Difference between WebDriver and WebElement
Parameters |
WebDriver |
WebElement |
---|---|---|
Scope |
WebDriver manages the whole browser window or tab while operating at the browser level. It can navigate across windows or frames in various browsers. |
WebElement represents individual web page elements and functions at the element level. It can locate elements inside the frame or iframe context, or it can search within the current page itself. |
Methods |
WebDriver has functions for navigating around browsers (get, navigate), managing windows (switchTo, getWindowHandle), interacting with elements (findElement, findElements), and controlling execution (close, quit). |
WebElement provides various methods to interact with elements, including isSelected, isEnabled, click, sendKeys, getText, and getAttribute. |
Locating Element |
WebDriver has methods like findElement and findElements for locating elements on a web page. To find elements, it makes use of locators such as ID, name, class name, CSS selectors, XPath, etc. |
A page’s location element is represented by a WebElement. It can be found and then utilized to carry out operations such as typing or clicking. |
Error Handling |
Errors about browser initialization, navigation, timeouts, and exceptions are handled by WebDriver at the browser level. |
Errors pertaining to element interaction, including “element not found,” “not clickable,” “stale element reference,” etc., are handled by WebElement. |
Lifecycle |
Usually, a WebDriver instance is created only once at the start of the test and is utilized continuously. |
When a test is running, WebElement objects are produced dynamically to represent particular page elements. |
Difference Between WebDriver and Web Element?
Although WebDriver helps with browser control and navigation, WebElements are the building blocks of automated test scripts that help find and interact with specific elements within web pages.
Table of Content
- What is WebDriver?
- What is WebElement?
- Methods of WebDriver and WebElement
- Difference between WebDriver and WebElement
- Conclusion
- FAQs
Understanding their functions and tasks is essential for efficient web automation testing and guaranteeing the resilience and dependability of online applications.