How page load timeout works in Selenium?
As we know, in Selenium, the page load timeout is a setting that determines the maximum amount of time the WebDriver should wait for a web page to load completely before raising a TimeoutException. And, this timeout is important as it ensures that the test cases work properly and do not hangs anytime. To understand this, let’s look at its working and how set_page_load_timeout works with it.
1. Setting the Page Load Timeout
To set the page load timeout, one can make use of set_page_load_timeout method of the WebDriver instance. The role of this method is to take a single argument as time (in seconds), in order to allow the page to load.
2. WebDriver’s Behavior
While navigating through the webpage with the help of “get” method, the WebDriver keeps a check on the timer of the page load timeout which has been set. If the page doesn’t load within the specified time, the WebDriver will raise a TimeoutException. This allows to handle the timeout gracefully in the test scripts.
3. Handling Timeout Exceptions
When a page load timeout occurs, TimeoutExceptions can easily be caught. Common strategies include logging the timeout, retrying the navigation, or moving on to the next test step. The approach to be chosen may depend on the specific requirements of the test suite and the behavior of the testing application.
4. Impact on Subsequent Commands
It’s important to note that the page load timeout setting applies only to page navigation commands like get. It does not affect the implicit or explicit waits set using implicitly_wait or WebDriverWait. These waits are used to wait for elements on the page to become available, while the page load timeout is specifically for waiting for the entire page to load.
How to set page load timeout in Selenium?
Page load timeouts play a significant role in web development and user experience, acting as a safeguard against slow-loading pages and contributing to the overall success of a website or web application. Developers work diligently to manage and optimize load times to keep users engaged and satisfied. This article focuses on discussing how to set page load timeouts in Selenium.