Get Started with Selenium

Install Java (JDK)

A Java Development Kit (JDK) includes the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) that is required to write and run Java program. If you have already installed JDK on your machine, please skip this step.

Note: this introduction uses JUnit 5 to verify the behavior of the program under test; JUnit 5 requires Java 8 or higher.

1. Download Java (https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/) and install it. Depending on your operating system and how your machine is configured, you may need to set the environment path.
   Note: this introduction was created for macOS and use the installer shown below.
   
2. Verify the installation. Use a terminal, type java -version. You should see a screen showing the Java version on your machine.

Install Eclipse

This introduction uses Eclipse. You may use any Java IDE of your choice and configure Selenium as appropriate. If you have already installed Eclipse (or any Java IDE), please skip this step.

1. Download Eclipse (https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/) and install it. For more information on Eclipse installation, please refer to https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/installer
2. Verify the installation. Double click the Eclipse executable file (Eclipse.app for macOS, Eclipse.exe for Windows)

Note: Eclipse comes with JUnit 5. Thus, no additional set up is needed for JUnit 5.

If you use other Java IDEs, please verify if JUnit 5 is included. Many Java IDEs come with JUnit 5 (e.g., Eclipse, NetBeans, IntelliJ, and Visual Studio Code).

If you do not already have JUnit 5 on your machine, you may download JUnit 5 (https://junit.org/junit5/), use any Java IDE or command line to set up. Depending on your machine's configuration, you may need to set the environment path.

Download Selenium Client and WebDriver

This introduction uses Selenium 4. WebDriver, the core of Selenium, is an interface to write instruction sets that can be run interchangeably in many web browsers. Later, you will download and set up a web browser driver. You will then configure the browser driver through WebDriver. If you have already installed Selenium 4, please skip this step.

1. Download Selenium 4 for Java. You may download selenium-java-4.23.1.zip directly or download it from the official website. https://www.selenium.dev/downloads/
   
2. Extract the contents of the downloaded file. You will later add all the .jar files to configure Selenium WebDriver with Eclipse.

Install Web Browser Driver

The browser driver interacts with the real web browser and instructs it to execute the actions as specified in a Selenium test. Each browser requires a browser driver specific to it.

In practice, testers would run tests on multiple web browsers to ensure the program under test behaves appropriately across browsers.

To simplify the setting and configuration, we strongly recommend that you use Firefox — Avoid using Chrome as it updates very often.

Depending on which web browser(s) you use, download the appropriate browser driver(s). Please be sure to verify the version of your web browser.

• Chrome: https://chromedriver.chromium.org/downloads
• Firefox: https://github.com/mozilla/geckodriver/releases

Later, you will configure web browser driver through Selenium's WebDriver.

Note on some common issues:

It appears that web browsers update more often than the drivers. For simplicity, we recommend that you try not to update your web browser too often. Otherwise, you may need to re-configure your Selenium test environment or sometimes need to downgrade your web browser. Please be sure to verify that the driver for the specific version is available before updating your web browser.

Create a JUnit test file

1. Launch Eclipse. Double click the Eclipse executable file (Eclipse.app for macOS, Eclipse.exe for Windows)
2. Create a workspace
   
3. Create a Java project by clicking on File > New > Project.., select Java Project, then enter your project name
   
   

   Depending on your Eclipse version and configuration, Java Project may appear by default, and thus you may not need to click on the Project.. option.

   Eclipse works in project. It is important that you first create a Java project. You will later create a Selenium test file in this project.

   By default, Eclipse automatically creates a module-info.java. If there exists a module-file.java under your src folder, delete the file.

4. Create a package under this project. Right click the src folder, select New > Package, then enter your package name (assume the package is named "test")
   
   

   Note: a package is optional but recommended. This is to help you organize your files.

5. Create a JUnit test file. Right click the "test" package, then select New > JUnit Test Case, enter your file name
   
   

   Be sure to select New JUnit Jupiter Test to create JUnit 5 test
   

   so that Eclipse will automatically add JUnit 5 library to Java Build Path of the project.
   

