Updated Feb 2026: Selenium 4.18+, Chrome 122+, WebDriverManager 5.6+

Selenium remains essential for legacy framework maintenance and specific browser requirements despite Playwright’s rise.

🚀 WebDriver Setup (Auto-Managed)

// Chrome (Recommended)
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

// Firefox
WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();

// Edge
WebDriver driver = new EdgeDriver();

// Headless Chrome (CI/CD)
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments("--headless", "--no-sandbox", "--disable-dev-shm-usage");
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);

🧭 Browser Navigation

driver.get("https://example.com");                    // Direct URL
driver.navigate().to("https://example.com");          // Navigate object
driver.navigate().back();                             // Browser back
driver.navigate().forward();                          // Browser forward  
driver.navigate().refresh();                          // Page refresh

String title = driver.getTitle();                     // Page title
String url = driver.getCurrentUrl();                  // Current URL
String source = driver.getPageSource();               // HTML source

🖥️ Browser Operations

driver.manage().window().maximize();                  // Maximize
driver.manage().window().minimize();                  // Minimize
driver.manage().window().fullscreen();                // Fullscreen

driver.quit();                                        // Close all windows + end session
driver.close();                                       // Close current window only

🎯 Element Locators (Priority Order)

Priority	Strategy	Syntax	Speed
1	ID	By.id("submit-btn")	⚡ Fastest
2	CSS	By.cssSelector("#submit.btn-primary")	🚀 Fast
3	Name	By.name("username")	✅ Good
4	XPath	By.xpath("//button[@data-test='submit']")	🐌 Slowest

// Multiple elements
List<WebElement> elements = driver.findElements(By.cssSelector(".item"));

// Absence check
Assert.assertTrue(driver.findElements(By.id("nonexistent")).isEmpty());

⏳ Waits (Essential!)

// ❌ NEVER USE Thread.sleep() - Anti-pattern!

// Implicit Wait (Global)
driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10));

// Explicit Wait (Recommended)
WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit")));

// Fluent Wait (Advanced)
Wait<WebDriver> fluentWait = new FluentWait<>(driver)
    .withTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30))
    .pollingEvery(Duration.ofSeconds(2))
    .ignoring(NoSuchElementException.class);

🔘 Web Elements

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("username"));

element.sendKeys("testuser");                         // Type text
element.click();                                      // Click
element.clear();                                      // Clear input

String text = element.getText();                      // Visible text
String attr = element.getAttribute("value");          // Attribute value

boolean displayed = element.isDisplayed();            // Visible?
boolean enabled = element.isEnabled();                // Clickable?
boolean selected = element.isSelected();              // Checkbox/radio

📋 Dropdowns (Select Class)

WebElement dropdown = driver.findElement(By.id("country"));
Select select = new Select(dropdown);

select.selectByVisibleText("India");                  // By text
select.selectByValue("IN");                          // By value
select.selectByIndex(1);                              // By position

// Multi-select
select.deselectByValue("IN");
select.deselectAll();

🚨 Alerts & Popups

Alert alert = driver.switchTo().alert();
alert.accept();                                       // OK
alert.dismiss();                                      // Cancel
String text = alert.getText();                        // Message
alert.sendKeys("input");                              // Prompt only

🪟 Windows & Frames

// Windows/Tabs
String mainWindow = driver.getWindowHandle();
for(String window : driver.getWindowHandles()) {
    driver.switchTo().window(window);
    if(!window.equals(mainWindow)) driver.close();
}
driver.switchTo().window(mainWindow);

// Frames/iFrames
driver.switchTo().frame("frameId");                   // By ID/Name
driver.switchTo().frame(0);                           // By index
driver.switchTo().frame(driver.findElement(By.tagName("iframe")));
driver.switchTo().defaultContent();                   // Back to main

📸 Screenshots (Debug Gold!)

