Action Class in Selenium: Its Method and Implementation

Testing is vital in software development to ensure quality and prevent issues. Automation Testing, particularly with Selenium—an open-source platform supporting multiple programming languages—streamlines this process.



The first step in automating web-based tests on a website or web app is choosing which browser to utilize. As a result, before writing test scripts, it&#8217;s important to define the system properties and initializes the browser object. That is the place where the method setProperty() is needed.




Selenium is an open-source automation framework that supports multiple programming languages such as Java, JavaScript, Python, and C#.



The first step in automating tests for a website or web application is deciding which browser to use. Consequently, before writing test scripts, it becomes necessary to define the system properties and initialize the browser object. That&#8217;s where the setProperty() method comes into the picture.



In this blog, we&#8217;ll discuss what this method setProperty() in Selenium is, as well as how it functions 



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_is_System_setProperty_in_Selenium">1 What is System setProperty in Selenium?</a><ul><li><a href="#setProperty_in_Selenium">1.1 setProperty in Selenium</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#What_is_the_use_of_setProperty_method">2 What is the use of setProperty method?</a></li><li><a href="#Demo_Illustrating_setProperty_in_Selenium">3 Demo: Illustrating setProperty in Selenium</a><ul><li><a href="#Code_Explanation">3.1 Code Explanation:</a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Testsigma_To_The_Rescue">4 Testsigma To The Rescue</a></li><li><a href="#Summary">5 Summary</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">6 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#How_can_we_set_the_system_property_for_ChromeDriver">6.1 How can we set the system property for ChromeDriver?</a></li><li><a href="#How_do_you_create_a_system_property">6.2 How do you create a system property?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-what-is-system-setproperty-in-selenium">What is System setProperty in Selenium?</h2>



setProperty is a method that implies setting the properties for the browser for creating test cases. This method is considered to be the first step to defining while writing test cases. You will see how it is used in the next section of the blog.



<h3 id="h-setproperty-in-selenium">setProperty in Selenium</h3>



Let’s take a look at the command below to understand what it means



<styled-code>
System.setProperty(&#8220;webdriver.chrome.driver&#8221;,&#8221;C:\Data\ChromeDriver\chromedriver.exe&#8221;);
</styled-code>



The above command setProperty has two attributes:



<ul><li>Name of the property, and</li><li>Property value</li></ul>



In the above command &#8211; webdriver.chrome.driver is the name of the property. This explains that the <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/automated-login/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Selenium WebDriver</a> is using a Google Chrome Driver to execute the test cases on the Google Chrome Browser.



In case you are using Firefox browsers, the property name will be &#8211; webdriver. gecko.driver. 



Note: Firefox browser uses Gecko driver.



The path &#8211; &#8220;C:\Data\ChromeDriver\chromedriver.exe&#8221; &#8211; represents the property value. This implies that your ChromeDriver executable file is present in that location and you are calling the chrome driver by specifying the path where you have downloaded and saved the driver in your local system. 



Note: This path can vary from person to person. How to configure the Browser drivers can be understood by referring to this blog <a href="https://www.selenium.dev/documentation/webdriver/getting_started/install_drivers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.



As soon as you set the system properties, you need to initialize a browser with the help of the command below. As we are using <a href="https://chromedriver.chromium.org/downloads" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chrome Driver</a>, we will create an object of the Chrome browser.



<styled-code>
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
</styled-code>



The rest of the code or the test methods can be written after instantiating the browser instance. N0w, let’s understand why it is used.



<h2 id="h-what-is-the-use-of-setproperty-method">What is the use of setProperty method?</h2>



While testing with Selenium, the setProperty method is used because the browser doesn’t have a built-in server to run the automation code.&nbsp;You will need a Chrome/IE/Gecko driver server to communicate your Selenium code to the browser.



In simple words, to set the path of the driver for the respective browser, you will need the system.setProperty.With the help of setProperty method, server communication can be achieved. I’ve explained how to do that below.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/image_ef48aac1aa4ec849de32f44413c36f18_2000.png_1748948890.png" alt="setproperty-setproperty-in-selenium" width="600" height="300"/></figure></div>



Let’s now take a small example for Chrome Browser and understand how this method is used and how it works.



