The Ultimate Guide to Selenium Python Web Device Testing

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Selenium stands out as a broadly embraced open-source framework designed for automated testing of internet applications. It ensures compatibility with more than one browser, running structure, and gadget.

Its introduction significantly streamlined the process for developers, enabling the creation of automated tests without grappling with intricate technological details. Before Selenium, testing web applications was an uphill task, necessitating manual execution of diverse scenarios across different browsers to pinpoint user experience issues.

The Selenium task offers local assistance for 5 programming languages, including Python. Python’s simplicity, versatility, and significant surroundings of libraries make it a pinnacle desire for developers. Its user-friendly nature and rich integrated capabilities make it best for developing various scripts, mainly check automation.

In this blog post, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process of automated testing using Selenium Python.

What is Selenium?

Selenium is a freely available automation testing suite tailored for web applications and compatible with diverse browsers and platforms. As a framework, Selenium empowers users to interact with HTML elements across any webpage. Its versatility extends beyond mere data extraction, enabling active interaction with webpage components.

Selenium facilitates the execution of automated scripts to test web app functionalities comprehensively. Moreover, Selenium seamlessly integrates with popular programming languages like Python, C#, Java, and JavaScript.

What is Python?

Python, recognized for its interpreted nature, object-oriented paradigm, and high-level syntax with dynamic semantics, has surged in popularity globally.

Within the realm of automation, Python reigns supreme, simplifying intricate automation tasks into concise functions akin to a benevolent ruler guiding code novices. This enchantment is evident to Python developers due to several compelling reasons.

• Accessibility to both professionals and beginners, fostering easy learning.
• Streamlined code for increased efficiency is crucial for intricate tasks like test automation.
• Many comprehensive libraries are equipped with versatile modules capable of automating many tasks.

Selenium Python Bindings

Selenium with Python is a great way to automate browser testing and web applications. It allows you to easily run test cases by clicking buttons, filling out forms, and navigating sites. Combine Selenium and Python to simplify your testing process.

Python Selenium bindings offer APIs for writing functional tests with the Selenium WebDriver. Like other Selenium language bindings, these Python APIs help create efficient tests for interacting with WebElements on the Application Under Test (AUT).

These bindings support local browser drivers (like Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.) and offer a remote WebDriver, allowing remote testing connection to a cloud Selenium Grid.

How do you configure Python and Selenium for Web Automation Testing?

In this section of the Python Selenium tutorial, we’ll set up the development environment for Selenium automation testing with Python.

You’ll need Python installed on your machine as a prerequisite for Python Selenium installation. Make sure to install Python before moving on to the next steps. When writing this blog, the latest stable version of Python was 3.9.7.

Here are the steps to set up Selenium in Python:

Step 1: Install Python

If your machine has multiple Python versions, you must use python3 to access Python 3.9.7. However, on a Mac, the python command will default to Python 2, while the python3 command will access Python 3.9.7.

Step 2: Download and Install PIP

To install Selenium Python, you’ll use pip, the Package Management System for Python. Like Python 3, we’ll install pip3 to ensure we can use Python 3 to develop test scenarios.

Step 3: Download and Install Selenium

With pip successfully installed, the next step is to install Selenium in Python. To install Selenium, use the appropriate pip command (pip or pip3). Then, follow the steps outlined below based on your operating system.

Step 4: Install the PyTest Framework

PyUnit (also known as unittest), the default testing framework, is based on the JUnit framework, making it readily available for both unit testing and Selenium test automation.

When combined with Selenium, PyUnit enables parallel testing. However, a major drawback of PyUnit is the requirement of boilerplate code for test implementation. Additionally, the framework adopts the camelCase naming convention commonly found in Java.

Step 5: Install Browser Drivers (Optional for Cloud Selenium Grid)

This step applies solely to Selenium Python tests designated for execution on the local Selenium Grid. As outlined in the Selenium WebDriver architecture, Selenium client libraries communicate with the web browser via their respective browser drivers.

To enable Selenium testing with Python on a local Selenium setup, it’s imperative to download the browser driver(s) compatible with the browser and its version on the local machine. Subsequently, these browser drivers should be downloaded and placed in the directory containing the browser executable (e.g., Chrome.exe for the Chrome browser).

By following this procedure, there’s no need to explicitly specify the browser driver path during the instantiation of the browser driver.

We’re ready to run our Selenium Python test on our local Selenium Grid. To showcase this, we’ll be using the PyTest framework. LambdaTest is an AI-powered test orchestration and execution platform that lets you run tests on the cloud and includes a reliable Selenium Grid. This makes it easy to do live testing on different web browsers and systems, both for live and local websites. With over 3000 real browsers and operating systems available, it’s a top choice for testing.

Steps to Run Web Automation Tests using Selenium and Python

Here are the steps to run web automation tests using Selenium and Python:

Step 1: Install Python

Make sure you have Python installed on your computer. If you don’t, you can get it from the official Python website and follow the instructions there to download and install it.

Step 2: Install Selenium

Utilize pip, which is Python’s package installer, to install the Selenium package. Simply run the following command in your terminal or command prompt:

“`

pip install selenium

“`

Step 3: Download Browser Drivers

Download the browser drivers for the browsers you intend to automate. Selenium requires these drivers to interact with the browsers. Download the appropriate driver version for your browser and operating system. Standard browser drivers include ChromeDriver for Google Chrome and GeckoDriver for Mozilla Firefox.

Step 4: Set Up Selenium WebDriver

Begin by initializing the WebDriver for the specific browser you wish to automate. This entails creating an instance of the WebDriver class that Selenium offers and specifying the pathway to the executable file for the browser driver.

Step 5: Write Test Scripts

Write your web automation test scripts using Python and Selenium. You can use any text editor or integrated development environment (IDE) you prefer to write these scripts.

Step 6: Execution of  Test Scripts

Run your Selenium test scripts using Python. You can execute your scripts from the command line or within your preferred IDE. Ensure your WebDriver is correctly configured and your test scripts are adequately written.

Step 7: Analyze Test Results

After running your test scripts, analyze the results to verify the behavior of your web application. Selenium provides various methods and assertions to validate elements, interactions, and expected outcomes.

Step 8: Optimize and Maintain Test Suite

Make sure to refine and fine-tune your test scripts whenever necessary. Keep your test suite up-to-date by making adjustments to your scripts to match any changes in the application you’re testing or in how browsers behave.

By sticking to these steps, you’ll be able to smoothly conduct web automation tests using Selenium and Python. This allows you to check that your web applications are working correctly and behaving as expected.

End Note

Embark on your Selenium Python checkout adventure—and best of all, it’s free! Python is one of the most broadly adopted languages and is usually growing in recognition. While PyUnit is the default check automation framework, most gravitate towards the PyTest framework for Python automation.

Moreover, executing Selenium Python tests in parallel is made straightforward with the pytest-xdist plugin. In this comprehensive Python Selenium tutorial, we delved deep into the fundamental aspects of conducting cross-browser tests with Selenium in Python.

Conduct Python automation testing on a cloud Selenium Grid, such as LambdaTest, to unlock the full potential of Python and Selenium. This approach enhances product quality and broadens browser coverage, thereby optimizing testing outcomes.