How to handle timeout exception in Selenium?

As read, if any webelement on a webpage or a webpage goes timeout or takes longer time to load, it leads to timeout exceptions. And, these exceptions need to be handled as soon as possible to avoid any further chaos. It’s an important part of writing robust and reliable test scripts. So, to handle these exceptions, one can follow certain steps and strategies to apply it in their codes and scripts. They are discussed below:

1. Implicit Wait

Handling of timeout exceptions can be done with the help of implicit wait. Implicit wait is a mechanism in which it instructs the WebDriver to wait for a certain amount of time for a page or a webelement to load itself, before throwing NoSuchElementException. Exception handling is done using driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait() in which the WebDriver waits for a certain amount of time for which it is instructed. If it finds the elements or gets the result within the specified time, it proceeds with the next action, otherwise, throws a NoSuchElementException.

2. Explicit Wait

An explicit wait can also take part in handling timeout exceptions. It is a mechanism which allows to wait for a specific condition to be met before proceeding with the next action. Unlike implicit waits, explicit waits are not global and are applied only to specific elements or conditions. Explicit waits are commonly used to handle exceptions in Selenium because they give finer control over waiting for elements to appear, disappear, or meet other conditions. This helps make tests more reliable and efficient.

3. Timeouts with PageLoad Strategy

Setting timeouts with a PageLoad Strategy in Selenium may also result in handling timeout exceptions. It is a mechanism to control the behavior of the WebDriver for how long it should wait for a page to load before proceeding with other actions. One can use timeouts with a PageLoad Strategy to enhance the reliability of the test scripts and reduce the likelihood of certain exceptions. This can be done using pageLoadTimeout to ensure that the page has fully loaded before attempting to interact with its elements. If the page fails to load within the specified time, a TimeoutException can be caught and handled as an exception.

4. Handling StaleElementReferenceException

In Selenium, handling StaleElementReferenceException is an important part for writing robust and reliable test scripts. This exception is suppose to occur when any previously located webelement on the webpage becomes “stale” or is no longer attached with the DOM (Document Object Model). Any modification in the webpage such as page refresh, page update or any other changes leads to such exceptions. After this, if anyone tries to interact with the webelements to perform any actions, such as clicking, sending keys, etc., it will throw an exception.

Page load timeouts play a significant role in web development and user experience, acting as a safeguard against slow-loading pages and contributing to the overall success of a website or web application. Developers work diligently to manage and optimize load times to keep users engaged and satisfied. This article focuses on discussing how to set page load timeouts in Selenium.