<h2 id="h-demo-illustrating-setproperty-in-selenium">Demo: Illustrating setProperty in Selenium</h2>



<styled-code>
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class Demo_browser {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Here I am setting the system properties of chrome driver and specifying the path to it.
System.setProperty(&#8220;webdriver.chrome.driver&#8221;, &#8220;Path_to_your_chrome_driver&#8221;);
// Creating an object to instantiate the browser driver
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
//Navigating through a particular website
driver.get(&#8220;https://www.google.com&#8221;);
//Locating elements using name locator for search box
driver.findElement(By.name(&#8220;g&#8221;)).sendKeys(&#8220;Testsigma&#8221;);
WebElement searchIcon = driver.findElement(By.name(&#8220;btnk&#8221;)).click():
}
}
</styled-code>



 <h3 id="h-code-explanation">Code Explanation:</h3>



When you execute the above code, it will launch the Google.com website in Google Chrome using ChromeDriver, where the initialization of the driver is handled by system.setProperty method. This has to be the first line of code that needs to be executed in your Selenium script before any test method to initialize the driver. That’s how it works. If you wish to use Firefox Browser and Gecko Driver, you can use them accordingly.



This will also search for the Testsigma keyword in Google Chrome and click on the search icon. This is achieved through the locators, sendkeys method, and click button. 



One can check the complete list of available browser drivers on the <a href="https://www.selenium.dev/downloads/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">official site</a> of Selenium. Once the driver is downloaded for a specific browser, QAs need the setProperty()method to define the path for that driver before writing any test cases.



When using Selenium, the System.setProperty() method forms the basis for test case automation on any browser. Naturally, QAs must understand how to use this fundamental method for all automation purposes in <a href="https://testsigma.com/comparison-automated-testing-tools-selenium-testsigma" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Selenium</a>.



To write any test case, the first step is to set the system properties for a specific browser or web application. To execute the test case, you need to have a specific browser driver configured into the system. This is a complex process, as one needs to have strong coding skills, understand the problem statement, configure all the dependencies, and execute the test cases.



Just imagine how it would be if you were asked to carry out testing without the coding knowledge and all the other technical aspects. Sounds Interesting!



Yes, that’s exactly what <a href="https://testsigma.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma</a> does. The next section talks about how Testsigma can help you create and run test cases with ease.



Note: You can also compare the difference between Selenium and Testsigma and how <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/selenium-vs-testsigma-which-is-the-best-automation-testing-tool/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Testsigma takes an edge over Selenium</a>.



<h2 id="h-testsigma-to-the-rescue">Testsigma To The Rescue</h2>



Testsigma is a cloud-based test automation tool built to address the challenges that came with traditional tools. Some of the major problems that Testsigma aims to solve are huge initial time, cost and resources, Slow test development speed, High maintenance cost, Less or no Reusability of test cases, support for Collaboration, and many more.



Testsigma offers several features including:



<ul><li>Codeless automation, not just limited to basic tests</li><li>Lets everyone on your team automate testing &#8211; including QAs &amp;SMEs</li><li>Platform with all the essential elements for continuous testing</li><li>Enhance the platform’s automation capabilities for all your custom needs</li><li>In sprint test automation for fast-faced Agile and DevOps teams</li><li>Customizable object spy for every application that makes your tests robust</li><li>AI to reduce maintenance and improve the team’s efficiency</li><li>Reduce regression testing from weeks to minutes</li><li>Increased maintainability and reusability and reliability</li></ul>



This brings us to the end of the blog on system setProperty in Selenium.



<h2 id="h-summary">Summary</h2>



In this blog, we understood the system setProperty in Selenium and why it is necessary. As mentioned earlier, there are various web browser drivers for every browser. Here, we learned how to set system properties for Chrome Driver. Similarly, we can set the system properties for Firefox browser using Gecko Driver, Microsoft Edge driver for Edge browser, etc. 



