How to Set Value to Input Web Element Using Selenium

Selenium is an automation tool for web browsers that is extensively used to interact with input fields on web pages. Such activities include filling out forms, testing user input functionality, and setting values in text boxes.

This article is about discovering how to assign values to input elements by making use of Selenium WebDriver in a variety of different use cases.

Table of Contents

• Selenium and Web Elements
  • What is Selenium?
  • Understanding Web Elements
• Finding Input Web Elements
  • Using find_element_by_id
  • Using find_element_by_name
  • Using find_element_by_xpath
• Setting Value to Input Web Elements
  • Using send_keys() Method
  • Clearing Input Fields Before Setting Values
• Addressing Special Scenarios
  • Input Fields with Disabled State
  • Input Fields Controlled by JavaScript
• Example Usage of Setting Input Values
• Conclusion
• FAQs

1. Introduction to Selenium and Web Elements

What is Selenium?

It is an open-source web browser automation framework widely used for testing web applications, web scraping, and other automation processes.

Understanding Web Elements

The basic building blocks of a web page are called web elements, such as input fields, buttons, and links. Through these, Selenium simulates the actions that a real user would do.

2. Locating Input Web Elements

To set a value in an input field, you first need to find the web element. Selenium provides several methods to find elements:

We begin by creating an object of Driver:

from selenium import webdriver

Using “find_element_by_id”

element = driver.find_element_by_id("user_name")

This method locates elements using their id attribute.

Using “find_element_by_name”

element = driver.find_element_by_name("email")

This method finds elements using their name attribute.

Using “find_element_by_xpath”

element = driver.find_element_by_xpath("//input[@type='text']")

This method locates elements using their XPath.

3. Setting Value to Input Web Elements

“Using send_keys() Method”

The send_keys() method is used to execute typing into an input field.

Example:

from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://intellipaat.com")
input_element = driver.find_element_by_id("intellipaat")
input_element.send_keys("IntellipaatStudentr")

Clearing Input Fields Before Setting Values

To avoid appending new text to existing content, use the clear() method before send_keys().

Example:

input_element.clear()

input_element.send_keys("NewValue")

4. Handling Special Scenarios

Input Fields with Disabled State

If the input field is disabled, you can use JavaScript to set the value.

Example:

driver.execute_script("document.getElementById(intellipaat).value = intellipaatUser;")

Input Fields Controlled by JavaScript

Some input fields are controlled by JavaScript and may require triggering events after setting the value.

Example:

input_element = driver.find_element_by_id("username")

driver.execute_script("arguments[0].value = 'TestUser'; arguments[0].dispatchEvent(new Event('change'));", input_element)

5. Example Code for Setting Input Values

Here’s a complete example:

from selenium import webdriver

from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

# Initialize WebDriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()

# Open the target website

driver.get("https://intellipaat.com")

# Locate the input element by ID

input_element = driver.find_element(By.ID, "intellipaat")

# Clear the input field (if necessary) and set the value

input_element.clear()

input_element.send_keys("intellipaat_user")

# Close the browser

driver.quit()

6. Conclusion

Selenium provides a very simple way to interact with input fields using the send_keys() method. Advanced scenarios, such as disabled fields or JavaScript-controlled inputs, can be addressed by executing JavaScript to set values. With these techniques mastered, you will be able to automate complex web interactions effectively.

7. FAQs

from selenium.webdriver.common.keys import Keys

input_element.send_keys(Keys.ENTER)