Comprehensive Selenium Testing: Handling Multiple Windows and Mouse Actions with Best Practices

A website or web application comprises multiple web elements like buttons, text boxes, checkboxes, menus, sliders, etc, which need to be tested. To perform several user actions on the web application including multiple windows, mouse button actions like click, double click, right-click, etc requires actions class. 

Implementing actions class in Selenium testing involves automating complex user actions in web elements. This includes accessing drop-down boxes or clicking or double-clicking on a button element, dragging and dropping, or right-clicking on an item to get the corresponding context menu, and sending keyboard commands. Selenium also provides a suite of methods for multiple Windows handling to ensure the smooth execution of automated tests.

Handling Multiple Windows and mouse actions is essential for creating robust and comprehensive automated tests that mimic real user interactions. This functionality is crucial for web interactions beyond simple button clicks, such as filling out forms, navigating through menus, performing drag-and-drop operations, and more.

This article is all about comprehensive Selenium testing. Here we will discuss how to handle multiple windows and mouse action classes in Selenium to ensure the accuracy and reliability of automated test results.

Understanding Window Handling in Selenium

A window refers to a web page or opened pop-up window within the web browser. Window handling in Selenium is the process of switching, opening, and closing between multiple windows or tabs during the execution of a test case. When multiple windows such as pop-ups, or new tabs open within an application, Selenium immediately switches its focus to that new window and assigns a unique identifier named window handle to each window for performing further actions on a specific window. 

To interact with the web elements in a different window, a tester switches to that window using its handle before performing any actions. This allows them to perform various actions, such as verifying the content of multiple windows or testing the behavior of pop-up windows.

Proper window handling in Selenium is crucial because many web applications often open multiple windows or tabs during use. Therefore to appropriate handling of these windows users may be able to interact with the application as intended, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of automated test results.

Methods used for Window Handling in Selenium

Selenium provides several methods for window handling: Some of the most commonly used methods are:

getWindowHandle()- This method fetches a unique identifier for the current window. This method aids in setting the focus back to the parent window when multiple windows are open.

getWindowHandles()- This method retrieves a set of unique identifiers for all the open windows. It returns a group of string values that represents the window handles of all the browser windows that are currently open. This allows navigation between one window to another window in a web application.

switchTo().window()- This method allows switching between different browser windows using their respective handles.

These methods help manage multiple windows and ensure the smooth execution of automated tests. 

Types of windows in Selenium 

There are two types of windows in Selenium. They are 

• Parent window- It is the window that Selenium initially opens. It is the primary window where users perform actions like navigation to a URL, text entering, or clicking on elements. 

• Child window- it is the window that is opened by clicking a link or button on the parent window. It is dependent on the parent window. They are primarily used to provide additional information regarding performing any specific task. When a child window is opened, Selenium shifts its focus from the parent window to the child window.

Best practices for window handling in Selenium

Use a unique identifier: For every window or tab opened in a browser session, the browser assigns a unique window handle, which is crucial for managing multiple windows in Selenium. The window handle is a string of alphanumeric characters that distinguishes one window from another which Selenium uses to identify and interact with the window.

Multiple window handles: In a single browser session there can be multiple windows or tabs open at once. Therefore using multiple window handles unique to each window or tab.

Switch between windows: To interact with a specific window or tab, Selenium requires switching to that window’s handle. This can be achieved using the switchTo().window() method, as they take the desired window handle as an argument.

Handle pop-up windows: When a pop-up window or dialog is opened on a web page, Selenium uses the getWindowHandles() method to get a list of all open window handles. Selenium can identify and switch to the pop-up window by iterating and comparing the handles to the current handle.

Manage multiple windows: When dealing with multiple windows or tabs, it’s important to keep track of each window’s handle to interact with them correctly. Selenium provides methods for opening, closing, maximizing, and minimizing browser windows, as well as navigating between pages within each window.

Store the original window handle: Before opening a new window or tab, always store the original window handle. This allows easy switching back.

Use explicit waits: Before switching windows always ensure the new window is available by using explicit waits.

Close unused or unnecessary Windows: After finishing the tasks in a new window, free up resources by closing it and switching back to the original window.

By implementing the above best practices testers can ensure that the tests are robust and maintainable, allowing for seamless interaction with multiple windows. As a result, the reliability of automated tests is enhanced.

Understanding Action Class in Selenium

The action class is a pivotal feature provided by Selenium for handling complex user interactions within web applications. 

The Action class in Selenium provides the necessary methods for automating interactions encompassing a range of actions including keyboard and mouse events, drag-and-drop operations, and more. These operations are performed using the advanced user interactions APIs for emulating complex user gestures.