As Selenium supports multiple browsers and browser versions, so is the reason for various browser drivers. These drivers are necessary to establish a connection to the server. That’s where system setProperty in Selenium is used.



<h2 id="h-frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="h-how-can-we-set-the-system-property-for-chromedriver">How can we set the system property for ChromeDriver?</h3>



To set the system setProperty for ChromeDriver, take a look at the below 



<styled-code>
System.setProperty(&#8220;webdriver.chrome.driver&#8221;,&#8221;Path to the chromedriver.exe&#8221;);
// The above command sets the system property of webdriver.chrome.driver and the path is necessary to be given to locate the chrome driver.
// Next create an instance of the chrome driver using the below syntax
Webdriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
</styled-code>



<h3 id="h-how-do-you-create-a-system-property">How do you create a system property?</h3>



<ul><li>You can set system properties programmatically by using Java. java.lang.System.setProperties() method is used to create the system properties.</li> <li>The -D option of the java command can be used.</li> <li>The jt400.properties file can also be used to create system property.</li> <li>Using a Properties class.</li></ul>

What is System setProperty in Selenium? How does it work?

How to Setup and Configure Selenium WebDriver with Eclipse

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Python Selenium Web Scraping: How-To Guide With Examples

How to set up logging using Log4j in Selenium?

<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#When_do_we_want_to_run_tests_on_existing_browser_instances">1 When do we want to run tests on existing browser instances?</a><ul><li><a href="#Prerequisites">1.1 Prerequisites</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_launch_Chrome_with_remote_debugging_enabled">1.2 How to launch Chrome with remote debugging enabled?</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Connect_to_an_Existing_Chrome_Browser_from_Selenium">1.3 How to Connect to an Existing Chrome Browser from Selenium?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="When-do-we-want-to-run-tests-on-existing-browser-instances?">When do we want to run tests on existing browser instances?</h2>



There are many scenarios where we want Selenium to connect to and use an existing browser that was previously opened manually or by some other program.



Some of the typical use cases are as below.



<ul><li>When the user does not want to log in every time, they add a test step while drafting the <a href="https://testsigma.com/docs/projects/settings/test-case-types/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test case </a>or when they want a plugin to be added in the automation-controlled browser, the Chrome browser launched using the Selenium web driver will not have their log-in information or plugins that they might have installed.</li><li>When the user has logged into an account that requires two-factor authentication.</li><li>When the user has done a sequence of manual operations that might be hard to automate have already been done.</li><li>When the application has a bug, and the user does a manual intervention to bypass a few steps.</li></ul>



Example



The sample sequence of test steps to add a beneficiary and make a transaction are



<ol><li>Go to the net banking website login page.</li><li>Enter username and password.</li><li>Go to the money transfer page.</li><li>Add the beneficiary details.</li><li>Verify the details of the bank account and person.</li><li>Select from the various methods of online money transfer including RTGS, IMPS, NEFT, UPI, and digital wallet.</li><li>Select the beneficiary name, and the amount, and then submit the details.</li><li>Verify the amount and other information on the verification page.</li><li>Click submit for the final action of the fund transfer.</li></ol>



If you want to add an assertion case where you want to verify the text message displayed after a transaction, you will be looking for an option to run ONLY the test where you assert the success/failure message displayed on the page without repeating the entire test steps from logging into the website.



The default behavior in Selenium is that a new driver instance will be initiated every time when you write a new test. In the above example, if you add the 10th test step to an existing test or write a new test in Selenium, you will be able to verify it only by running from step 1.



You can run only the assertion use case from the above example in a previously opened chrome browser where the transaction case is tested either manually or using selenium script when the browser is opened in debugging mode.



When the Chrome browser application is opened in a remote debugger port, we could easily connect a new Selenium Chrome Driver to that existing chrome instance.



