Locating Strategies By ID Using Java

In Selenium WebDriver, locating a web element accurately is crucial for automating web applications. One of the most efficient ways to locate an element is by using its ID. The By.id strategy is often the most reliable and fastest locator, as the id attribute is usually unique within the HTML document.

Here are the steps of using the ID locator strategy in Selenium with Java.

Steps for Locating Strategies By ID Using Java

Step1: Create a Java Project In Eclipse IDE.

Launch Eclipse IDE and create a new project by go to File > New > Java Project.

Step 2: Name The Java Project.

A new window will open prompting you to enter a Project Name. Provide a meaningful name that reflects the purpose or functionality of your project.

Step 3: Download Selenium and Configure Build Path.

A new project is created with the name Locators_Demo, the next step is to set up Selenium WebDriver. First, download the Selenium WebDriver for Java from the official Selenium website. After downloading, you need to configure Selenium JAR files in your IDE.

Link: Selenium Official Site.

Right-click on project--> Build Path -->Configure Build Path -->Class Path-->Add External Jars -->Select All Jars-->Apply And Close.

Go to libraries and Select Classpath then click on the Add the External JARs...

Add the required libraries from your local files in your computer.

After adding libraries (Jars) click on the Apply or Apply and Close Button.

Step 4: Download Chrome Driver

Right-click on Project to create a new folder to store the Chrome driver.

Download a compatible version of Chrome driver for your Chrome browser then extract the files into the Chrome driver folder.

Chrome Driver Download Link: Google Chrome Drivers.

Step 5: Create a New Class File

Right-click on the src folder then create a package name as com.selenium. Test under this package create one class name as ByIdDemo the click on finish. Then the project folder structure is shown as the below pictures.

Name the class as ByIdDemo and press the Enter or click on the Finish button.

Step 6: Selenium WebDriver Coding

Then update the class file code as bellow and replace the path of Chrome-Driver from your local files.

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;

public class ByIdDemo {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "./ChromeDriver/chromedriver-win32/chromedriver.exe");
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        driver.manage().window().maximize();
        driver.get("https://www.facebook.com/");
        driver.findElement(By.id("email")).sendKeys("[email protected]");
        driver.findElement(By.id("pass")).sendKeys("12345");
        driver.findElement(By.name("login")).click();
    }
}

Step 7: Run The Java Project

Right-click on the class then select Run as Java Application.

Output : Face Facebook login page will automated by the opening typing email and password and then clicking on the login button.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the ID locator is a unique and efficient way to identify an element on a web page. Located under the By class in Selenium, the ID is typically the most reliable and fast method for locating elements because each ID is guaranteed to be unique within the page's DOM (Document Object Model). This uniqueness ensures that an ID can precisely target a specific element, making it an essential locator for automation tasks in Selenium.