consistency.

2. Advantages of Automation Testing.

• Supports functional and performance testing.
• Enables repeated test execution.
• Allows parallel test execution.
• Facilitates testing a large number of scenarios.
• Increases accuracy.
• Saves time and resources.

3. Automation Tools for Functional Testing.

(This section would list various functional testing tools. Examples are provided in the original text.)

4. Automation Tools for Non-Functional Testing.

(This section would list various non-functional testing tools, including load testing, security testing, and performance testing tools. Examples are provided in the original text.)

5. What is Selenium?

Selenium is a widely used, open-source framework for automating web browsers. It's used for testing web applications but can also automate other browser-based tasks.

6. Components of Selenium.

• Selenium IDE: A browser extension for recording and playing back test scripts (now somewhat less commonly used).
• Selenium WebDriver: The core component for controlling web browsers programmatically.
• Selenium Grid: For running tests in parallel across multiple browsers and machines.

7. Selenium Support.

Selenium supports various programming languages, operating systems, and web browsers.

8. Selenium Version Upgrades.

(This section would detail the key changes and features introduced in different Selenium versions.)

9. Test Types Supported by Selenium.

(This section would list various types of software testing that can be automated with Selenium, including functional testing, regression testing, and more.)

10. Selenium IDE.

Selenium IDE is a browser extension (primarily for Firefox) that allows you to record and playback browser interactions. It's useful for quickly creating simple test cases.

11. Selenese.

Selenese refers to the commands used in Selenium scripts to interact with web elements.

12. Locating Web Elements in Selenium.

Selenium uses locators to identify web elements. Types of locators include:

• ID
• Class Name
• Name
• Tag Name
• Link Text
• Partial Link Text
• XPath
• CSS Selector

13. WebDriver APIs in Selenium.

(This section would list the various WebDriver APIs for different browsers.)

14. Integrating Selenium with CI/CD Tools.

Selenium can be integrated with tools like Maven, Jenkins, and Docker to implement continuous testing practices. TestNG and JUnit are common frameworks used with Selenium to manage tests and reporting.

15. Assertions in Selenium.

Assertions are used to verify that expected conditions are met. Failures in assertions can cause the test to stop execution.

16. assert vs. verify Commands.

17. XPath in Selenium.

XPath is a query language for selecting nodes in XML documents. It is frequently used in Selenium to locate web elements.

18. XPath Absolute vs. XPath Attributes.

Absolute XPath specifies the exact path from the root of the HTML document. Attribute-based XPath locates elements using their attributes (e.g., ID, class).

19. "/" vs. "//" in XPath.

• /: Specifies an absolute path.
• //: Specifies a relative path.

20. Annotations in Selenium (JUnit).

(This section would list JUnit annotations, like @Test, @Before, @After, etc.)

21. WebDriver Mobile Testing Drivers.

(This section would list the mobile testing drivers supported by Selenium WebDriver.)

22. Programming Languages Supported by Selenium WebDriver.

(This section would list the programming languages supported by Selenium WebDriver.)

23. typeKeys() vs. type().

typeKeys() can trigger JavaScript events, while type() might not.

24. type() vs. typeAndWait().

type() types text; typeAndWait() waits for page reload after typing.

25. findElement() vs. findElements().

(This section would describe the difference between `findElement()`, which returns a single element, and `findElements()`, which returns a list of elements.)

26. Waits in Selenium.

Waits are crucial when dealing with asynchronous operations in web applications (like AJAX calls). Selenium offers two types:

• Implicit Wait: Sets a global timeout for finding elements. The driver will poll the DOM (Document Object Model) for a certain time. If the element does not appear within the specified time limit, then it will throw an exception. It applies to all subsequent findElement() calls. Can slow down tests.
• Explicit Wait: Sets a specific wait condition for a particular element, using an Expected Condition. More flexible and targeted than implicit waits.

27. Disadvantages of Implicit Waits.

• Can slow down tests unnecessarily if elements appear quickly.
• A fixed timeout may cause tests to fail even if elements appear slightly after the timeout expires.

28. Selenium Grid.

Selenium Grid distributes tests across multiple machines, allowing parallel execution of tests on different browsers and operating systems.

29. Launching Different Browsers in Selenium WebDriver.

Create a WebDriver instance for the desired browser (e.g., new ChromeDriver(), new FirefoxDriver()).

30-32. Launching Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer.

(This section includes code snippets to launch Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer using Selenium WebDriver. The code includes setting the respective driver paths and basic browser handling.)

33. Performing a Right-Click.

Actions actions = new Actions(driver);
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("elementId"));
actions.contextClick(element).perform();

34. Performing Mouse Hover.

Actions actions = new Actions(driver);
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("elementId"));
actions.moveToElement(element).perform();

35. Drag and Drop Operation.

Actions actions = new Actions(driver);
actions.clickAndHold(sourceElement).moveToElement(targetElement).release(targetElement).build().perform();

36. Refreshing a Web Page.

Several methods exist:

• driver.navigate().refresh()
• driver.get(driver.getCurrentUrl())
• Using the sendKeys() method with Keys.F5 or "\uE035" (the ASCII value of the F5 key)

37. Navigating Browser History.

• driver.navigate().back()
• driver.navigate().forward()

38. Invoking an Application.

Use driver.get("url") or driver.navigate().to("url")

39. Benefits of Automation Testing (Repeated from earlier).

Repeated test execution, parallel execution, unattended execution, increased accuracy, cost savings.

40. Getting Text from a Web Element.

String text = driver.findElement(By.id("elementId")).getText();

41. Selecting Dropdown Values.

Use the Select class:

Select select = new Select(driver.findElement(By.id("selectId")));
select.selectByValue("value"); // Or selectByVisibleText, selectByIndex

42. Navigation Commands.

• navigate().back()
• navigate().forward()
• navigate().refresh()
• navigate().to("url")

43. Handling Iframes.

Use driver.switchTo().frame() to switch to an iframe. You can use the iframe's ID, name, index, or a WebElement representing the iframe.

44. HtmlUnitDriver in .NET.

(This section would describe how to use HtmlUnitDriver in .NET, often involving the use of `RemoteWebDriver` and setting capabilities.)

45. Using Proxies with Selenium.

Use the Proxy class to configure a proxy server for your Selenium WebDriver sessions.

46. Page Object Model (POM).

POM is a design pattern that creates separate classes for each page of a web application. This makes tests more organized, readable, and maintainable.

47. Capturing Screenshots.

File scrFile = ((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
FileUtils.copyFile(scrFile, new File("path/to/screenshot.png"));

48. Typing Text into a Textbox.

Use the sendKeys() method to enter text into a textbox.

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("textboxId"));
element.sendKeys("My Text");

49. Checking Element Visibility.

WebDriver provides methods to check element states:

• isDisplayed(): Checks if the element is visible on the screen.
• isSelected(): Checks if an element (like a checkbox or radio button) is selected.
• isEnabled(): Checks if an element is enabled (interactive).

boolean isDisplayed = driver.findElement(By.id("elementId")).isDisplayed();

50. Clicking Hyperlinks.

Use findElement() with By.linkText() or By.partialLinkText() to locate and click hyperlinks.

driver.findElement(By.linkText("My Link")).click();
driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("My")).click();