<h3 id="Prerequisites">Prerequisites</h3>



<ol><li>Chrome Browser — Version 63 or higher</li><li>Add Chrome Browser installation directory to Path variable (if you are using windows) — preferable as it would allow opening chrome browser from any directory using terminal/command prompt.</li></ol>



<h3 id="How-to-launch-Chrome-with-remote-debugging-enabled?">How to launch Chrome with remote debugging enabled?</h3>



ChromeDriver will communicate with Chrome via the <a href="https://chromedevtools.github.io/devtools-protocol/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">remote DevTools Protocol</a>, which is not usually enabled when you open Chrome from the list of applications in the system.



So, you will need to enable the protocol by starting Chrome with the &#8211;remote-debugging-port command-line switch and choosing a port for it. Port <code>9222</code> is used by convention, but you can use any non-reserved port.



On Windows, you can run from the command prompt by appending a custom flag:



<styled-code>
start chrome.exe &#8211;remote-debugging-port=9222
</styled-code>



or



<styled-code>
<path to="" chrome="">/chrome.exe &#8211;remote-debugging-port=9222
</path></styled-code>



when the path is not set.



On macOS, you will need to find the path to the Chrome executable. Here&#8217;s an example to launch a Chrome executable that is in the default path:



<styled-code>
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome &#8211;remote-debugging-port=9222
</styled-code>



On Linux, launch the browser by running <code>google-chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222</code>



To launch Chrome with the remote DevTools protocol enabled without the need to use the command line:



<ul><li>On Windows,<ul> <li>Right-click the Chrome shortcut, and select <code>Properties</code></li><li>In the &#8220;target&#8221; field, append <code>--remote-debugging-port=9222</code> </li></ul></li><li>On macOS, either of the 3 ways mentioned below works<ul> <li>Create an <a href="https://support.apple.com/guide/automator/welcome/mac" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Automator</a> workflow that runs a bash script to open the browser with the command line switch enabled.</li><li>Use the <code>.dmg</code> file that you can obtain from <a href="https://github.com/natkuhn/Chrome-debug/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this GitHub repository</a>.</li><li>You could create your executable with a tool like <a href="https://sveinbjorn.org/platypus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Platypus</a>.</li></ul></li></ul>



If you want to launch the browser using a custom chrome profile, you can do it by adding <code>--user-data-dir</code> flag when you launch the browser.



To enable Chrome to open a port for remote debugging in the new chrome profile, we need to launch it with a custom flag.



On Windows,



<styled-code>
start chrome.exe &#8211;remote-debugging-port=9222 &#8211;user-data-dir=&#8221;C:\selenum\ChromeProfile&#8221;
</styled-code>



On Mac,



<styled-code>
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome &#8211;remote-debugging-port=9222 &#8211;user-data-dir=&#8221;~/ChromeProfile&#8221;
</styled-code>



For <code>--user-data-dir</code> flag you can either pass the directory where a new folder will be created for storing details of the chrome profile or you can create a folder and pass it as a value for the flag. You can launch the browser in a new profile when you don’t want to pollute your default profile.



<h3 id="How-to-Connect-to-an-Existing-Chrome-Browser-from-Selenium?">How to Connect to an Existing Chrome Browser from Selenium?</h3>



Here is the sample snippet to initialize Chrome Driver in Selenium with Java/Python<code>1//Sample Java </code>



<styled-code>
//Sample Java Code
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setExperimentalOption(&#8220;debuggerAddress&#8221;,&#8221;localhost:<remote-port>&#8220;);
ChromeDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
</remote-port></styled-code>



<styled-code>
#Sample Python Code
chrome_options = Options()
chrome_options.add_experimental_option(&#8220;debuggerAddress&#8221;, &#8220;127.0.0.1:9222&#8221;)
#Change chrome driver path accordingly
chrome_driver = &#8220;C:\chromedriver.exe&#8221;
driver = webdriver.Chrome(chrome_driver, chrome_options=chrome_options)
print driver.title
</styled-code>



*Replace remote-port with the port where you have launched chrome with the remote DevTools protocol enabled



A working example in a sample application is below &#8212;