Leveraging the Actions class in Selenium empowers developers and testers to automate a wide range of user behaviors. This ensures that the application responds correctly to various input scenarios, providing a thorough validation of the user interface.

Selenium’s Actions API plays a fundamental role in Selenium, the Actions class lets testers create a sequence of actions, like mouse clicks, and execute using the perform() method, enabling the execution of different actions as a single unit. All these ensure accurate and realistic automation of user behaviors, thereby enhancing the precision and effectiveness of testing processes.

Methods of Actions Class in Selenium

The action class comprises Keyboard actions and Mouse actions. Here our focus is on handling Mouse actions in Selenium. 

Mouse Actions in Selenium

Mouse actions in Selenium refer to automating various interactions that can be simulated using a mouse for performing the corresponding actions like, click, double click, drag, and drop, on the web elements present on the page. These actions emulate a user’s interactions with a website, allowing for comprehensive testing of web applications.

Some commonly used mouse actions in Selenium are-

• click(): It performs a click at the current mouse location.
• doubleClick(): It is used to perform a double-click on the mouse.
• contextClick(): It is used to perform right-click operation at the current mouse location.
• clickAndHold(): It performs a long click on the mouse without releasing the current mouse position.
• dragAndDrop(): drags an element from the source location and drops to another where the target element is located.
• moveToElement(): This method is used to move the mouse pointer to the target element.
• click(WebElement e)− This is used to perform a click in the middle of the webElement.

Apart from the above-mentioned methods, many other methods can be used based on the testing requirements. 

Best Practices for Mouse Actions in Selenium

Here are some best practices for handling mouse actions in Selenium:

• Use the Actions class-

Leverage the Actions class in Selenium as it offers a variety of methods to simulate complex user interactions like mouse movements, clicks, and key presses. Utilizing this class will provide a fluent interface to chain multiple actions together.

• Create an instance of the Actions class-

Instantiate the Actions class with the Selenium instance and use its methods. This will allow moving the mouse pointer to the desired web page element and performing a series of actions in a single call.

• Use assertions or other validation techniques-

Use methods to hover over an element. This is essential for revealing dropdown menus or tooltips. After performing a mouse hover action, validate the expected web application’s behavior using assertions or other validation techniques. This allows checking that the correct elements are visible or the desired actions have been triggered after performing mouse actions.

• Use Parameterization-

With Parameterization testers can execute test cases against different input combinations or data sets. Hence implementing parameterization can help identify edge cases and improve test coverage.

• Use chaining actions-

Use ActionChains for complex interactions like drag-and-drop or hover. This will allow chaining multiple actions together, as well as ensuring actions are executed in the right sequence. 

• Incorporate explicit waits- 

Always use explicit waits before executing mouse actions to ensure that they are present and intractable. This reduces the likelihood of encountering.

• Test in Different Browsers-

Test the website or web application against different combinations of browsers, devices, and operating system combinations to ensure consistent behavior of the application. Facilitate data-driven tests using frameworks like TestNG or JUnit for Java or pytest for Python.

However, to effectively test websites in different browsers, devices, and operating systems, the best choice is to utilize a cloud platform, as it can streamline the testing process without the overhead of setting up infrastructure.

Utilizing a cloud-based platform like LambdaTest testers can perform cross-browser testing to verify that mouse actions and multiple windows work consistently across different browsers, as behavior may vary, like Hover effects. This involves checking whether dropdowns appear, tooltips are visible, and whether elements respond correctly to clicks or not.

LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that allows performing AI testing on a pool of combinations of device and browser types without needing to manage infrastructure. It provides access to a cloud Selenium Grid of more than 3000 environments, and real mobile devices to perform both automated testing of web and mobile applications in real-time at scale, ensuring consistent behavior of mouse actions and hover effects. This not only enhances test coverage but also streamlines the overall testing process, hence improving web application quality.

Utilizing this platform, testers can test on real mobile devices to ensure mobile responsiveness and behavior and confirm that all elements respond correctly to clicks or other interactions after hovering.

Testers can also integrate LambdaTest with testing frameworks like TestNG, JUnit, or pytest to run automated tests parallelly and specify desired capabilities for the browser, version, and operating system. Incorporating its logging and reporting capabilities, testers can debug and monitor the automation testing activities, making it easier to track actions and errors during test execution.

Conclusion

Mastering both window handling and action classes in Selenium plays a vital role in effectively handling users’ actions in web applications. Selenium offers capabilities that enable testers to interact and switch between windows like real users, ensuring the successful automation of complex web scenarios and validating content across multiple windows or tabs. 

It also enables the simulation of mouse events to verify and optimize user interactions, enhancing the ability to test dynamic web elements effectively.  The testing of intricate interactions allows for a deeper understanding of application behavior, leading to improved quality and user experience.