What steps should I take to make sure I select the right CSS/CTA Selector for the login button during automation?

I've been experimenting with automating logins using JavaScript code. My current process involves inspecting the elements of the username box, password box, and login button. I then simply use the "copy selector" feature to find the selector and adjust my .js file accordingly.

This approach worked like a charm on LinkedIn: URL: 

const USERNAME_SELECTOR = '#username';
const PASSWORD_SELECTOR = '#password';
const CTA_SELECTOR = '#app__container > main > div:nth-child(2) > form > div.login__form_action_container > button';

However, when trying the same method on other websites, I encountered issues with finding the login/submit button (CTA_SELECTOR).

For instance: URL: 

const USERNAME_SELECTOR = '#si_username';
const PASSWORD_SELECTOR = '#si_password';
const CTA_SELECTOR = '#si_box > form > div:nth-child(4) > div > button';

Running this script resulted in an error indicating that it couldn't locate the CTA_SELECTOR on the page.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to ensure I obtain the correct selector?

javascriptcssnode.jsweb-scrapingpuppeteer

Answer №1

One effective method is to employ XPath selectors in a semantic manner. XPath enables us to construct text matching expressions using the contains() method. This allows us to easily locate elements (such as a button) based on their innerText.

To test this out in the Chrome console, you can execute the following command: $x('//button[contains(text(), "Sign in")]')

In Puppeteer, the implementation would involve using page.$x for selecting elements with xpaths. The code snippet below illustrates how to click on a button that contains the text "Sign in":

const signInBtn = await page.$x('//button[contains(text(), "Sign in")]')
await signInBtn[0].click()

If the text "Sign in" varies across different sites, you can make it dynamic by parameterizing it. Here's an example:

const signInContent = 'Sign in'
const signInXpath = `//button[contains(text(), "${signInContent}")]`
const signInBtn = await page.$x(signInXpath)

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