Setting Up Your First Selenium Python Script

Selenium is a powerful and widely-used tool for automating web browsers. Whether you're testing a web application or scraping data from websites, Selenium with Python is a great starting point for both beginners and experienced developers. In this blog, we'll walk through how to set up your first Selenium Python script from scratch, including installation, writing basic commands, and running your first test.

What is Selenium?

Selenium is an open-source framework for automating web browsers. It supports various languages like Python, Java, C#, and JavaScript, and it works across major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. With Selenium WebDriver, you can simulate real user actions such as clicking buttons, entering text, and navigating pages.

Prerequisites

Before we start writing code, make sure you have the following installed:

  • Python (preferably version 3.7 or higher)
  • pip (Python package installer)
  • Google Chrome (or any browser you prefer)

You can check if Python and pip are installed by running:

bash

python --version

pip --version

Step 1: Install Selenium

To use Selenium with Python, you need to install the Selenium library via pip:

bash

pip install selenium

This command will download and install the latest version of Selenium for Python.


Step 2: Download the Browser Driver

Each browser requires a specific driver to work with Selenium. For Chrome, you’ll need ChromeDriver:

  • Visit: https://sites.google.com/chromium.org/driver/
  • Download the version that matches your installed Chrome browser.
  • Unzip the file and place the executable in a known path (e.g., C:\WebDrivers or /usr/local/bin).

Make sure the driver is accessible in your system's PATH, or you’ll need to provide the full path in your script.


Step 3: Write Your First Script

Create a Python file named test_selenium.py and add the following code:

python

from selenium import webdriver

from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

import time


# Set up the Chrome WebDriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()  # or provide path: webdriver.Chrome(executable_path="path/to/chromedriver")


# Navigate to a website

driver.get("https://www.google.com")


# Wait for a moment

time.sleep(2)


# Find the search box, type a query, and submit

search_box = driver.find_element(By.NAME, "q")

search_box.send_keys("Selenium Python")

search_box.submit()


# Wait to see results

time.sleep(3)


# Print the page title

print("Page title is:", driver.title)


# Close the browser

driver.quit()

Step 4: Run the Script

Open your terminal or command prompt, navigate to the script location, and run:

bash

python test_selenium.py

A browser window will open, navigate to Google, enter a search query, and close automatically after a few seconds.


Troubleshooting Tips

  • Driver not found? Ensure the driver is installed and in your system’s PATH.
  • Browser mismatch? Match the driver version with your browser version.
  • Element not found? Wait for the page to load or use WebDriverWait for dynamic elements.


Next Steps

Now that you’ve run your first script, explore more advanced Selenium features:

  • Interact with buttons, dropdowns, and forms
  • Handle alerts, frames, and windows
  • Implement waits (implicitly_wait or WebDriverWait)
  • Build structured test cases using unittest or pytest

Conclusion

Setting up your first Selenium Python script is simple and rewarding. With just a few lines of code, you can automate real browser actions, making testing faster and more reliable. As you grow more comfortable, Selenium opens the door to building robust automation frameworks for web applications, whether for testing, monitoring, or data extraction.

Learn  Selenium with Python Training Course
Read More:

Visit Quality Thought Training Institute in Hyderabad
Get Direction

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tosca vs Selenium: Which One to Choose?

Choosing the right test automation tool can make or break the efficiency of your QA process. Two widely discussed tools in the test automation space are Tosca by Tricentis and Selenium, the open-source web automation framework. While both tools aim to automate testing and accelerate software delivery, they cater to different needs and teams. In this blog, we’ll provide a comprehensive comparison between Tosca and Selenium to help you decide which one suits your project best. Overview Selenium is an open-source framework primarily used for automating web applications. It supports multiple languages (Java, Python, C#, etc.) and browsers, making it ideal for custom, flexible automation solutions. Tosca, on the other hand, is a commercial test automation tool that supports model-based testing, API testing, mobile, desktop, and even SAP testing. It's designed for enterprise-grade testing with minimal scripting. Key Comparison: Tosca vs Selenium Feature          ...
Read more

Flask API Optimization: Using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)

When building APIs with Flask, performance and speed are key metrics that directly affect user experience and application scalability. One powerful but often overlooked way to enhance these metrics is through the use of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). While CDNs are traditionally associated with delivering static assets like images, CSS, and JavaScript, they can also play a significant role in optimizing your Flask-based APIs. What Is a CDN? A Content Delivery Network is a globally distributed network of proxy servers that cache content closer to end-users. Instead of every user hitting your central Flask server, a CDN enables them to access cached responses or assets from a nearby server, significantly reducing latency and improving response times. Benefits of Using CDNs with Flask APIs 1. Reduced Latency Latency is the time it takes for a request to travel from the client to your server and back. By caching static or semi-static responses at edge locations, CDNs reduce the distance...
Read more

Using ID and Name Locators in Selenium Python

When automating browser tasks with Selenium in Python, one of the first challenges is identifying and interacting with web elements. Selenium offers multiple strategies for locating elements, and two of the simplest and most effective methods are using the ID and Name locators. These locators are fast, reliable, and easy to use, making them ideal for beginners and experienced testers alike. In this blog post, we’ll dive into how ID and Name locators work in Selenium Python, provide examples, and share best practices to help you write clean and maintainable test scripts. What Are Locators in Selenium? Locators in Selenium are methods used to find elements on a web page. Selenium supports several locator types, including: ID Name Class Name Tag Name Link Text CSS Selector XPath Among these, ID and Name locators are often the most efficient because browsers optimize them for speed and accuracy. Setting Up Selenium with Python Before using locators, ensure you have Selenium installed: bash...
Read more