// Full page
File screenshot = ((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
FileUtils.copyFile(screenshot, new File("screenshot.png"));

// Element screenshot
File elementShot = element.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);

🎭 Actions Class (Advanced Interactions)

Actions actions = new Actions(driver);
actions.moveToElement(element).perform();             // Hover
actions.contextClick(element).perform();              // Right-click
actions.doubleClick(element).perform();               // Double-click
actions.dragAndDrop(source, target).perform();        // Drag & drop

⚙️ JavaScript Executor

JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver;
js.executeScript("window.scrollTo(0, 500);");         // Scroll
js.executeScript("arguments[0].click();", element);   // Force click
String title = js.executeScript("return document.title;").toString();

☁️ Headless Mode (CI/CD)

ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments(
    "--headless=new",           // New headless (2023+)
    "--window-size=1920,1080",
    "--disable-gpu",
    "--no-sandbox"
);
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);

✅ TestNG Assertions

Assert.assertEquals(actual, expected, "Message");      // Equality
Assert.assertTrue(condition, "Must be true");         // Condition
Assert.assertFalse(condition, "Must be false");       // Negative
Assert.assertNotNull(element, "Element required");

⚠️ Common Exceptions & Fixes

Exception	Cause	Fix
NoSuchElement	Locator wrong	Verify selector in DevTools
StaleElement	DOM refresh	Re-locate after page change
Timeout	Element slow	Explicit Wait > Implicit
ElementNotInteractable	Hidden/Disabled	js.click() or scroll into view

🎯 Pro Tips for SDETs

1. Always use Explicit Waits over Thread.sleep()
2. Prefer CSS selectors over XPath (10x faster)
3. Use WebDriverManager – no manual driver downloads:javaWebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup(); WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
4. Page Object Model – never use raw locators in tests
5. Screenshot on failure – TestNG @AfterMethod listener

Download Printable PDF: [Link to cheatsheet PDF]

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Selenium WebDriver 2026 Cheat Sheet – Exhaustive

1. 🐳 WebDriver Setup & Management

Action	Java Code	Notes
ChromeDriver	WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();	Auto-managed via Selenium Manager
FirefoxDriver	WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();	GeckoDriver auto-download
EdgeDriver	WebDriver driver = new EdgeDriver();	Edge WebDriver
Headless Chrome	ChromeOptions ops = new ChromeOptions(); ops.addArguments("--headless=new");	CI/CD essential
Window Size	driver.manage().window().setSize(new Dimension(1920,1080));	Responsive testing
Maximize	driver.manage().window().maximize();	Default for desktop
Minimize	driver.manage().window().minimize();	macOS only
Fullscreen	driver.manage().window().fullscreen();	Kiosk mode
Quit Session	driver.quit();	Always use – closes all windows
Close Window	driver.close();	Current window only

2. 🌐 Browser Navigation & Info

Action	Java Code	Returns
Navigate GET	driver.get("https://example.com");	void
Navigate TO	driver.navigate().to("https://example.com");	void
Back	driver.navigate().back();	void
Forward	driver.navigate().forward();	void
Refresh	driver.navigate().refresh();	void
Current URL	driver.getCurrentUrl();	String
Page Title	driver.getTitle();	String
Page Source	driver.getPageSource();	String (HTML)

3. 🎯 Locators (Priority: ID > CSS > XPath)

Priority	Strategy	Syntax	Example
1	ID	By.id("submit")	driver.findElement(By.id("login-btn"))
2	CSS Selector	By.cssSelector("#submit.btn")	By.cssSelector("input[type='email']")
3	Name	By.name("username")	By.name("password")
4	Class Name	By.className("btn-primary")	Multiple classes: .class1.class2
5	Tag Name	By.tagName("input")	Rarely used alone
6	Link Text	By.linkText("Click Here")	Exact match
7	Partial Link	By.partialLinkText("Click")	Contains text
8	XPath	By.xpath("//button[@data-test='submit']")	Last resort

Find Multiple Elements:

List<WebElement> elements = driver.findElements(By.cssSelector(".item"));
// Check absence: elements.isEmpty()

4. ⏳ Waits (Critical!)

Wait Type	Code	When to Use
Implicit	driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10));	Global timeout
Explicit	new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10)).until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(locator));	RECOMMENDED
Fluent	new FluentWait(driver).withTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30)).ignoring(NoSuchElementException.class);	Custom polling
Page Load	driver.manage().timeouts().pageLoadTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30));	Slow pages
Script	driver.manage().timeouts().setScriptTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10));	JS execution

Common ExpectedConditions:

visibilityOfElementLocated(locator)
elementToBeClickable(locator)
presenceOfElementLocated(locator)
textToBePresentInElement(element, "text")
numberOfWindowsToBe(2)

5. 🔘 WebElement Operations

Action	Code	Returns
Send Keys	element.sendKeys("test@example.com");	void
Click	element.click();	void
Clear	element.clear();	void
Get Text	element.getText();	String
Get Attribute	element.getAttribute("value");	String
Is Displayed	element.isDisplayed();	boolean
Is Enabled	element.isEnabled();	boolean
Is Selected	element.isSelected();	boolean (checkbox/radio)

