
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Selenium team has added <strong>Selenium 4.0 Alpha</strong> to <a href="https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.seleniumhq.selenium/selenium-java">mvnrepository</a> two weeks back(24th April) and has created a buzz in the Automation QA Community.<br></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The QA fraternity has been eagerly waiting for one or more features proposed in this release. The most significant of them would be the <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/webdriver1/">W3C Standardization</a>. It would <strong>make the Framework much more stable</strong> and reduce some of the compatibility issues across different Web Browsers. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another beginner-friendly change that is coming with this major release is <strong>updated Documentation</strong>.&nbsp;After version 2,&nbsp;Selenium Documentation had not been thoroughly updated. The updated documentation would help beginners, as well as the experienced, immensely.<br>We also hope some of the drawbacks in the article&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://testsigma.com/blog/selenium-automation-testing-pros-cons/" target="_blank">Pros and Cons of Selenium as an Automation Testing tool</a>&nbsp;will be handled by Selenium 4.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Let us look at some of the prominent changes that we can expect in Selenium 4. And if you dig in at the right place, you can see the complete list of changes in CHANGELOG or CHANGES file &#8211; <a href="https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium">Selenium Github Repo</a><br></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Note</strong>: This is not a complete list and I have deliberately omitted many of the underlying implementation and architectural changes that a regular QA Automation guy like me wouldn’t have to deal with on a daily basis 😀</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets"><p class="toc_title">Table Of Contents</p><ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#Architectural_Changes"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">1</span> Architectural Changes</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Now_using_W3C_Protocol_for_Browser-driver_Communications"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.1</span> 1. Now using W3C Protocol for Browser-driver Communications</a></li><li><a href="#2_Compliant_withnbspW3C_WebDriver_Specifications"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.2</span> 2. Compliant with&nbsp;W3C WebDriver Specifications</a></li><li><a href="#3_Removed_support_for_few_Browsers"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.3</span> 3. Removed support for few Browsers</a></li><li><a href="#4_Optimized_Selenium_grid"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.4</span> 4. Optimized Selenium grid</a></li><li><a href="#5_Added_limited_support_for_Opentracing_and_Docker"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">1.5</span> 5. Added limited support for Opentracing and Docker</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#API_changes"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">2</span> API changes</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Changes_to_Window_class"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.1</span> 1. Changes to Window class</a></li><li><a href="#2_Changes_to_Builder_class"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.2</span> 2. Changes to Builder class</a></li><li><a href="#3_Changes_to_chromeDriver"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.3</span> 3. Changes to chrome.Driver</a></li><li><a href="#4_Changes_to_firefoxDriver"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.4</span> 4. Changes to firefox.Driver</a></li><li><a href="#5_Changes_to_Options_Class"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.5</span> 5. Changes to Options Class</a></li><li><a href="#6_Changes_to_Errors"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.6</span> 6. Changes to Errors</a></li><li><a href="#7_Changes_to_WebDriver"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.7</span> 7. Changes to WebDriver</a></li><li><a href="#8_Changes_to_Alerts"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.8</span> 8. Changes to Alerts</a></li><li><a href="#9_Others"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_2">2.9</span> 9. Others</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Standardized_Documentation"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">3</span> Standardized Documentation</a></li><li><a href="#Footnote"><span class="toc_number toc_depth_1">4</span> Footnote</a></li></ul></div>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="architectural-changes"><span id="Architectural_Changes">Architectural Changes</span></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="1-now-using-w3c-protocol-for-browser-driver-communications"><span id="1_Now_using_W3C_Protocol_for_Browser-driver_Communications">1. Now using W3C Protocol for Browser-driver Communications</span></h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The earlier versions of Selenium used JSON wire protocol which required encoding and decoding of the API. Whereas, Selenium 4 will now use a standard W3C Protocol to communicate between the driver and the browser. The advantage is that W3C protocol doesn’t require encoding or decoding the API and the tests will be able to directly communicate with the Browser.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="2-compliant-with-w3c-webdriver-specifications"><span id="2_Compliant_withnbspW3C_WebDriver_Specifications">2. Compliant with&nbsp;W3C WebDriver Specifications</span></h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Selenium 4 will be entirely compliant with W3C WebDriver standards and this will include the documentation as well. So, the updated documentation will cover detailed instructions for usage.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, The actions API has been revamped&nbsp;to conform with the WebDriver Spec.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="3-removed-support-for-few-browsers"><span id="3_Removed_support_for_few_Browsers">3. Removed support for few Browsers</span></h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The team will remove native support for&nbsp;<strong>Opera</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>PhantomJS</strong>&nbsp;going forward. Still, the users who need to test Opera can rely on Chrome since Opera is based on Chromium(which Chrome is forked from) and for PhantomJS users can use <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="The team will remove native support for&nbsp;Opera&nbsp;and&nbsp;PhantomJS. Still, the users who need to test Opera can relay on Chrome since Opera is based on Chromium and for PhantomJS users can use Chrome or Firefox in headless mode as shown in the example (opens in a new tab)" href="https://github.com/SeleniumHQ/selenium/blob/trunk/javascript/node/selenium-webdriver/example/headless.js" target="_blank">Chrome or Firefox in headless mode</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/selenium-standalone-server/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Selenium Server</a> now no longer includes HtmlUnit by default.<gwmw style="display:none;"></p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="4-optimized-selenium-grid"><span id="4_Optimized_Selenium_grid">4. Optimized Selenium grid</span></h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Alpha version of new Grid Server supports &#8220;standalone&#8221;, &#8220;hub&#8221;,<br>  &#8220;node&#8221;, and completely distributed usage. Also, this new Grid Server can output logs in single-line JSON format to the stdout.</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="5-added-limited-support-for-opentracing-and-docker"><span id="5_Added_limited_support_for_Opentracing_and_Docker">5. Added limited support for Opentracing and Docker</span></h3>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Basic support for OpenTracing landed. Use the <em><strong>&#8211;ext</strong></em> flag to the new Grid Server to provide the classpath to an OpenTracing implementation.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Selenium 4 will introduce Basic support for using Docker containers with the new Grid Server. More information will be available once the official documentation is released.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-css-opacity"/>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Check out Testsigma to see how most of these things are already considered and made available to all our customers.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="api-changes"><span id="API_changes">API changes</span></h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="1-changes-to-window-class"><span id="1_Changes_to_Window_class">1. Changes to Window class</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>All window manipulation commands are now supported &#8211; </strong>fullscreen() and minimize() methods will be added.</li>



