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Handle StaleElementReferenceException in Selenium

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6 views7 pages

Handle StaleElementReferenceException in Selenium

Uploaded by

Amol Deokar
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Handling StaleElementReferenceException in Selenium

Handling StaleElementReferenceException in Selenium occurs when an element that was found

earlier in the DOM is no longer valid or present. This often happens if the DOM is refreshed or

updated. Here are five different ways to handle this exception using Selenium WebDriverManager in

Java, along with real-time examples.

1. Retrying to Find the Element


Retrying to find the element after catching the exception ensures that we are working with the most

current element in the DOM.

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

public class HandleStaleElement {

public static void main(String[] args) {

[Link]().setup();

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

[Link]("[Link]

By elementLocator = [Link]("dynamicElement");

for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {

try {
WebElement element = [Link](elementLocator);

[Link]();

break;

} catch (StaleElementReferenceException e) {

// Retry to find the element

[Link]();

2. Using Fluent Wait


Fluent wait allows you to define the maximum amount of time to wait for a condition, as well as the

frequency with which to check the condition.

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];
public class HandleStaleElement {

public static void main(String[] args) {

[Link]().setup();

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

[Link]("[Link]

By elementLocator = [Link]("dynamicElement");

Wait<WebDriver> wait = new FluentWait<>(driver)

.withTimeout([Link](30))

.pollingEvery([Link](5))

.ignoring([Link]);

WebElement element =

[Link]([Link](elementLocator));

[Link]();

[Link]();

3. Using Try-Catch with a Loop


Using a loop to continuously try to interact with the element until it succeeds or the maximum

attempts are reached.

import [Link];

import [Link];
import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

public class HandleStaleElement {

public static void main(String[] args) {

[Link]().setup();

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

[Link]("[Link]

By elementLocator = [Link]("dynamicElement");

int attempts = 0;

while (attempts < 5) {

try {

WebElement element = [Link](elementLocator);

[Link]();

break;

} catch (StaleElementReferenceException e) {

attempts++;

[Link]();

}
4. Refetching the Element
Refetching the element inside the catch block to ensure it references the most current version of the

element in the DOM.

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

public class HandleStaleElement {

public static void main(String[] args) {

[Link]().setup();

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

[Link]("[Link]

By elementLocator = [Link]("dynamicElement");

WebElement element = [Link](elementLocator);

try {

[Link]();

} catch (StaleElementReferenceException e) {

element = [Link](elementLocator); // Refetch the element

[Link]();

[Link]();
}

5. Waiting for the Element to be Refreshed


Waiting for a specific condition that indicates the element has been refreshed in the DOM.

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

public class HandleStaleElement {

public static void main(String[] args) {

[Link]().setup();

WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

[Link]("[Link]

By elementLocator = [Link]("dynamicElement");

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);

WebElement element =

[Link]([Link](elementLocator));

try {
[Link]();

} catch (StaleElementReferenceException e) {

element =

[Link]([Link]([Link](elementL

ocator)));

[Link]();

[Link]();

Real-time Example
Suppose you have a dynamic web page where an element's state can change upon user interaction

or through AJAX calls. For instance, a web page with a 'Load More' button that fetches more items

to the list, and each item has a 'Details' button. Handling StaleElementReferenceException is crucial

as the DOM might change frequently. Using the methods above ensures your script can handle

these dynamic changes effectively.

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