<styled-code>
package com.sample.web;

import org.testng.annotations.BeforeClass;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.Capabilities;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeOptions;

import org.openqa.selenium.remote.*;
import org.testng.Assert;

import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

public class DebuggingMode {
 private WebDriver driver;

 @BeforeClass
 public void setUp() {
 System.setProperty(&#8220;webdriver.chrome.driver&#8221;, &#8220;resources/chromedriver&#8221;);
 ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
 options.setExperimentalOption(&#8220;debuggerAddress&#8221;, &#8220;127.0.0.1:9222&#8221;);

 driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
 driver.manage().window().maximize();
 driver.manage().timeouts().pageLoadTimeout(120, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
 driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(20, TimeUnit.SECONDS);

 Capabilities capability = ((RemoteWebDriver) driver).getCapabilities();
 Map<string, object=""> map = capability.asMap();
 for (Map.Entry<string, object=""> entry : map.entrySet()) {
 System.out.println(entry.getKey() + &#8220;:&#8221; + entry.getValue());
 }
 }

 @Test()
 public void testLoginWithWrongCredentials() {
 driver.get(&#8220;https://travel.testsigma.com/login&#8221;);
 driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;//input[@name=&#8217;name&#8217;]&#8221;)).sendKeys(&#8220;admin&#8221;);
 driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;//input[@name=&#8217;password&#8217;]&#8221;)).sendKeys(&#8220;abcde&#8221;);
 driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;//button[@type=&#8217;submit&#8217;]&#8221;)).click();
 Assert.assertTrue(driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;div[text()=&#8217;Wrong username/password&#8217;]&#8221;)).isDisplayed());

 }

 //Below test does not launch the new browser session, and you are not entering the username again
 @Test()
 public void testLoginWithCorrectPassword() {
 driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;//input[@name=&#8217;password&#8217;]&#8221;)).clear();
 driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;//input[@name=&#8217;password&#8217;]&#8221;)).sendKeys(&#8220;12345&#8221;);
 driver.findElement(By.xpath(&#8220;//button[@type=&#8217;submit&#8217;]&#8221;)).click();
 List<webelement> message = driver.findElements(By.xpath(&#8220;div[text()=&#8217;Wrong username/password&#8217;]&#8221;));
 Assert.assertTrue(message.isEmpty());
 }
}
</webelement></string,></string,></styled-code>

Executing Tests on existing Chrome Browser Instance

Executing Tests on Existing Chrome Browser Instances

When you encounter 404/Page Not Found/Dead Hyperlinks on a website, what do you think of it? You would find it irritating to encounter broken links, so you should continuously concentrate on eliminating their presence in your web product (or website).



The rankings of your web product on search engines (like Google) will also suffer if it contains numerous pages (or links) that lead to a 404 error (or page not found). Dead links could damage the credibility of your product as the user needed to get the information for which they have visited the page.&nbsp;



In this blog, we will look into finding and locating broken links using Selenium WebDriver; 



Check out this detailed tutorial on how to use <a href="https://testsigma.com/blog/selenium-based-automated-testing/#Selenium_WebDriver" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Selenium WebDriver</a> to know more about what and how to use Selenium WebDriver.



<div id="toc_container" class="no_bullets">Table Of Contents<ul class="toc_list"><li><a href="#What_are_Broken_links">1 What are Broken links?</a></li><li><a href="#Common_Reasons_for_Broken_Links">2 Common Reasons for Broken Links.</a></li><li><a href="#Reasons_to_Check_for_Broken_Links">3 Reasons to Check for Broken Links</a></li><li><a href="#Different_HTTP_Status_Codes">4 Different HTTP Status Codes</a></li><li><a href="#How_to_Find_Broken_Links_in_the_Selenium_WebDriver">5 How to Find Broken Links in the Selenium WebDriver?</a><ul><li><a href="#1_Retrieve_all_links_from_a_web_page">5.1 1. Retrieve all links from a web page: </a></li><li><a href="#2_Verify_each_link">5.2 2. Verify each link: </a></li><li><a href="#3_Check_the_status_code">5.3 3. Check the status code: </a></li><li><a href="#4_Repeat_for_each_link">5.4 4. Repeat for each link: </a></li><li><a href="#5_Report_the_Results">5.5 5. Report the Results: </a></li></ul></li><li><a href="#Conclusion">6 Conclusion</a></li><li><a href="#Frequently_Asked_Questions">7 Frequently Asked Questions</a><ul><li><a href="#How_do_you_handle_broken_links">7.1 How do you handle broken links?</a></li><li><a href="#What_causes_a_broken_link">7.2 What causes a broken link?</a></li><li><a href="#How_do_I_track_broken_links">7.3 How do I track broken links?</a></li></ul></li></ul></div>
<h2 id="h-what-are-broken-links">What are Broken links?</h2>