<li><strong>Added getRect() &amp; setRect() and removed getSize() &amp; getPosition() &#8211; </strong>The getRect() method retrieves a rect describing the current top-level window’s size and position. setRect() method sets the current top-level window’s size and position. This will replace the getSize() and getPosition() methods &#8211; Underlying implementation methods (These changes are not relevant in common usage).</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="2-changes-to-builder-class"><span id="2_Changes_to_Builder_class">2. Changes to Builder class</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Added “setChromeService”, “setEdgeService”, &amp; “setFirefoxService” methods &#8211;</strong> Underlying implementation methods (These changes are not relevant in common usage).</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="3-changes-to-chrome-driver"><span id="3_Changes_to_chromeDriver">3. Changes to chrome.Driver</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Added sendDevToolsCommand() &#8211; </strong>The sendDevToolsCommand() method sends an arbitrary devtools command to the browser and returns a promise that will be resolved when the command has finished.</li>



<li><strong>Added setDownloadPath() &#8211; </strong>The setDownloadPath() method sends a DevTools command to change Chrome’s download directory and returns a promise that will be resolved when the command has finished.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="4-changes-to-firefox-driver"><span id="4_Changes_to_firefoxDriver">4. Changes to firefox.Driver</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Added installAddon(path) &#8211; </strong>The installAddon() method installs a new addon within the current session. This function will return an &#8220;id&#8221; that can be used to uninstall the addon using uninstallAddon().</li>



<li><strong>Added uninstallAddon(id) &#8211; </strong>Uninstall the Addon using ID.</li>



<li><strong>Added addExtensions()</strong> &#8211; Add extension to the automation session easily.</li>



<li><strong>Added setPreference() &#8211; </strong>Add preferences to the session.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="5-changes-to-options-class"><span id="5_Changes_to_Options_Class">5. Changes to Options Class</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Options class now extends Capabilities class for Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari.</strong></li>



<li><strong>Removed the firefox.profile class. All of its functionality is now provided directly by firefox.options.</strong></li>



<li><strong>setProfile now only accepts a path to an existing profile.</strong></li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="6-changes-to-errors"><span id="6_Changes_to_Errors">6. Changes to Errors</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Added ElementClickInterceptedError</strong> &#8211; The Selenium code throws <strong>ElementClickInterceptedError</strong> when a click command cannot complete due to the click target being obscured by other elements on the page.</li>



<li><strong>Added InsecureCertificateError</strong> &#8211; The Selenium code throws <strong>InsecureCertificateError</strong> when a navigation event causes the browser to generate a certificate warning. An expired or invalid TLS certificate usually cause this. </li>



<li><strong>Added InvalidCoordinatesError </strong>&#8211; The Selenium code throws <strong>InvalidCoordinatesError</strong> when an interaction operation becomes invalid due to the passing of invalid coordinates.</li>



<li><strong>Added NoSuchCookieError </strong>&#8211; The Selenium code throws <strong>NoSuchCookieError</strong> when a named Cookie is missing in the cookie jar for the current document.</li>



<li><strong>Removed ElementNotVisibleError</strong></li>



<li><strong>Removed InvalidElementCoordinatesError</strong></li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="7-changes-to-webdriver"><span id="7_Changes_to_WebDriver">7. Changes to WebDriver</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Added driver.switchTo().parentFrame() &#8211; </strong>We can use it to go from the child frame to the parent frame directly.</li>



<li><strong>Removed touchActions</strong></li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="8-changes-to-alerts"><span id="8_Changes_to_Alerts">8. Changes to Alerts</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Removed authenticateAs</strong></li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="9-others"><span id="9_Others">9. Others</span></h3>



<ul class="wp-block-list list_style_disc">
<li><strong>Element screenshots are now possible</strong></li>



<li><strong>Added support for WebSockets to the HttpClient</strong></li>



<li><strong>Deleted many of the deprecated methods and classes</strong></li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="standardized-documentation"><span id="Standardized_Documentation">Standardized Documentation</span></h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The main problem which most Selenium users face is that there is no proper and updated documentation for Selenium. The Selenium team has not updated the documentation since Selenium 2.0. With Selenium 4, they have updated Selenium’s official documentation to explain the latest changes.</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="footnote"><span id="Footnote">Footnote</span></h2>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">While it&#8217;s great to see the improvements that are expected to be covered in Selenium 4, it would be a hassle for small and medium-sized teams to read through the API docs, analyze the changes, and rectify the tests broken by the updates due to the considerable changes.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Many of the above-discussed changes have already been implemented by test automation tools like <a aria-label="Many of the above-discussed changes have already been implemented by test automation tools like Testsigma.
 (opens in a new tab)" href="https://testsigma.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a>.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With a cloud-based tool like Testsigma, the updates will be reviewed internally and applied to all the customer’s tests automatically without any additional time, resources and efforts from the teams and is very easy for functional teams to get started!</p>


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