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Get Web Element by XPath

Command description​

Find a unique element in a webpage or any of its frames with XPath. A successful match receives an ms-rpa-id in the page DOM, and the command returns a WebElement.

Use this command when a stable XPath is already known, for example from the page source, browser developer tools, or AI analysis of the webpage structure.

Command Input Parameters​

input parametersInput parameter typeDescription
Webpage ObjectWebPageWebpage in which to find the element
XPathstrXPath expression, such as //input[@name="q"] or //*[@id="kw"]
Element Wait DurationnumberMaximum time to wait for exactly one matching element, in seconds

Command Output Parameters​

Output parametersOutput parameter typeDescription
Web ElementWebElementMatching web element

Description​

  • The XPath is evaluated in the main page and all frames.
  • XPath must match element nodes and cannot use expressions that return text, attributes, or other non-element nodes, for example, do not write //a/text() or //a/@href.
  • The XPath must ultimately match a unique element.
  • If there is no matching element, or multiple elements are matched, the search will continue until only one element is matched.
  • If zero or multiple elements still match when Element Wait Duration expires, the command raises an exception. Refine the XPath so it matches exactly one element.
  • Use the returned WebElement with commands for clicking, input, reading properties, executing JavaScript, and other element operations.
  • Use standard browser XPath syntax; do not enter a CSS selector.

Example​

Find a search input on a webpage:

[
    {
        "children": [],
        "in": {
            "Browser Type": "'Google Chrome'",
            "Match Method": "'Current Webpage'",
            "Page Load Timeout": "30"
        },
        "out": {
            "Webpage Object": "webPage"
        },
        "ins": "Get Open Webpage"
    },
    {
        "children": [],
        "in": {
            "Webpage Object": "webPage",
            "XPath": "'//*[@id=\"__docusaurus\"]/nav[1]/div[1]/div[2]/div[2]/div/input'",
            "Element Wait Duration": "10"
        },
        "out": {
            "Web Element": "searchInput"
        },
        "comments": "Get the search input box through XPath",
        "ins": "Get Web Element by XPath"
    },
    {
        "children": [],
        "in": {
            "Webpage Object": "webPage",
            "Web Input Element": "searchInput",
            "Input Content": "'xxx'",
            "Append Input": "False",
            "Tab Key": "False",
            "Enter Key": "False",
  "Input Method": "'CDP Silent Input'",
            "Click Element Before Input": "False",
            "English Keyboard Layout": "False",
            "Post-Input Delay": "1",
            "Element Wait Duration": "30",
            "Post-Click Delay": "1"
        },
        "out": {},
        "ins": "Input into Web Element"
    }
]

Reference​

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