A broken link on a website leads to a page or resource that is no longer available. This can happen for various reasons, such as the page being deleted, moved to a different URL, or the website being temporarily down. Broken links can occur on any website and can be found on pages, images, videos, and other resources.



Broken links can be a problem for website visitors and search engines, leading to a poor user experience and negatively impacting search engine optimization (SEO). When a user clicks on a broken link, they will typically be taken to a &#8220;404 not found&#8221; page, which can be frustrating and cause them to leave the website. Additionally, search engines may view broken links as a sign of a poorly maintained website, which can lead to a lower search engine ranking.



To avoid these issues, it&#8217;s essential to regularly check your website for broken links and fix them as soon as they are discovered. This can be done manually by visiting each page of your website and clicking on each link to see if it leads to a &#8220;404 not found&#8221; page or by using automated tools such as <a href="https://www.selenium.dev/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Selenium</a> or other link checker software.



<h2 id="common-reasons-for-broken-links">Common Reasons for Broken Links.</h2>



There are several reasons why broken links may appear on a website, including.&nbsp;



<ul><li>Page Deletion: A previously linked page may have been deleted, causing the link to lead to a &#8220;404 not found&#8221; page.</li><li>URL Changes: If a page&#8217;s URL is changed, any links pointing to the old URL will become broken.</li><li>Website Redesign: During a <a href="https://www.webcitz.com/website-design/redesign.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">website redesign</a>, URLs may change, causing previously valid links to become broken.</li><li>Moving to a New Domain: If a website is moved to a new domain, all links pointing to the old domain will become broken.</li><li>Typos: Mistyping a URL or copying and pasting it wrongly can result in a broken link.</li><li>Third-Party Content: If a website links to content hosted on another website, and that content is removed or moved, the link will become broken.</li><li>Server Outages: If a website is temporarily down, links to that site will become broken.</li></ul>



By regularly checking for and fixing broken links, website owners can ensure that their website provides a good user experience and positively impacts their SEO.



<h2 id="reasons-to-check-for-broken-links">Reasons to Check for Broken Links</h2>



There are several reasons why it&#8217;s important to check for and fix broken links on a website:



<ul><li>User Experience: Broken links can frustrate website visitors and lead to a poor user experience. If a user clicks on a broken link, they will be taken to a &#8220;404 not found&#8221; page, which can be confusing and cause them to leave the website.</li><li>Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Search engines view broken links as a sign of a poorly maintained website, which can negatively impact the website&#8217;s search engine ranking.</li><li>Maintenance: Broken links can signal that a website needs to be regularly maintained and updated, leading to other issues, such as outdated content and security vulnerabilities.</li><li>Data Accuracy: Broken links can lead to incorrect or outdated information being displayed on a website, which can harm the website&#8217;s reputation.</li><li>Link Equity: When a website links to another page, it passes on some of its link equity, a measure of the value that search engines place on a link. If the linked page is no longer available, the link equity is lost, which can negatively impact the linking website&#8217;s search engine ranking. Make sure to improve your metrics with the correct use of the <a href="https://buzznberry.com/link-building-services/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">white hat link building</a> so your website can have better rankings.</li><li>By regularly checking for and fixing broken links, website owners can ensure that their website provides a good user experience, positively impacts their SEO, and is regularly maintained and updated.</li></ul>



