Discovering text on a webpage and extracting its XPath or CSS using Selenium and Java

Imagine a scenario where there is a page displaying various items on a table that changes in both order and quantity randomly.

The task at hand is to locate a specific item labeled "Itemx" by its text, extract its XPath or CSS, and then use it in another section of the code.

It is possible to find the element based on the text "Itemx" with the following code snippet:

driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("BODY")).getText().matches("^[\\s\\S]*Itemx[\\s\\S]*$");

However, the challenge lies in obtaining its XPath or CSS for further reference.

Despite searching extensively online, resources primarily focus on verifying or locating text using XPath, not the reverse situation like mine. I possess the text and aim to derive its respective XPath.

Answer №1

When it comes to selecting elements in web development, both XPath and CSS selectors are considered arbitrary choices. There is no definitive answer to which is better in all cases.

For example, trying to select the first c element within

<a><b></b><c></c><c></c></a>
using a CSS selector could involve using c:first-of-type, or a > c:nth-child(2), among other possibilities. Similarly, with XPath there are multiple ways to achieve the same result. The approach taken may vary depending on factors such as the context, desired stability, and tolerance for potential errors.

Ultimately, if precision is not critical and you simply need to work with the current state of the document, passing around the DOM element itself might be a more straightforward solution. However, if unique identification of an element is necessary, traversing the DOM tree level by level can lead to a complex but effective selector like:

:root > :nth-child(3) > :nth-child(1) > :nth-child(4)

While this may appear clunky, it can serve the purpose in the absence of clearer alternatives.

Answer №2

One way to locate an item based on its text is by using XPath: //text()[contains(., 'Itemx').

Answer №3

Have you heard of an extension for Firefox's Firebug known as Firepath? Once it's added, simply right-click on any element within a webpage and choose "inspect in FirePath." This tool even allows you to run tests and make adjustments to the XPATH or CSS SELECTOR paths to streamline them.

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