Introduction to Locators in Selenium Python

 Locating elements on a web page is the foundation of web automation testing using Selenium. Without accurately identifying elements like buttons, input fields, and links, your test scripts cannot interact with them. Selenium WebDriver provides several types of locators to find elements, and mastering them is essential for writing effective and stable test automation scripts in Python.

What Are Locators?

Locators are strategies or methods that Selenium uses to identify web elements in the DOM (Document Object Model). Each element can be uniquely identified using attributes such as ID, class name, name, tag name, or even its position in the hierarchy.

Types of Locators in Selenium Python

ID Locator

The most preferred locator as IDs are usually unique on the page.

driver.find_element(By.ID, "username")

Name Locator

Useful when the name attribute is available and unique.

driver.find_element(By.NAME, "email")

Class Name Locator

Matches the value of the class attribute.

driver.find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "form-control")

Tag Name Locator

Selects elements by their HTML tag.

driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "input")

Link Text Locator

Finds anchor (<a>) elements by the exact visible text.

driver.find_element(By.LINK_TEXT, "Sign Up")

Partial Link Text Locator

Matches a part of the link text.

driver.find_element(By.PARTIAL_LINK_TEXT, "Sign")

CSS Selector

A powerful and flexible locator, especially for class and attribute combinations.

driver.find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, "input[type='password']")

XPath Locator

Allows selection based on element hierarchy and attribute combinations.

driver.find_element(By.XPATH, "//input[@name='password']")

Example in Python

from selenium import webdriver

from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

driver = webdriver.Chrome()

driver.get("https://example.com")

# Locate and interact with element

username = driver.find_element(By.ID, "user")

username.send_keys("testuser")

Best Practices

Always prefer ID locators when available.

Avoid brittle locators like absolute XPath.

Use find_elements for multiple matches.

Test locators in browser DevTools before using them in code.

Conclusion

Understanding locators is a key skill in Selenium automation with Python. Choosing the right locator ensures that your scripts are stable, maintainable, and less likely to break with UI changes. With consistent practice and attention to locator strategies, you'll build more efficient automated test suites.

Learn Selenium with Java Training Course

Read more 

How Selenium WebDriver Works in Python

Setting Up Selenium with PyCharm

Choosing the Right Browser Driver

Common Errors in Selenium Python and How to Fix Them 

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