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Browser Actions

Getting Started​

To interact with web pages, create an instance of SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver:

DriverSetup.java
SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver driver = new SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver();

SHAFT detects your configuration from property files. If no properties are set, SHAFT uses sensible defaults.

To close all running driver instances:

DriverTeardown.java
driver.quit();

For trust-gated natural-language browser, element, and touch workflows, see Natural Language Actions.

NavigateToURL.java
driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://www.google.com");

Navigates to the specified URL. If the URL matches the current page, it refreshes instead. You can optionally verify the target URL after navigation:

NavigateToURLWithVerification.java
driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://www.google.com/", "google");
NavigateNewTab.java
import org.openqa.selenium.WindowType;

driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://www.google.com", WindowType.TAB);
driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://www.google.com", WindowType.WINDOW);
NavigateBack.java
driver.browser().navigateBack();

Navigates one step back in the browser history.

NavigateForward.java
driver.browser().navigateForward();

Navigates one step forward in the browser history.

Refresh Page​

RefreshPage.java
driver.browser().refreshCurrentPage();

Refreshes the current page.

Get Current URL​

GetCurrentURL.java
String currentUrl = driver.browser().getCurrentURL();

Returns the URL of the current page.

NavigateWithBasicAuth.java
driver.browser().navigateToURLWithBasicAuthentication(
    "https://staging.example.com/secure",
    "myUsername",
    "myPassword",
    "https://staging.example.com/dashboard"
);

Navigates to a URL that requires HTTP Basic Authentication. Provide the target URL, credentials, and the expected URL after a successful login. Useful for staging environments and internal tools protected by basic auth.

Window Management​

Maximize Window​

MaximizeWindow.java
driver.browser().maximizeWindow();

Maximizes the current browser window.

Full Screen Window​

FullScreenWindow.java
driver.browser().fullScreenWindow();

Sets the current window to full screen mode.

Resize Window​

ResizeWindow.java
driver.browser().setWindowSize(1440, 900);

Resizes the current window to the specified width and height.

Get Window Size​

GetWindowSize.java
String windowSize = driver.browser().getWindowSize();

Returns the current window size as a string.

Get Window Title​

GetWindowTitle.java
String title = driver.browser().getCurrentWindowTitle();

Returns the current window title.

Close Current Window​

CloseWindow.java
driver.browser().closeCurrentWindow();

Closes the current browser window.

Switch Windows or Tabs​

SwitchWindows.java
String windowHandle = driver.browser().getWindowHandle();
// ... code that opens a new window ...
driver.browser().switchToWindow(windowHandle); // switch back to the original window

The getWindowHandle() method returns a unique identifier for the current window, which can be used to switch between tabs and windows.

Get Page Source​

GetPageSource.java
String pageSource = driver.browser().getPageSource();

Returns the current page source as a string.

Cookies​

AddCookie.java
driver.browser().addCookie("cookieName", "cookieValue");
GetCookie.java
Cookie cookie = driver.browser().getCookie("cookieName");

Get All Cookies​

GetAllCookies.java
Set<Cookie> cookies = driver.browser().getAllCookies();
GetCookieValue.java
String cookieValue = driver.browser().getCookieValue("cookieName");
GetCookieDomain.java
String cookieDomain = driver.browser().getCookieDomain("cookieName");
GetCookiePath.java
String cookiePath = driver.browser().getCookiePath("cookieName");
DeleteCookie.java
driver.browser().deleteCookie("cookieName");

Delete All Cookies​

DeleteAllCookies.java
driver.browser().deleteAllCookies();

Storage State​

Use storage state when a test needs to reuse an authenticated browser session without repeating the login flow. SHAFT saves cookies, localStorage, and sessionStorage to a JSON file.

SaveStorageState.java
driver.browser()
        .navigateToURL("https://app.example.com")
        .and().saveStorageState("target/auth-state.json");

Load storage state after navigating to a compatible origin so browser cookie domain rules can apply.