<h2 id="different-http-status-codes">Different HTTP Status Codes</h2>



HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) status codes are numerical codes that are returned by a web server to indicate the status of a request made by a client (e.g., a web browser). The most encountered HTTP status codes are



<ul><li>200 OK: The request was successful, and the server has returned the requested content.</li><li>201 Created: The request was successful, and the server has created a new resource.</li><li>204 No Content: The request was successful, but there needs to be a representation to return (i.e., the response is empty).</li><li>300 Multiple Choices: The request has multiple options, and the server directs the client to choose one.</li><li>301 Moved Permanently: The requested resource has been moved to a new URL, and future requests should use the new URL.</li><li>302 Found (Previously &#8220;Moved temporarily&#8221;): The requested resource has been temporarily moved to a new URL.</li><li>304 Not Modified: The client&#8217;s cached copy of the resource is up to date, and the server indicates that the client should use its cached copy.</li><li>400 Bad Request: The request must be understood or include the required parameters.</li><li>401 Unauthorized: Authentication failed, or the user does not have permission for the requested operation.</li><li><a href="https://www.cloudways.com/blog/wordpress-403-forbidden-error/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">403 Forbidden</a>: Authentication succeeded, but the authenticated user cannot access the requested resource.</li><li>404 Not Found: The requested resource could not be found on the server.</li><li>500 Internal Server Error: An error occurred on the server while processing the request.</li></ul>



<h2 id="how-to-find-broken-links-in-the-selenium-webdriver">How to Find Broken Links in the Selenium WebDriver?</h2>



To find broken links in Selenium WebDriver, you can use the following steps:



<h3 id="1-retrieve-all-links-from-a-web-page">1. Retrieve all links from a web page: </h3>



You can use Selenium WebDriver&#8217;s &#8220;findElements&#8221; method to find all the links (i.e., &#8220;a&#8221; elements) on a web page. You can store the links in a list for later processing.



<h3 id="2-verify-each-link">2. Verify each link: </h3>



For each link, you can use the &#8220;getAttribute&#8221; method to retrieve the &#8220;href&#8221; attribute of the link, which represents the URL that the link points to. You can then use the &#8220;HttpURLConnection&#8221; class in Java to check the status code of the URL.



<h3 id="3-check-the-status-code">3. Check the status code: </h3>



You can use the &#8220;getResponseCode&#8221; method of the &#8220;HttpURLConnection&#8221; class to retrieve the HTTP status code of the URL. The link is broken if the status code is not in the 200 or 300 range. You can store the broken links in a separate list for later reporting.



<h3 id="4-repeat-for-each-link">4. Repeat for each link: </h3>



Repeat the above steps on the page until all links have been checked.



<h3 id="5-report-the-results">5. Report the Results: </h3>



After all, links have been checked, you can use Selenium WebDriver&#8217;s &#8220;assert&#8221; method to check that the list of broken links is empty. If the list is not empty, you can report the broken links to the console or write them to a file for later analysis.



Let&#8217;s understand the code.&nbsp;



Code Snippet:




package demo;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class Demo {

	

	public static void main(String[] args) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub

	 System.setProperty(&#8220;webdriver.chrome.driver&#8221;,&#8221;.\chromedriver.exe&#8221;);
	 	 
	 //Initialising the driver
	 WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

		String homePage = &#8220;https://google.com/&#8221;;
		String url = &#8220;&#8221;;
		HttpURLConnection con = null;
		int responseCode = 200;

		driver = new ChromeDriver();

		driver.manage().window().maximize();

		driver.get(homePage);

		List links = driver.findElements(By.tagName(&#8220;a&#8221;));

		Iterator it = links.iterator();

		while (it.hasNext()) {

			url = it.next().getAttribute(&#8220;href&#8221;);


			try {
				con = (HttpURLConnection) (new URL(url).openConnection());

				con.setRequestMethod(&#8220;HEAD&#8221;);

				con.connect();

				responseCode = con.getResponseCode();

				if (responseCode &gt;= 400) {
					System.out.println(url + &#8221; is a broken link&#8221;);
				} else {
					System.out.println(url + &#8221; is a valid link&#8221;);
				}

