Stale Element Reference: Identifying the Source of the Exception
Encountering the "stale element reference" exception while executing WebDriver tests can be frustrating. Let's delve into the details of the error and explore a solution to resolve this issue.
Error Overview
The "stale element reference" exception occurs when the WebDriver tries to interact with an element that is no longer part of the DOM. This can happen for various reasons, such as:
Code Example
The provided code snippet showcases a scenario where this error might occur:
<code class="java">public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException { // ... List<WebElement> LeftNavLinks = driver.findElements(By.xpath("//*[@id='sliding-navigation']//a")); for (WebElement e : LeftNavLinks) { if(e.getText().equals("Benefit Status")) { driver.findElement(By.xpath(String.format("//*[@id='sliding-navigation']/li[%s]/a", i))).click(); driver.findElement(By.xpath("//* [@id='divContentHolder']/div[1]/a[1]")).click(); } i++; } }</code>
Reason for Exception
Based on the provided HTML structure, the error likely occurs when trying to click the element with the xpath //*[@id='divContentHolder']/div[1]/a[1]. This could be because the element was removed or changed after the initial navigation and element retrieval.
Solution
To resolve this issue, you can implement a mechanism to handle the stale element reference exception. One approach is to catch the exception and retry the action, as demonstrated in the following code snippet:
<code class="java">try { driver.findElement(By.xpath("//*[@id='divContentHolder']/div[1]/a[1]")).click(); } catch (org.openqa.selenium.StaleElementReferenceException ex) { // Retry the action here driver.findElement(By.xpath("//*[@id='divContentHolder']/div[1]/a[1]")).click(); }</code>
Additional Notes
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