LoadStorageState.java
driver.browser()
        .navigateToURL("https://app.example.com")
        .and().loadStorageState("target/auth-state.json")
        .and().refreshCurrentPage();

Screenshots and Snapshots​

Capture Screenshot​

CaptureScreenshot.java
driver.browser().captureScreenshot();

Captures a screenshot and attaches it to the Allure report.

captureSnapshot() vs capturePageSnapshot()​

SHAFT provides two distinct snapshot methods — choose the one that fits your reporting needs:

MethodWhat it capturesAttached to Allure
captureSnapshot()Full-page screenshot and page sourceYes — both screenshot and HTML
capturePageSnapshot()Serialized DOM/page data only (no image)Yes — HTML source only

captureSnapshot()​

CaptureSnapshot.java
driver.browser().captureSnapshot();

Captures a full page snapshot including both a screenshot and the page source, and attaches both to the Allure report.

capturePageSnapshot()​

CapturePageSnapshot.java
driver.browser().capturePageSnapshot();

Captures and serializes the current page DOM data and attaches it to the Allure report as an HTML artifact. Use this when you only need the page structure without a visual screenshot.

generateLightHouseReport()​

LightHouseReport.java
driver.browser().generateLightHouseReport();

Triggers a Google Lighthouse performance audit on the currently open page. The generated report is attached to the Allure output. Useful for catching performance regressions in CI/CD pipelines.

tip

Configure openLighthouseReportWhileExecution=true in your properties file to automatically open the Lighthouse report during test execution.

Wait Actions​

Wait for Lazy Loading​

WaitForLazyLoading.java
driver.browser().waitForLazyLoading();

Waits for lazy-loaded content to finish loading on the page.

Wait Until Title Is​

WaitUntilTitle.java
driver.browser().waitUntilTitleIs("Expected Title");
driver.browser().waitUntilTitleContains("Partial Title");
driver.browser().waitUntilTitleNotContains("Old Title");

Wait Until URL Matches​

WaitUntilURL.java
driver.browser().waitUntilUrlToBe("https://example.com/dashboard");
driver.browser().waitUntilUrlContains("dashboard");
driver.browser().waitUntilUrlNotContains("login");
driver.browser().waitUntilUrlMatches(".*dashboard.*");

Wait Until Number of Windows​

WaitUntilWindows.java
driver.browser().waitUntilNumberOfWindowsToBe(2);

Network Interception​

Intercept and Mock HTTP Requests​

MockRequest.java
driver.browser()
        .interceptRequest()
        .get()
        .urlContains("/api/data")
        .respond()
        .statusCode(200)
        .jsonBody("{}")
        .perform();

Intercepts browser HTTP requests matching the builder criteria and returns the mocked response.

Validate Intercepted Responses​

ValidateResponse.java
driver.browser()
        .interceptRequest()
        .get()
        .pathEquals("/api/data")
        .assertResponse(response -> response
                .body()
                .contains("{}")
                .perform());

Use clearNetworkInterceptors() to remove active browser network rules before the driver session ends.

Record, Replay, and Validate Contracts​

Contract methods capture matching browser traffic into the same deterministic contract file used by SHAFT.API. Replay turns captured responses into browser network mocks. Assert and verify modes compare live traffic with the stored contract and attach readable Allure diffs for mismatches.

BrowserContractActions.java
driver.browser().startContractRecording(
        "src/test/resources/contracts/search.json",
        "/api/search");

driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com/search");
SHAFT.Contracts.stopRecording();

driver.browser().assertContract(
        "src/test/resources/contracts/search.json",
        "/api/search");
driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com/search");
SHAFT.Contracts.stopValidation();

driver.browser().replayContract("src/test/resources/contracts/search.json");

See UI and API contract replay for combined browser and API examples.

Browser Network Profiles​

DevTools-capable Selenium drivers can switch the active browser session offline, throttle throughput, block resource patterns, and restore the default network state. Unsupported drivers keep the test running and add a deterministic observability warning to the trace metadata.

NetworkProfiles.java
driver.browser()
        .goOffline()
        .and().restoreNetwork()
        .and().throttleNetwork(250, 64, 32)
        .and().blockNetworkResources("*.png", "*.jpg");

Call restoreNetwork() after a profile-specific assertion when later steps need normal connectivity.

Mobile Context​

Get and Set Context​

MobileContext.java
String context = driver.browser().getContext();
driver.browser().setContext("WEBVIEW_1");

Get Context Handles​

ContextHandles.java
List<String> contexts = driver.browser().getContextHandles();

Accessibility Testing​

SHAFT Engine integrates axe-core to run automated WCAG accessibility audits. Chain .accessibility() onto any browser action to start auditing:

AccessibilityExample.java
driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com")
    .accessibility()
    .assertNoCriticalViolations("Home Page");

For a full reference of all accessibility methods, see Accessibility Testing.

Fluent Chaining​

All browser actions support fluent chaining with .and():

FluentChaining.java
driver.browser()
    .navigateToURL("https://www.google.com")
    .and().maximizeWindow()
    .and().captureScreenshot();
tip

SHAFT provides automatic reporting for every browser action. Check the Reporting section in the sidebar for details on the rich reports generated for each action.