Switching Between Multiple Windows

 In modern web applications, it's common for actions like clicking a link or button to open new browser windows or tabs. Handling these multiple windows is a crucial aspect of test automation to ensure end-to-end flows are validated accurately. Most automation tools, such as Selenium, Playwright, and Cypress (with limitations), offer features to switch between windows or tabs during test execution.

Why Switching Between Windows Matters

Web applications often use multiple windows for:

Payment gateways (e.g., redirecting to a bank site)

Login via social media (e.g., Google or Facebook)

Opening documents or reports in a new window

Chat support or help popups

If your test script fails to handle these new windows, it can miss verifying critical functionality or even fail the entire test flow.

Handling Multiple Windows in Selenium

Selenium handles multiple windows using window handles. Here’s a basic approach:

String mainWindow = driver.getWindowHandle();

Set<String> allWindows = driver.getWindowHandles();

for (String window : allWindows) {

    if (!window.equals(mainWindow)) {

        driver.switchTo().window(window);

        // Perform actions in the new window

        driver.close();

    }

}

driver.switchTo().window(mainWindow); // Switch back to the main window

This method ensures your script interacts with the correct window and returns to the original window afterward.

Handling Multiple Windows in Playwright

Playwright simplifies multi-window handling using the context and page objects. It listens for new pages (tabs/windows) and can interact with them seamlessly.

const [newPage] = await Promise.all([

  context.waitForEvent('page'),

  page.click('a[target="_blank"]'), // Action that opens a new window

]);

await newPage.waitForLoadState();

await newPage.locator('h1').isVisible(); // Perform actions

await newPage.close();

Playwright’s approach is clean and reliable, making it ideal for modern multi-tab testing.

Limitations in Cypress

Cypress does not support multi-tab or multi-window testing natively due to its single-window architecture. Workarounds include:

Stubbing the window open call

Testing new pages in isolation

However, for full multi-window control, tools like Playwright or Selenium are better choices.

Conclusion

Switching between multiple windows is a common scenario in test automation. Selenium and Playwright handle it effectively, with Playwright offering a more elegant API. Cypress, while powerful in many areas, has limitations with multi-window flows. Understanding how your tool handles window switching ensures more reliable and robust automated tests.

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Using Implicit Waits in Selenium Java

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