How do I send a DELETE keystroke to a text field using Selenium with java?

Sending a DELETE keystroke to a text field using Selenium with Java is a common task when automating web form inputs. Whether you're testing the behavior of input fields or simulating user actions, it's important to know how to interact with text fields effectively. Selenium provides a simple way to send keystrokes like DELETE or BACKSPACE to edit or remove text within web elements.

In this guide, we will explain how to send DELETE keystrokes to text fields in Selenium WebDriver using Java

Example to send a DELETE keystroke to a text field using Selenium with java

Here is an example of how to to send a DELETE keystroke to a text field using Selenium with Java:

package seleniumpractice;

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

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

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

        try {
            // Open the GeeksforGeeks website
            driver.get("https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/");

            // Locate the search field on the homepage
            WebElement searchField = driver.findElement(
                By.xpath("//input[@type='text']"));

            // Input some text into the search field
            searchField.sendKeys("Data Structures");

            // Print the current text in the search field
            System.out.println(
                "Before adding extra text: "
                + searchField.getAttribute("value"));

            // Add additional text before deleting
            searchField.sendKeys(" in Java");

            // Print the updated text after adding extra
            // text
            System.out.println(
                "After adding text: "
                + searchField.getAttribute("value"));

            // Send the DELETE keystroke (backspace to
            // delete the last character)
            searchField.sendKeys(Keys.BACK_SPACE);

            // Print the updated text in the search field
            // after deletion
            System.out.println(
                "After DELETE: "
                + searchField.getAttribute("value"));
        }
        finally {
            // Close the browser
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

Explanation

• Package : This code is part of the seleniumpractice package.
• Imports : This imports are brings in necessary selenium classes.
• Class Declaration : The class is named as DeleteKeystrokeExample.
• Main Method : The main method is the entry point of the program where the execution begins.
• WebdriverManager : Automatically handles the setup of the ChromeDriver.
• ChromeDriver : An instance of ChromeDriver is created., which opens a new chrome browser window.
• try : This begins a try block to handle exception that may occur during execution.
• Navigate URL : Defines the navigates the browser to the GeeksforGeeks website.
• Locator the Element : This search input is located using XPath expression that targets the <input> element with type='text' . This returns a webElement.
• searchField.sendKeys("Data Structures"); : The string "Data Structure" is sent to the search field, simulating user input.
• System.out.println("Before DELETE: " + searchField.getAttribute("value")); : This line prints the current value in the search field to the console, which should be "Data Structures".
• Keys.BACK_SPACE : A BACK_SPACE keystroke is sent to the search field, deleting the last character from the next.
• System.out.println("After DELETE: " + searchField.getAttribute("value")); This line prints the updated value in the search field to the console. After sending the BACK_SPACE key, it should "Data Structure".
• finally : This finally blocks ensure that the browser is closed regardless of whether an exception occurred, driver.quit( ) shuts down the browser and ends the WebDriver session.

Output

Conclusion

Using Selenium WebDriver with Java, sending DELETE keystrokes to a text field is straightforward and allows for better control over form input automation. By leveraging the Keys class in Selenium, you can simulate user interactions like deleting text efficiently.

Mastering this technique can help you improve test automation scripts and ensure that your web applications handle text inputs as expected.