   Alternatively, you may manually add JUnit 5 library to the project. Select your project, then click the Project > Properties menu.
   

   Select Java Build Path > Libraries > Classpath > Add Library..., then select JUnit
   

   Depending on your Eclipse version, if there is no Classpath to select, simply click the Add Library... button.

Configure Selenium

1. Select your project, click the Project > Properties menu, then select Java Build Path > Libraries > Classpath > Add External JARs...
   
   

   Depending on your Eclipse version, if there is no Classpath to select, simply click the Add External JARs... button.

2. Navigate to your extracted Selenium folder
   
3. Select all .jar files and add them to the classpath. (note: make sure that they are added to the classpath, not the modulepath) You classpath should show all the .jar files. Be sure to click Apply and Close button.
   

   Be sure to add all .jar files.

4. Depending on the Selenium version you downloaded, if there exists a lib folder, repeat the same process (previous step). Navigate to your extracted Selenium folder. Open the lib folder, select all .jar files and add them to the classpath. You classpath should show all the .jar files. Be sure to click Apply and Close button.

   Be sure to add all .jar files.

Create a Selenium test

1. Open the JUnit test file you created previously.

   If your JUnit test file does not already import a library needed for @BeforeEach and @AfterEach, add the following code to import the library.

   import org.junit.jupiter.api.*;

2. Add the following code to import WebDriver

   import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;

3. Add the following code to import Selenium browser driver

   import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;       // for chrome
   import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;     // for Firefox  

4. Assuming your test file is named "FirstSeleniumTest" (i.e., the "FirstSeleniumTest" class), replace the template code created by Eclipse with the following code, assuming Chrome is used.

   Be sure to replace path/to/chromedriver with the actual path to your chromedriver.

   class FirstSeleniumTest 
   {
      private WebDriver driver;
      private String url = "http://www.google.com";
   	   
      @BeforeEach
      void setUp() throws Exception 
      {
         // configure path to the driver
         System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
             
         // create an instance of the web browser and open it    
         driver = new ChromeDriver();   
         
         // open the given url 
         driver.get(url);               
      }
   
      @AfterEach
      void tearDown() throws Exception 
      {
         // close the browser
         driver.close();           
      }
   
      @Test
      public void test_openURL() 
      {
         // check if we are on the right page
         assertEquals(driver.getTitle(), "Google");	
      }
   }   

   If you use Firefox, use the following setUp() and replace path/to/geckodriver with the actual path to your geckodriver.

   @BeforeEach
   void setUp() throws Exception 
   {
      // configure path to the driver
      System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "path/to/geckodriver");
             
      // create an instance of the web browser and open it    
      driver = new FirefoxDriver();   
         
      // open the given url 
      driver.get(url);               
   }

Run a Selenium test

Click the file name, then select Run as > JUnit Test

Alternatively, you may use the Toolbar, run icon ()

If everything is set up properly, you should see a web browser open and close. The test should pass.

(Some) Troubleshooting

• If compilation errors occur, please verify your Java Build Path and the path to your web browser driver.
• If compilation errors occur and your Java Build Path are set properly, try to locate module-info.java in your src folder and delete it.
• If runtime errors occur, please verify your Java Build Path. Be sure to include all .jar files provided by Selenium 4.
• For Mac users, if you receive a message saying that your browser driver cannot be verified and thus it cannot be opened
  
  

  Try to allow it through System Preferences > Security & Privacy. For more information, please refer to https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491

  
• If you receive a SessionNotCreatedException, it is most likely that your Selenium's browser driver does not support the version of your web browser.

  Please check the version of your web browser and then re-download the Selenium's browser driver that supports the version of your web browser.

• For Windows users, if a browser driver cannot be found, please check your path to the browser driver and include the file extension. For example, "C:\\HumptyDumpty\\uva-classes\\swtesting\\jar\\chromedriver.exe"
• For Mac users, if a browser driver cannot be found, please check your path to the browser driver. Do not include the file extension. For example, "/Users/HumptyDumpty/uva-classes/swtesting/jar/chromedriver"