Your First Selenium Test Script in Java

Your First Selenium Test Script in Java – Step-by-Step Guide

🧠 What Is Selenium?

Selenium is a free tool used to automate browsers.
With Selenium, you can simulate user actions like clicking, typing, and navigating pages.

Java is one of the most common languages used with Selenium.

In this guide, you will:

✅ Set up Java and Selenium
✅ Write your first script
✅ Automate a Google search
✅ Understand each step clearly

Let’s get started! 🚀

---

✅ Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

1. Java JDK installed (Java 8 or above)

2. Eclipse or IntelliJ IDEA as your code editor

3. Google Chrome browser

4. ChromeDriver downloaded

5. Basic understanding of Java

---

🔧 Step 1: Install Java JDK

• Download from: https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase-downloads.html

• Install it and note the installation path

• Set JAVA_HOME environment variable

---

💡 Step 2: Set Up Eclipse Project

1. Open Eclipse

2. Create a new Java Project

3. Name it SeleniumTest

4. Inside the project, create a new package: com.example.test

5. Create a new Java Class: FirstTest

---

📦 Step 3: Add Selenium to Your Project

Download Selenium JAR files:

• Go to: https://www.selenium.dev/downloads/

• Download the Java bindings (ZIP)

• Extract and add all .jar files (from both selenium-java and libs folders) to your project’s build path

In Eclipse:

• Right-click project → Build Path → Configure Build Path

• Add External JARs → Select all .jar files

---

🌐 Step 4: Download ChromeDriver

1. Visit: https://chromedriver.chromium.org/downloads

2. Download the version that matches your Chrome browser

3. Extract and keep the chromedriver.exe (Windows) or binary (Mac/Linux)

---

✅ Step 5: Write Your First Selenium Test in Java

Let’s open Google, search “Selenium tutorial”, and print the title.

---

💻 Java Code (FirstTest.java)

package com.example.test;

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

public class FirstTest {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        // Step 1: Set the path to ChromeDriver
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "C:\\path\\to\\chromedriver.exe");
        // For Mac/Linux: "/usr/local/bin/chromedriver"

        // Step 2: Launch Chrome browser
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Step 3: Maximize the browser window
        driver.manage().window().maximize();

        // Step 4: Open Google
        driver.get("https://www.google.com");

        // Step 5: Find the search box
        WebElement searchBox = driver.findElement(By.name("q"));

        // Step 6: Type in the search keyword
        searchBox.sendKeys("Selenium tutorial");

        // Step 7: Press Enter
        searchBox.sendKeys(Keys.RETURN);

        // Step 8: Wait a bit for results to load
        try {
            Thread.sleep(2000);
        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

        // Step 9: Print the page title
        System.out.println("Page title is: " + driver.getTitle());

        // Step 10: Close the browser
        driver.quit();
    }
}

---

🧪 Output:

Page title is: Selenium tutorial - Google Search

If you see this, your test ran successfully! 🎉

---

🔍 Code Explanation

Line	What It Does
System.setProperty	Tells Java where to find ChromeDriver
new ChromeDriver()	Opens a new Chrome browser
driver.get()	Opens the website
findElement(By.name("q"))	Locates the search box
sendKeys()	Types text or simulates keyboard input
getTitle()	Gets the current page title
driver.quit()	Closes the browser and ends the session

---

🛠 Common Errors

❌ Error: IllegalStateException
→ ChromeDriver path not found – double-check your System.setProperty.

❌ Browser opens then closes instantly
→ Add Thread.sleep() to pause or add System.out.println() to view output.

❌ org.openqa.selenium.SessionNotCreatedException
→ Your ChromeDriver version doesn't match your browser.

---

🧰 Best Practices

✅ Always use the correct version of ChromeDriver
✅ Add waits instead of Thread.sleep() for better stability
✅ Close browser with driver.quit() to free memory
✅ Use Page Object Model (POM) for bigger projects
✅ Put chromedriver.exe in a shared folder and set it in PATH

---

💡 Advanced Tip: Use WebDriverManager (Optional)

Instead of downloading ChromeDriver manually, you can use WebDriverManager.

Add Maven Dependency:

<dependency>
    <groupId>io.github.bonigarcia</groupId>
    <artifactId>webdrivermanager</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.2</version>
</dependency>

Use in code:

WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

No need to download chromedriver.exe manually!

---

🎯 Conclusion

You’ve just learned how to:

✅ Set up Selenium in Java
✅ Write and run your first test
✅ Automate a Google search
✅ Understand WebDriver basics

This is just the beginning! Selenium can:

• Automate login tests

• Fill forms

• Test web apps end-to-end

• Take screenshots

• Run tests in parallel with TestNG/JUnit

Learn Selenium with Java Training Course

Read More 

Generative AI Course

Full Stack Java Course

Tosca Course

Why Choose Python for Full-Stack Web Development