Selenium Java - Warning/Errors and its solutions

Here's a list of standard warnings/errors in Selenium with Java and their respective solutions to help you debug faster and develop cleaner automation scripts.

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✅ 1. org.openqa.selenium.NoSuchElementException

Cause: Trying to locate an element that does not exist on the page.

Solutions:

• Ensure the element is present in the DOM and visible.

• Add waits:

  WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
  WebElement element = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("elementId")));
  

• Check locator correctness (id, xpath, cssSelector, etc.).

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✅ 2. ElementNotInteractableException

Cause: Element is present but cannot be interacted with (e.g., it's hidden or disabled).

Solutions:

• Use WebDriverWait to ensure it is clickable:

  WebElement element = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("elementId")));
  

• Scroll into view using JavaScript:

  ((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("arguments[0].scrollIntoView(true);", element);
  

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✅ 3. TimeoutException

Cause: Wait timed out before condition was met.

Solutions:

• Increase wait time or optimize locator.

• Use appropriate expected condition (e.g., presenceOfElementLocated vs visibilityOfElementLocated).

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✅ 4. StaleElementReferenceException

Cause: WebElement is no longer attached to the DOM.

Solutions:

• Re-locate the element after page reload or DOM change:

  element = driver.findElement(By.id("elementId"));
  

• Use a try-catch block to retry locating the element.

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✅ 5. SessionNotCreatedException

Cause: Browser version mismatch with WebDriver.

Solutions:

• Make sure ChromeDriver/GeckoDriver matches your browser version.

• Use WebDriverManager (for Maven):

  WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
  

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✅ 6. WebDriverException: unknown error: DevToolsActivePort file doesn't exist

Cause: Usually in headless mode with Chrome on Linux.

Solutions:

• Add Chrome options:

  ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
  options.addArguments("--no-sandbox");
  options.addArguments("--disable-dev-shm-usage");
  options.addArguments("--headless");
  

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✅ 7. Deprecation Warnings

Cause: Some older APIs (like Thread.sleep, implicitlyWait without Duration, etc.) are deprecated.

Solutions:

• Replace deprecated code:

  driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(Duration.ofSeconds(10));
  

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✅ 8. java.lang.NullPointerException

Cause: WebElement or WebDriver not initialized.

Solutions:

• Check initialization:

  WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(); // Not null
  

• Ensure correct scope in frameworks like TestNG, JUnit, etc.

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✅ 9. org.openqa.selenium.ElementClickInterceptedException

Cause: Another element overlays the clickable element (like a modal or popup).

Solutions:

• Wait for overlay to disappear.

• Use JS click:

  ((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("arguments[0].click();", element);
  

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✅ 10. IllegalStateException: The driver executable does not exist

Cause: Path to WebDriver not set correctly.

Solutions:

• Set system property or use WebDriverManager:

  System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
  

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✅ 11. WARNING: Invalid Status code=403 text=Forbidden java.io.IOException: Invalid Status code=403 text=Forbidden at org.asynchttpclient.netty.handler.WebSocketHandler.abort

Solution - Add the below code inside the initial setUp method (on base class)

ChromeOptions option = new ChromeOptions();

option.addArguments("--remote-allow-origins=*");

driver = new ChromeDriver(option); 

Absolutely! Here’s a more comprehensive list of Selenium errors in Java, including causes, real-world scenarios, and solutions. Great for debugging and improving test reliability.

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🔁 COMMON SELENIUM JAVA ERRORS + FIXES

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: chrome not reachable

Cause: The Chrome browser crashed or was closed unexpectedly during the session.

Fixes:

• Ensure you’re not killing Chrome externally.

• Add stability options:

  options.addArguments("--no-sandbox", "--disable-dev-shm-usage");
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.TimeoutException

Cause: Explicit wait failed – element or condition didn't occur in time.

Fixes:

• Use correct locator.

• Add enough wait time.

  WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
  wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("id")));
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.InvalidSelectorException

Cause: Syntax error in your selector (mostly with XPath).

Fixes:

• Double-check the XPath:

  By.xpath("//div[@class='className']") // ✅
  By.xpath("div[@class='className']")   // ❌
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.UnhandledAlertException

Cause: Alert/popup opened and not handled before next action.

