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.

Understanding their functions and tasks is essential for efficient web automation testing and guaranteeing the resilience and dependability of online applications.

What is WebDriver?

WebDriver is a web automation framework made to make working with online applications and automated testing easier. With its programmable interface, web browsers may be controlled by developers to perform many activities like opening URLs, interacting with web elements (such as buttons and forms), controlling windows and notifications, and running JavaScript. WebDriver offers flexibility and diversity in automated testing scenarios by supporting numerous programming languages and operating on a variety of browsers and systems. It is an effective tool for online scraping, software testing, and other web automation chores because of its robust API and testing framework integration features.

What is WebElement?

WebElement depicts distinct web page features like buttons, dropdown menus, input areas, links, and more. Elements on the page are returned as WebElement objects when interacting with them using Selenium WebDriver. Developers can interact and operate with the related elements by using the methods and properties provided by these objects. You can click on WebElements, type text into them, retrieve attribute values, check their visibility, and confirm that they are there on the page. To precisely manipulate and interact with a web application’s elements during testing, scraping, or other automation operations, it is essential to do web automation chores.

Methods of WebDriver and WebElement

1. WebDriver Methods:

Methods	Description
get(String URL)	Navigate the browser to the specified URL.
findElement(By by)	Locates a single WebElement based on the given locator strategy.
findElements(By by)	Locates multiple WebElements based on the given locator strategy.
getTitle()	Retrieves the title of the current web page.
getCurrentUrl()	Retrieves the URL of the current web page.
close()	Closes the current browser window.
quit()	Quits the WebDriver session, closing all browser windows associated with it.
navigate()	Provides methods to navigate the browser history (e.g., forward(), back()).

2. WebElement Methods:

Methods	Description
sendKeys(CharSequence… keysToSend)	Enters text into an input field or sends keyboard keys to the element.
click()	Clicks the element.
getText()	Retrieves the visible text of the element.
getAttribute(String name)	Retrieves the value of the specified attribute of the element.
isEnabled()	Check if the element is enabled or not.
isSelected()	Check if the element is selected or not (applicable for checkboxes, radio buttons, etc.).
isDisplayed()	Check if the element is displayed on the web page.
clear()	Clears the text or input value of the element.

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.

Conclusion

WebElement is used to interact with specific elements on a web page, whereas WebDriver handles browser management and navigation. Whereas WebElement functions at the element level and offers ways to interact with specific elements, WebDriver functions at the browser level. Important parts of Selenium automation testing for web applications are WebDriver and WebElement.

FAQs

Q.1 Is it possible to use WebDriver and WebElement interchangeably?

Ans: No, WebDriver and WebElement function at distinct levels and fulfill different roles. WebElement interacts with individual web page elements, whereas WebDriver operates the browser and oversees the entire browser session.

Q.2 What distinguishes WebDriver from WebElement in particular?

Ans: Their scope and aim are where they diverge most. WebElement is used to interact with certain web page elements, while WebDriver manages all browser-level functions and the browser window as a whole.

Q.3 How do WebElement and WebDriver interact?

Ans: WebElement objects on a web page can be found and interacted with using WebDriver. Using locators, WebDriver locates elements and returns instances of WebElement, which can be used for operations such as typing, clicking, and text extraction.

Q.4 What are the restrictions and limitations when utilizing WebDriver and WebElement?

Ans: WebDriver can manage window management, alarms, and more at the browser level and offers extra control. Conversely, WebElement isn’t able to do browser-level tasks and can only communicate with particular items on a website.