Python code allowing users to navigate back to the previous page while retaining elements

Question

Python code allowing users to navigate back to the previous page while retaining elements

After my script scrapes the page, it automatically clicks a button if a new element meeting certain criteria is found. Everything works perfectly when there is only one element, but an issue arises when the button click leads to a new page opening. If there are multiple elements, I need to navigate back to the previous page in order to continue the process.

I attempted to use browser.back(), however, upon returning to the previous page, the script does not remember the elements and triggers the expected error:

selenium.common.exceptions.StaleElementReferenceException: Message: Element not found in the cache - perhaps the page has changed since it was looked up

. This error occurs at the line

if len(css(".Total", parent=new, nowait=True)) > 0:

, which is responsible for identifying new elements.

I also explored the option of opening a new tab/window by clicking the button, but unfortunately, the button's javascript functionality does not support this feature. Is there a more effective solution to resolve this issue?

javascript python selenium exception browser

Answer 1

Answer №1

initial_window = driver.current_window_handle
driver.find_element_by_css_selector("body").send_keys(Keys.CONTROL + 't')
new_window = driver.window_handles[1]

# switch to the new window
driver.switch_to.window(new_window)
element_new_window = driver.find_element_by_css_selector('something')

# switch back to initial window
driver.switch_to.window(initial_window)
element_initial_window = driver.find_element_by_css_selector('something else')

Now you can easily navigate between windows and interact with elements on each window.

Answer 2

initial_window = driver.current_window_handle
driver.find_element_by_css_selector("body").send_keys(Keys.CONTROL + 't')
new_window = driver.window_handles[1]

# switch to the new window
driver.switch_to.window(new_window)
element_new_window = driver.find_element_by_css_selector('something')

# switch back to initial window
driver.switch_to.window(initial_window)
element_initial_window = driver.find_element_by_css_selector('something else')

Now you can easily navigate between windows and interact with elements on each window.

Answer 3

Answer №2

Upon encountering an exception:

  selenium.common.exceptions.StaleElementReferenceException: Message: Element not found in the cache - perhaps the page has changed since it was looked up

It has been observed that when a page loads, webdriver tends to lose references to previously held web elements.

Hence, it is recommended to dynamically pass locators while calling predefined keywords/methods in Java, ensuring that webdriver locates the web element at that specific instance to perform actions.

Sometimes, the same exception may occur while iterating through a list of web elements, as webdriver could lose reference during the loop. In such cases, locators need to be specified within the loop to prevent failures. For example, if clicking on links, use paths like "//a["+i+"]".

Thank you, Murali

Answer 4

Upon encountering an exception:

  selenium.common.exceptions.StaleElementReferenceException: Message: Element not found in the cache - perhaps the page has changed since it was looked up

It has been observed that when a page loads, webdriver tends to lose references to previously held web elements.

Hence, it is recommended to dynamically pass locators while calling predefined keywords/methods in Java, ensuring that webdriver locates the web element at that specific instance to perform actions.

Sometimes, the same exception may occur while iterating through a list of web elements, as webdriver could lose reference during the loop. In such cases, locators need to be specified within the loop to prevent failures. For example, if clicking on links, use paths like "//a["+i+"]".

Thank you, Murali

Python code allowing users to navigate back to the previous page while retaining elements

Answer №1

Answer №2

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