Common Functions When Using Selenium Chrome in Golang

This article compiles commonly used functions when working with Selenium Chrome in Golang, including installation, creating a session, navigating web pages, and interacting with page elements.

Selenium is a powerful tool for automating browsers, and using it with Golang makes it easy to test or automate web tasks. This article will present the most basic functions you need to know when working with Selenium in a Golang environment.

Commonly Used Functions:

1. Installing Selenium Library for Golang:

   • Use the package github.com/tebeka/selenium to install and use Selenium.

2. Initializing the WebDriver:

   • Create a new session with the Chrome WebDriver.

   caps := selenium.Capabilities{
       "browserName": "chrome",
   }
   wd, err := selenium.NewRemote(caps, "")
   

3. Opening a Web Page:

   • Navigate to a specific URL.

   wd.Get("https://example.com")
   

4. Finding Elements:

   • Use methods like FindElement to locate elements on the page.

   element, err := wd.FindElement(selenium.ByCSSSelector, "#myElement")
   

5. Interacting with Elements:

   • Send text to an input field or click a button.

   element.SendKeys("Hello, World!")
   element.Click()
   

6. Retrieving Information from Elements:

   • Get attributes, text, or value from an element.

   text, err := element.Text()
   

7. Waiting:

   • Use WebDriverWait to wait for an element to appear.

   wait := selenium.NewWebDriverWait(wd, time.Second*10)
   wait.Until(selenium.ExpectedConditions.ElementIsVisible(selenium.ByCSSSelector, "#myElement"))
   

8. Running JavaScript:

   • Execute JavaScript code on the current web page.

   wd.ExecuteScript("alert('Hello, World!');", nil)
   

9. Taking Screenshots:

   • Save an image of the current page.

   img, err := wd.Screenshot()
   

10. Closing the Browser:

    • End the session with the WebDriver.

    wd.Quit()
    

System requirements:

• Go installed
• ChromeDriver compatible with the version of Chrome being used
• Selenium library for Golang

Tips:

• Ensure that you have installed ChromeDriver and that it's in your PATH environment variable.
• Explore additional methods and properties of the WebDriver to make the most out of Selenium for automated testing.

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