How to Configure Selenium in Eclipse

Selenium Features

Selenium delivers a wide range of functionality like clicking, tagging text, selecting choices from dropdowns, and handling alerts and pop-ups. It also supplies roles like executing JavaScript code directly in the browser or taking screenshots.

Eclipse

The Eclipse platform is a foundation for creating computer-based applications across different programming languages such as Java, Python, C/C++, Ruby, and more. Eclipse functions as an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), primarily focusing on Java-based programming. 

Users can install several plug-ins and additional ones on the platform to enhance its functionality. The platform allows the development of advanced client applications. In Eclipse IDE, programmers use the Java Development Tool (JDT) for programming tasks.

Configure Selenium in Eclipse

In this section, we will learn how to configure Selenium in Eclipse. 

Java Download and Installation Process

To work with Selenium and Eclipse, Java is an essential component. Selenium is an automation testing framework that depends on Java, while Eclipse is a widely operated Java IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Selenium projects.

Note: We have to install Java in our system. If you have installed Java early, you can skip this step and move forward. 

Step 1: You can install Java from the official website.

Step 2: Click on the download button according to your operating system.

Step 3: After opening the downloaded file, you can choose settings according to your requirement or leave it as default. 

Step 4: You can check whether Java has been installed in your system or not. You can pass the Java -version command in the command prompt. 

We have successfully installed Java.

Install Eclipse IDE

In the next step, download the latest version of the "Eclipse IDE for Java Developers." 
 

Step 1: You can choose the version according to your system from the official site. Install the IDE packages to your system.

Step 2: After installing the file, double-click the file, and a new window will appear. You can see that in the Eclipse installer, multiple options are available. Click on the Eclipse IDE for Java Developers. 

After a successful download, click the file. A new window will pop up in which you can change the path. We must select "Eclipse IDE for Java Developers" for this case. Then Finally, you can click the Launch button, and the IDE will be launched.

We have successfully installed Eclipse.

Download and install Selenium

The Selenium Client is a Java library enabling contact between your Java code and the Selenium Server and WebDriver parts. It acts like a bridge that permits you to register and manage automated tests for web browsers using Selenium's APIs.

Step 1: You can download Selenium Client Driver from the site. There are other drivers for other languages, but we have to choose Java only.

The downloaded file is in the ZIP format. The file contains JAR files that they will import to Eclipse.

Step 2: We have to extract all the files present in this folder.

Configure Eclipse IDE with Selenium

After installing all the requirements, it's time to configure the Eclipse IDE with Selenium. For this, we have to follow the following steps:

Step 1: Launch the workspace. Create a new project by clicking the File ->New->Java project option on the top left. Performing this task will result in the creation of a new Java project.

Here we have created a new project named “newproject”.

Step 2: Now, we will create a new package for this project. Right-click on the project developed, select the New -> Package option and name it.

Step 3: A new window will become visible for some details; fill up the details like the project name, place where you want to save it, etc, according to your requirement. If not, leave it as default and click the "Finish" button.

Step 4: After creating the package, now it's time to make the class. To create the class, right-click on the package and select the New->Class option. A new pop-up window will appear. Fill in the information, like the class name, and click the Finish button.

Here, we have created a new class named "NewClass."

Now, it's time to pass the Selenium WebDriver into Eclipse.
 

Step 5: Select the "Properties" option by right-clicking the new project created. Click on the Java Build Path and click on the "Libraries" tab. Click the "Add External JARs..." option on the right to add the file. Select all the JAR files in your system. Don't forget to add the "lib" folder also. After selecting and adding all the files, click the "Apply and Close" button.

After doing all the steps, you can see that some libraries have been added to Eclipse. You have successfully configured Selenium in Eclipse.

Advantages of Selenium

There are many advantages of Selenium like:

• Users can freely download Selenium, an open-source tool, and access its community-based support for free.
   
• Selenium supports various languages, including Java, Perl, Python, C#, Ruby, Groovy, JavaScript, and more.
   
• Selenium can support multiple Operating Systems (OS), such as Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX.
   
• You can implement Selenium Test Automation for automating mobile and web applications on Android, iPhone, and Blackberry.

Disadvantages of Selenium

Some disadvantages of Selenium are:

• Expertise resources are required for Selenium. The resources should also be well-versed in framework architecture.
   
• Selenium exclusively supports web-based applications and does not support Windows-based applications.
   
• Testing image-based applications is challenging.
   
• Report generation activity in Selenium requires external support, such as dependence on TestNG or Jenkins.
   
• Selenium lacks built-in support for add-ins.

Check this out : Xpath in Selenium

Frequently Asked Questions

What common issue arises during the Selenium configuration in Eclipse?

Some common issues during the Selenium configuration in Eclipse are classpath issues, missing dependencies, and compatibility problems.

What is the role of a WebDriver manager?

A WebDriver manager automates the management of WebDriver binaries. It assures proper installation and compatibility. It streamlines the configuration process for Selenium.

What are the limitations of Selenium testing?

Some of the limitations of Selenium testing are that it provides only limited support to desktop applications. It can not handle CAPTCHA. Testing non-HTML elements poses a difficulty.

What is the difference between Selenium 2.0 and Selenium 3.0? 

Selenium 2.0 introduced WebDriver as the primary API, while Selenium 3.0 combined WebDriver and Selenium RC, added support for the latest browsers, and enhanced stability and performance.

What role does a configuration file play in Selenium?

In Selenium, developers use a configuration file to hold and manage different settings and parameters, such as browser configurations, timeouts, test data, and log levels. This configuration file delivers flexibility and comfort of customization for conducting tests.

Conclusion

In this article, we explore some important aspects related to Selenium and Eclipse. We also come across different steps in Configure Selenium in Eclipse. Some prerequisite for this is that we have to install Java and Eclipse into our system. We will also install Selenium Client into our system. We discuss each step involved in the configuration in detail in this article. We also explore some advantages and disadvantages of Selenium in this article.

To learn more about such topic check out the link below

• Introduction to Selenium
• Webdriver Installation and setup for first test case
• Webdriver Commands

You can find more informative articles or blogs on our platform. You can also practice more coding problems and prepare for interview questions from well-known companies on your platform, CodingNinjaStudio.