6. 📋 Dropdown Operations (Select Class)

Action	Code	Notes
Initialize	Select select = new Select(dropdownElement);	<select> only
Select by Text	select.selectByVisibleText("India");	User-visible text
Select by Value	select.selectByValue("IN");	value attribute
Select by Index	select.selectByIndex(0);	0-based position
Get Selected	select.getFirstSelectedOption().getText();	Single select
Deselect	select.deselectByValue("IN");	Multi-select only
Deselect All	select.deselectAll();	Multi-select

7. 🚨 Alerts & Popups

Action	Code	Notes
Switch to Alert	driver.switchTo().alert();	JS confirm/prompt
Accept (OK)	alert.accept();	void
Dismiss (Cancel)	alert.dismiss();	void
Get Text	alert.getText();	String
Send Keys	alert.sendKeys("input");	Prompts only

8. 🪟 Windows, Tabs & Frames

Windows/Tabs:

Action	Code
Get Current	driver.getWindowHandle();
Get All	driver.getWindowHandles();
Switch Window	driver.switchTo().window(handle);
Close & Switch Back	driver.close(); driver.switchTo().window(mainWindow);

Frames/iFrames:

Action	Code
Frame by Index	driver.switchTo().frame(0);
Frame by Name/ID	driver.switchTo().frame("frameName");
Frame by Element	driver.switchTo().frame(element);
Back to Default	driver.switchTo().defaultContent();

9. 📸 Screenshots

Type	Code
Full Page	((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
Element	element.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
Base64	((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.BASE64);

// Save to file
File src = ((TakesScreenshot)driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
FileUtils.copyFile(src, new File("screenshot.png"));

10. 🎭 Actions Class (Advanced)

Action	Code
Hover	new Actions(driver).moveToElement(element).perform();
Right Click	new Actions(driver).contextClick(element).perform();
Double Click	new Actions(driver).doubleClick(element).perform();
Drag & Drop	new Actions(driver).dragAndDrop(source, target).perform();
Click & Hold	new Actions(driver).clickAndHold(element).release().perform();
Scroll to Element	new Actions(driver).scrollToElement(element).perform();

11. ⚙️ JavaScript Executor

Action	Code
Scroll Down	(JavascriptExecutor)driver.executeScript("window.scrollBy(0,500);");
Force Click	(JavascriptExecutor)driver.executeScript("arguments[0].click();", element);
Get Title	driver.executeScript("return document.title;").toString();
Set Attribute	driver.executeScript("arguments[0].value='test';", element);
Check Visibility	driver.executeScript("return arguments[0].checkVisibility();", element);

12. 🍪 Cookies Management

Action	Code
Get All	driver.manage().getCookies();
Add Cookie	driver.manage().addCookie(new Cookie("key", "value"));
Delete Named	driver.manage().deleteCookieNamed("session");
Delete All	driver.manage().deleteAllCookies();

13. ✅ TestNG Assertions

Assertion	Code	Validates
Equals	Assert.assertEquals(actual, expected);	Equality
True	Assert.assertTrue(condition);	Boolean true
False	Assert.assertFalse(condition);	Boolean false
Not Null	Assert.assertNotNull(element);	Object exists
Not Empty	Assert.assertFalse(elements.isEmpty());	Collection

14. ⏱️ Timeouts

Timeout	Code
Page Load	driver.manage().timeouts().pageLoadTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(30));
Script	driver.manage().timeouts().setScriptTimeout(Duration.ofSeconds(10));
Implicit	driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10));

15. 📁 File Upload

Action	Code
Simple Upload	driver.findElement(By.id("file")).sendKeys("/path/to/file.png");

16. 🚫 Common Exceptions

Exception	Cause	Fix
NoSuchElementException	Wrong locator	Verify in DevTools
StaleElementReferenceException	Page refreshed	Re-find element
TimeoutException	Too slow	Explicit Wait
ElementNotInteractableException	Hidden/disabled	Scroll + JS click
ElementClickInterceptedException	Overlay blocking	Actions or JS click

🎯 SDET Pro Tips (2026)

1. WebDriverManager – Never download drivers manually:javaWebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
2. Locator Priority: ID > CSS > XPath (10x speed difference)
3. Always Explicit Waits, Never Thread.sleep()
4. Screenshot on Failure – TestNG listener:java@AfterMethod public void tearDown(ITestResult result) { if(ITestResult.FAILURE == result.getStatus()) { // Take screenshot } }

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