Fixes:

Alert alert = driver.switchTo().alert();
alert.accept(); // or alert.dismiss();

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.ElementNotVisibleException (older Selenium)

🟡 Now replaced with ElementNotInteractableException.

Fixes:

• Wait for visibility using:

  wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("id")));
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.JavascriptException

Cause: Error in JS execution using JavascriptExecutor.

Fixes:

• Check the JS syntax.

  ((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("window.scrollTo(0, document.body.scrollHeight);");
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.NoSuchFrameException

Cause: Trying to switch to a frame that doesn’t exist.

Fixes:

• Check the frame name or index.

• Wait until frame is available:

  driver.switchTo().frame("frameName");
  

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🔴 java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Argument is not valid

Cause: Wrong argument in method (often with locators or waits).

Fixes:

• Review your method call:

  driver.findElement(By.xpath("")) // ❌ Empty string!
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.InvalidElementStateException

Cause: Trying to type into a read-only input or disabled field.

Fixes:

• Check if the field is enabled:

  if (element.isEnabled()) {
      element.sendKeys("Hello");
  }
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.ElementClickInterceptedException

Cause: Something (like a banner or loader) is blocking the element.

Fixes:

• Use JS click:

  ((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("arguments[0].click();", element);
  

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.InvalidSessionIdException

Cause: Trying to interact with a closed browser or driver.

Fixes:

• Ensure driver.quit() or test teardown hasn't run prematurely.

• Avoid reusing closed sessions.

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.UnsupportedCommandException

Cause: Using a command not supported by the browser version or driver.

Fixes:

• Upgrade your Selenium and browser driver versions.

• Avoid deprecated commands.

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🔴 org.openqa.selenium.SessionNotCreatedException

Cause: Browser-driver mismatch.

Fixes:

• Use WebDriverManager:

  WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();
  

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🧰 Bonus Tip: Use Try-Catch for Robustness

try {
    WebElement el = driver.findElement(By.id("myId"));
    el.click();
} catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
    System.out.println("Element not found: " + e.getMessage());
}

Awesome! Since we're working with Selenium + Java, and possibly TestNG, JUnit, or Cucumber, here’s a quick breakdown of how to handle Selenium errors framework-wise, plus some tips to improve your automation setup.

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🧪 If You’re Using TestNG

✅ Retry Failed Tests (Automatic Retry)

public class RetryAnalyzer implements IRetryAnalyzer {
    private int retryCount = 0;
    private static final int maxRetryCount = 2;

    public boolean retry(ITestResult result) {
        if (retryCount < maxRetryCount) {
            retryCount++;
            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }
}

Then annotate your test:

@Test(retryAnalyzer = RetryAnalyzer.class)
public void testMethod() {
    // test code
}

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🧪 If You’re Using JUnit

✅ Expected Exception Handling

@Test(expected = NoSuchElementException.class)
public void testNoSuchElement() {
    driver.findElement(By.id("notThere")).click();
}

✅ Try-Catch With Assert Fail

@Test
public void testSafeClick() {
    try {
        driver.findElement(By.id("button")).click();
    } catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
        Assert.fail("Button not found: " + e.getMessage());
    }
}

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🧪 If You’re Using Cucumber (BDD)

✅ Hooks for Error Handling and Screenshots

@After
public void tearDown(Scenario scenario) {
    if (scenario.isFailed()) {
        // take screenshot
        final byte[] screenshot = ((TakesScreenshot) driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.BYTES);
        scenario.attach(screenshot, "image/png", "screenshot");
    }
    driver.quit();
}

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⚡ Bonus: Recommended Project Structure

src/test/java/
  ├── base/              # Driver setup, base classes
  ├── pages/             # Page Object Models
  ├── tests/             # Test classes (TestNG or JUnit)
  ├── stepDefinitions/   # For Cucumber
  └── utils/             # Helpers (screenshot, waits, etc.)

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🧠 Pro Tips

• Use WebDriverManager to avoid version mismatches.

• Add custom exception handling in your framework base class.

• Integrate Allure, ExtentReports, or Cucumber HTML for rich reporting.

• For parallel execution, use TestNG’s parallel="methods" or JUnit 5 with @Execution(CONCURRENT).

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