			} catch (MalformedURLException e) {

				e.printStackTrace();
			} catch (IOException e) {

				e.printStackTrace();
			}
		}

		driver.quit();

	}
}




Output:



The output indicates all valid links except one broken link.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/blog-assets-production.testsigma.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/migrated_images/2i3tK4HGsyPniQ0F5u4Q7SCx0No9kH-G6qH2fOnJEdwznyWojGHHLXauAs782RMXo4Hkd3EjILGy7LBVeKJBbEVHrGW4M3G0kviDv7PPbD9XF4XWZ4KfhmK8PnxS46Is_G_FIdrL1XewzlsZcKepiw_1748949245.png" alt="Output - Find Broken Links in the Selenium WebDriver" width="600" height="300" /></figure></div>



<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>



Broken links are a common issue in web development and can negatively impact the user experience. Regular checking for broken links is essential for maintaining a functional and professional-looking website. Using tools such as Selenium WebDriver, developers can automate the process of checking for broken links, saving time and effort while ensuring a higher level of website quality. Fixing broken links provides users with a seamless and error-free browsing experience. In addition, checking for broken links can help identify other issues, such as outdated or misconfigured URLs, which can be corrected to improve the website&#8217;s overall functionality.



<h2 id="frequently-asked-questions">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



<h3 id="how-do-you-handle-broken-links">How do you handle broken links?</h3>



Handling broken links means finding and fixing the underlying causes of the broken links. Here are some steps you can follow to manage broken links:



<ul><li>Identify the broken links: Use tools like Selenium WebDriver or online broken link checkers to identify all broken links on your website.</li><li>Analyze the cause: Determine why the link is broken. Is it due to a misconfigured URL, a page that has been moved or deleted, or a server-side error?</li><li>Fix or replace the link: If the cause of the broken link is a misconfigured URL or a page that has been moved, update the link to the correct URL. If the reason is a server-side error, contact the website owner or webmaster to resolve the issue.</li><li>Monitor the links: Regularly check for broken links to ensure they do not reappear. You can automate this process using tools like Selenium WebDriver to save time and effort.</li><li>Implement a redirect: If a page has been permanently removed, consider implementing a redirect to a related page to maintain a positive user experience.</li></ul>



<h3 id="what-causes-a-broken-link">What causes a broken link?</h3>



A variety of reasons can cause broken links. A few are listed below:



<ul><li>Moved or deleted pages: If a page has been moved or deleted, the link pointing to it will become broken.</li><li>Misconfigured URLs: Typing errors, incorrect link syntax, or incorrect casing can cause links to be misconfigured and lead to broken links.</li><li>Server-side errors: Broken links can also be caused by server-side errors, such as a misconfigured server, a server that is down, or a server that is experiencing high traffic.</li><li>Outdated links: Over time, some links may become outdated as the information they point to changes or becomes unavailable.</li><li>Third-party services: If a third-party service that your website depends on is down or unavailable, links that point to it may become broken.</li><li>Change in website structure: If the website&#8217;s structure changes, links that point to pages within the website may become broken.</li></ul>



<h3 id="how-do-i-track-broken-links">How do I track broken links?</h3>



There are several ways to track broken links on your website, including



<ul><li>Manual checking: Check each link on your website to see if it works correctly. This method can be time-consuming but is useful for small websites.</li><li>Online broken link checkers: Use online tools, such as W3C Link Checker, Dead Link Checker, or Broken Link Checker, to scan your website for broken links. These tools will identify broken links and report the issue for you.</li><li>Automated testing with Selenium WebDriver: Use Selenium WebDriver to automate checking for broken links. You can write a script that visits each page on your website, follows all the links, and checks the response code of each link to determine if it is broken.</li><li>Monitoring tools: Use monitoring tools, such as Google Analytics or Google Search Console, to monitor your website&#8217;s performance and receive notifications when broken links are detected</li></ul>