Tips for locating direct children of a non-root element using CSS selectors in Selenium

Question

Tips for locating direct children of a non-root element using CSS selectors in Selenium

When working with a <table> element, I encountered the need to search for its descendants and direct descendants while avoiding wading through nested tables. The elements I seek lack reasonable IDs, so specific selectors are essential:

<html>
    ...
    <table id="tbl">
        <tbody>
            <tr>
                <td>
                    <div>foo</div>
                </td>
            </tr>
            ...
            <tr><td><button class="btnDefault"/></td></tr>
        </tbody>
    </table>
    ...
</html>

To simplify and possibly speed up the process, caching the <table> element seems like a good idea:

var table = driver.FindElement(By.Id("tbl"));
var div = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector("> tbody > tr:first-child > td:first-child > div"));
var button = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector("> tbody > tr > td > button.btnDefault"));

The issue arises when attempting to use standard CSS syntax in the second and third queries from the cached <table> element. This is due to CSS not inherently supporting searching from a specific scope. Is there an alternative approach that could serve as the root of the query?

c#css selenium

Answer 1

Answer №1

One way to target the current element is by using the pseudo-class :scope.

The Selectors Level 4 specification includes this pseudo-class, which is currently supported in Firefox and Chrome. However, it may not be supported in all browsers.

var table = driver.FindElement(By.Id("tbl"));
var div = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector(":scope > tbody > tr:first-child > td:first-child > div"));
var button = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector(":scope > tbody > tr > td > button.btnDefault"));

Keep in mind that relying on specific relationships like "immediate child" can create fragile selectors that will require more maintenance for your tests.

Answer 2

One way to target the current element is by using the pseudo-class :scope.

The Selectors Level 4 specification includes this pseudo-class, which is currently supported in Firefox and Chrome. However, it may not be supported in all browsers.

var table = driver.FindElement(By.Id("tbl"));
var div = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector(":scope > tbody > tr:first-child > td:first-child > div"));
var button = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector(":scope > tbody > tr > td > button.btnDefault"));

Keep in mind that relying on specific relationships like "immediate child" can create fragile selectors that will require more maintenance for your tests.

Answer 3

Answer №2

Instead of using a public IWebDriver WebDriver property and a private IWebElement button property within the page class, why not consider utilizing the following approach:

public IWebDriver WebDriver { get; set; }

[FindsBy(How = How.ClassName, Using = "btnDefault")] 
private IWebElement button { get; set; }

By implementing this code snippet, you will be able to access the button element as a WebElement when you create an instance of the class.

Answer 4

Instead of using a public IWebDriver WebDriver property and a private IWebElement button property within the page class, why not consider utilizing the following approach:

public IWebDriver WebDriver { get; set; }

[FindsBy(How = How.ClassName, Using = "btnDefault")] 
private IWebElement button { get; set; }

By implementing this code snippet, you will be able to access the button element as a WebElement when you create an instance of the class.

Answer 5

Answer №3

since FindElement is being called from the table element, this solution should be successful:

var div = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector("tbody > tr:first-child > td:first-child > div"));
var button = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector("tbody > tr > td > button.btnDefault"));

This change eliminated the ">" at the beginning.

Answer 6

since FindElement is being called from the table element, this solution should be successful:

var div = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector("tbody > tr:first-child > td:first-child > div"));
var button = table.FindElement(By.CssSelector("tbody > tr > td > button.btnDefault"));

This change eliminated the ">" at the beginning.

Answer 7

Answer №4

Having numerous buttons with the same class name can pose a challenge when trying to identify which cell they are located in. The code below offers a potential solution:

public IWebDriver WebDriver { get; set; }

IWebElement tableElement = WebDriver.FindElement(By.Id(tableName));
            IWebElement tbodyElement = tableElement.FindElement(By.TagName("tbody"));
            List<IWebElement> rows = new List<IWebElement>(tbodyElement.FindElements(By.TagName("tr")));
            foreach (var row in rows)
            {
                if (row.GetAttribute("row") != "-1" && (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(row.GetAttribute("row"))))
                {
                    List<IWebElement> cells = new List<IWebElement>(row.FindElements(By.TagName("td")));
                    if (cells.Count != 0)
                    {
                        if (cells[0].Text == columnName) //Locate the cell, potentially using another attribute
                        {
                            IWebElement btn = cells[0].FindElement(By.ClassName("btnDefault")) as IWebElement;
                            return btn;

                        }
                    }
                }
            }

Answer 8

Having numerous buttons with the same class name can pose a challenge when trying to identify which cell they are located in. The code below offers a potential solution:

public IWebDriver WebDriver { get; set; }

IWebElement tableElement = WebDriver.FindElement(By.Id(tableName));
            IWebElement tbodyElement = tableElement.FindElement(By.TagName("tbody"));
            List<IWebElement> rows = new List<IWebElement>(tbodyElement.FindElements(By.TagName("tr")));
            foreach (var row in rows)
            {
                if (row.GetAttribute("row") != "-1" && (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(row.GetAttribute("row"))))
                {
                    List<IWebElement> cells = new List<IWebElement>(row.FindElements(By.TagName("td")));
                    if (cells.Count != 0)
                    {
                        if (cells[0].Text == columnName) //Locate the cell, potentially using another attribute
                        {
                            IWebElement btn = cells[0].FindElement(By.ClassName("btnDefault")) as IWebElement;
                            return btn;

                        }
                    }
                }
            }

Tips for locating direct children of a non-root element using CSS selectors in Selenium

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

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