How to Handle StaleElementReferenceException in Selenium

How to Handle StaleElementReferenceException?

The StaleElementReferenceException can be handled in multiple ways depending on why the exception was thrown. Let’s see how to fix the StaleElementReferenceException by:

• Re-Initializing the WebElement
• Using Loops and Try-Catch Blocks
• Using ExpectedConditions

Re-initializing the WebElement

In the example code above, if we re-initialize the filterByField element before entering the completed status, then the StaleElementReferenceException will not be thrown.

There was no reference to filterByField because it was not attached to the page document once the page was reloaded. The code below displays how to re-initialize filterByField to avoid the exception.

@Test


    public void createStaleElementReferenceException() {


        WebElement pageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Table Data Search"));


        pageLink.click();


        WebElement filterByField = driver.findElement(By.id("task-table-filter"));


        filterByField.sendKeys("in progress");


        driver.navigate().back();


        pageLink.click();


        filterByField = driver.findElement(By.id("task-table-filter"));


        filterByField.sendKeys("completed");

Notice the second last line in the above code; it finds the element before entering the completed status. As a result, the StaleElementReferenceException is not thrown, and the test script successfully searches for a completed status and returns the correct results.

The screenshot below shows how the completed status is searched and returned on the Table Search filter page.

Using Loops and Try-Catch Block

In some instances, the element is temporarily not reachable through the DOM. Hence, we can access the element multiple times in a loop until it becomes available.

Within our desired loop, we implement a try-catch block and attempt to make a connection with the element. For this, we will use while and for loops.

While Loop and Try-Catch Block

In the helper class, a method called retryUsingWhileLoop_TryCatch() is created to handle the StaleElementReferenceException. It receives a By locator and String value as the parameters. The boolean outcome variable is initialized to false, and the int repeat variable is set to 0 initially.

public static boolean retryUsingWhileLoop_TryCatch(By locator, String value) {


   boolean outcome = false;


   int repeat = 0;


   while (repeat <= 3) {


       try {


           driver.findElement(locator).sendKeys(value);


           outcome = true;


           break;


       } catch (StaleElementReferenceException exc) {


           exc.printStackTrace();


       }


       repeat++;


   }


   return outcome;


}

The while loop starts with a condition to repeat less than or equal to 3. Next is the try block, which tries to find the element and enter a status value. If the outcome is false, the code continues up to 3 times.

Usually, the second iteration finds the element and acts on the element. If the element is found, the outcome is true. The following code shows how a locator and value are passed.

@Test


    public void testRetryUsingWhileLoop_TryCatch() {


        WebElement pageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Table Data Search"));


        pageLink.click();


        By filterByField = By.id("task-table-filter");


        retryUsingWhileLoop_TryCatch(filterByField, "in progress");


        driver.navigate().back();


        pageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Table Data Search"));


        pageLink.click();


        retryUsingWhileLoop_TryCatch(filterByField, "completed");


    }

The test calls the retryUsingWhileLoop_TryCatch() method and sends two arguments: filterByField and a value. The method is called twice in the tests with the same filterByField locator but different values (in progress and completed).

Both calls were a success and did not return a StaleElementReferenceException.

• The in progress status returned 1 task.
• The completed status returned 3 tasks.

For Loop and Try-Catch Block

We can handle the StaleElementReferenceException using a for loop similar to a while loop. Each loop has a try-catch block and initializes the boolean variable, i.e., outcome to false.

The following is a code snippet displaying a try-catch block within a for loop:

public static boolean retryUsingForLoop_TryCatch(By locator, String value) {


   boolean outcome = false;


   for(int repeat=0; repeat<=3; repeat++) {


       try {


           driver.findElement(locator).sendKeys(value);


           outcome = true;


           break;


       } catch(StaleElementReferenceException exc) {


           exc.printStackTrace();


       }


   }


   return outcome;


}

The method begins with the for loop by initializing the repeat variable to 0, followed by the condition to cycle less than or equal to 3. Next, the repeat variable increments by 1 (repeat ++). Like the while loop, this for loop tries to find the element and enter a value.

If the element is found, the outcome is true, and the loop is terminated immediately with the break statement. The purpose of the catch block is to handle the StaleElementReferenceException.

Since the method retryUsingForLoop_TryCatch() returns a boolean value, the last statement returns the actual value using the outcome variable. The following screenshot shows how the retryUsingForLoop_TryCatch() method is used in the test.

@Test


    public void testRetryUsingForLoopToHandleStaleException() {


        WebElement pageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Table Data Search"));


        pageLink.click();


        By filterByField = By.id("task-table-filter");


        retryUsingForLoop_TryCatch(filterByField, "in progress");


        driver.navigate().back();


        pageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Table Data Search"));


        pageLink.click();


        retryUsingForLoop_TryCatch(filterByField, "completed");


    }

Like the while loop, the for loop calls a method from the helper class. The retryUsingForLoop_TryCatch() method is called first for setting the in progress status in the filterByField, and next, it is again called to set the completed status.

• The in progress status returns 1 task.
• The completed status returns 3 tasks.

Using ExpectedConditions

Sometimes, JavaScript automatically updates the web page between finding an element and performing an action on the element. Respectively, a timing issue can occur and generate a StaleElementReferenceException.

Thanks to Selenium, it can manage the StaleElementReferenceException by implementing methods from the ExpectedConditions class.

The following is an example code by chaining multiple methods using the ExpectedConditions in Selenium:

public static void chainMultipleExpectedConditions(By locator, String value) {


   WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(5));


   wait.until(ExpectedConditions.refreshed(


           ExpectedConditions.presenceOfElementLocated(locator)));


   driver.findElement(locator).sendKeys(value);


}

This code creates an instance of WebDriverWait with the wait as the object reference variable. The parameters are the driver (instance of WebDriver) and Duration.ofSeconds(5):

• The driver controls the Chrome browser.
• Duration.ofSeconds(5) will wait to find the element for up to 5 seconds.

WebDriverWait is a class that helps to develop an explicit dynamic wait statement. If the element is not found, then a TimeoutException shows up. The key to handling a StaleElementReferenceException is using the wait.until() method with the ExpectedConditions class.

The wait.until() provides access to the ExpectedConditions class, which has many methods. The following screenshot shows some methods, including refreshed() and presenceOfElementLocated().

Handling StaleElementReferenceException uses multiple methods. It dynamically waits and checks if the element is refreshed for up to 5 seconds, then waits an additional five seconds for the element to be present.

In some cases, only one method, such as stalenessOf() from the ExpectedConditions class, is sufficient for overseeing a StaleElementReferenceException.

The following screenshot displays how the @Test annotation calls the chainMultipleExpectedCondtions() method.

@Test


    public void testChainExpectedConditionsToHandleStaleException() {


        WebElement pageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Table Data Search"));


        pageLink.click();


        By filterByField = By.id("task-table-filter");


        chainMultipleExpectedConditions(filterByField, "in progress");


        driver.navigate().back();


        pageLink = driver.findElement(By.linkText("Table Data Search"));


        pageLink.click();


        chainMultipleExpectedConditions(filterByField, "completed");


    }


}

The chainMultipleExpectedConditions() method is in the helper class. With this solution, the method is called on two lines in the test. It is comparable to the other methods by sending two arguments: filterByField and Status.

• The first sends the value in progress in the filterByField, with 1 Task showing up in the results.
• When called the second time, it sends the completed value in the filterByField, with 3 tasks showing up in the results.

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All the tests were executed successfully on the TestMu AI cloud grid. The build details window provides us with the granular details of the test execution. These details include screenshots, video logs, etc, that can be used further for analysis in case of test failures.

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