getCurrentUrl()

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Overview

In Selenium WebDriver, the getCurrentUrl() method is used to retrieve the URL of the current page opened in the browser. It returns a string representing the URL of the current page.

Syntax

				
					String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl();

Usage

Retrieving Current URL:

				
					// Assuming 'driver' is an instance of WebDriver 
String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl(); 
System.out.println("Current URL: " + currentUrl);

Asserting Current URL:

				
					// Assuming 'driver' is an instance of WebDriver 
String expectedUrl = "https://www.example.com"; 
String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl(); 
Assert.assertEquals(currentUrl, expectedUrl);

Example

				
					public class GetCurrentURLExample { 
    public static void main(String[] args) { 
        // Set path to the ChromeDriver executable 
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", 
                             "path/to/chromedriver"); 
 
        // Initialize ChromeDriver 
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(); 
 
        // Open a webpage 
        driver.get("https://www.seleniums.com"); 
 
        // Retrieve current URL 
        String currentUrl = driver.getCurrentUrl(); 
        System.out.println("Current URL: " + currentUrl); 
 
        // Close the browser 
        driver.quit(); 
    } 
}

Importance

Validation: It allows developers and testers to validate whether the expected page has been navigated to during test execution.

Navigation: It aids in navigating through different pages of a web application based on the current URL.

Limitations

1. JavaScript-driven URL Changes:

In single-page applications (SPAs) or dynamic web pages where JavaScript modifies the URL (using pushState or replaceState), getCurrentUrl() may not reflect the actual state of the page as seen by the user, especially if there is no full page reload.

2. Navigation Context:

If working with multiple windows or iframes, getCurrentUrl() returns the URL of the currently active window or frame. It’s important to switch to the correct window/frame context before using getCurrentUrl() to avoid potential confusion or incorrect results.

Conclusion

The getCurrentUrl()method in Selenium WebDriver is a vital tool for retrieving and validating the URL of the current web page. Its simplicity and effectiveness make it a fundamental component in web automation testing.