By.tagName()

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The By.tagName locator is used to identify web elements based on their HTML tag. It is particularly useful when you need to interact with elements of a specific type, such as all div, input, or button elements on a page. This locator can be used to retrieve a single element or a collection of elements that share the same tag.

Syntax

				
					WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.tagName("tagNameValue"));

Parameters:
- tagNameValue: The HTML tag name of the desired element (e.g., div, input, button).
Returns:
A WebElement representing the first element found with the specified tag name.

Example

Interacting with Web Elements Using By.tagName

				
					import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;

public class LocatorByTagNameExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Set the path to the ChromeDriver executable
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");

        // Initialize WebDriver
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Navigate to a sample webpage
        driver.get("https://www.example.com");

        // Locate and interact with the first input element on the page
        WebElement inputElement = driver.findElement(By.tagName("input"));
        inputElement.sendKeys("Selenium WebDriver");

        // Locate all button elements and click the first one
        WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.tagName("button"));
        button.click();

        // Close the browser
        driver.quit();
    }
}

Key Features

Tag-Based Locator: Targets elements by their HTML tag name, making it easy to locate elements of a specific type (e.g., div, input, button).
Multiple Element Matches: Can be used with findElements() to locate all elements of a given tag on the page.

Use Cases

Interacting with multiple elements of the same type (e.g., buttons, input fields).
Selecting elements when the tag name is the only distinguishing feature (e.g., retrieving all div tags).
Automating actions for common HTML elements like div, button, input, and span.

Advantages

Simple and Fast: Locating elements by tag name is a straightforward and efficient way to find elements, especially when dealing with common HTML tags.
Works Well with Common Tags: It’s especially useful for interacting with common elements like buttons, links, or form inputs.

Limitations

Non-Unique Tags: Many elements on a page may share the same tag name, leading to ambiguity. You may need to use additional locators like By.className or By.id for more precise targeting.
Limited Flexibility: By.tagName does not consider attributes like id, class, or name, so it’s less useful for identifying elements with multiple attributes.

Conclusion

The By.tagName locator in Selenium WebDriver is a useful tool for identifying elements by their HTML tag. It works particularly well for common elements on a page, such as buttons or inputs. However, for more complex scenarios where elements share the same tag name, combining it with other locators like By.className, By.id, or By.xpath can enhance the precision of your element search.