How can the "Element Not Interactable Exception" in Selenium be handled while performing web application automation?

72 Asked by Aashishchaursiya in QA Testing , Asked on Dec 1, 2024

In the following Selenium code, I am not able to send keys to the password field. I have clicked on the box, cleared it, and sent the keys but none if the options have worked. But when I am debugging the code and running it step by step it works fine as expected.

Here’s the code:

public class TestMail {
    protected static WebDriver driver;
    protected static String result;

    @BeforeClass
    public static void setup() {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "D:\geckodriver.exe");
        driver = new FirefoxDriver();
        driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(60, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
    }

    @Test
    void Testcase1() {
        driver.get("http://mail.google.com");

        WebElement loginfield = driver.findElement(By.name("Email"));
        if (loginfield.isDisplayed()) {
            loginfield.sendKeys("ragesh@gmail.in");
        } else {
            WebElement newloginfield = driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("#identifierId"));
            newloginfield.sendKeys("ragesh@gmail.in");
        }

        driver.findElement(By.name("signIn")).click();
        driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(15, TimeUnit.SECONDS);

        WebElement pwd = driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("#Passwd"));
        pwd.click();
        pwd.clear();

        if (pwd.isEnabled()) {
            pwd.sendKeys("123");
        } else {
            System.out.println("Not Enabled");
        }
    }
}

Answered by Abhishek Shukla

Possible Causes and Solutions

Dynamic Content or Page Load Timing

The password field might not be interactable because the page or some elements are still loading.

Solution: Use an explicit wait to ensure the element is ready for interaction:

import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.WebDriverWait;

import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.ExpectedConditions;

import org.openqa.selenium.By;

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);

WebElement pwd = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.cssSelector("#Passwd")));

pwd.click();

pwd.clear();

pwd.sendKeys("123");

Element Overlapping or Obstruction

Another element (e.g., a popup, tooltip, or animation) might be covering the password field.

Solution: Scroll the element into view before interacting with it:

((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("arguments[0].scrollIntoView(true);", pwd);

pwd.click();

pwd.clear();

pwd.sendKeys("123");

Element Hidden or Not Yet Rendered

The password field might not be visible or fully rendered when your script tries to interact with it.

Solution: Wait for the element to become visible:

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);

WebElement pwd = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.cssSelector("#Passwd")));

pwd.click();

pwd.clear();

pwd.sendKeys("123");

Incorrect Locator

Verify if #Passwd is the correct CSS selector. Google login forms often use dynamic IDs and classes, which can change.

Solution: Inspect the DOM and use a robust locator (e.g., based on attributes, name, or a stable class). For instance:

WebElement pwd = driver.findElement(By.name("password"));

pwd.click();

pwd.clear();

pwd.sendKeys("123");

Shadow DOM

Some modern web pages use Shadow DOM, and Selenium cannot interact with shadow elements directly.

Solution: Use JavaScript to interact with elements inside the Shadow DOM:

WebElement shadowHost = driver.findElement(By.cssSelector("shadow-host-selector"));

WebElement shadowRoot = (WebElement) ((JavascriptExecutor) driver)

        .executeScript("return arguments[0].shadowRoot", shadowHost);

WebElement pwd = shadowRoot.findElement(By.cssSelector("#Passwd"));

pwd.click();

pwd.clear();

pwd.sendKeys("123");

Debug Mode Success

If debugging works but running does not, it indicates a timing issue.

Solution: Add explicit waits as shown above and ensure animations or transitions are complete.

JavaScript Click and Send Keys

As a last resort, use JavaScript for interaction:

JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver;

js.executeScript("arguments[0].click();", pwd);

js.executeScript("arguments[0].value='123';", pwd);

Final Optimized Code

Here’s an optimized version of your code that incorporates explicit waits and robust locators:

import org.openqa.selenium.*;

import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;

import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.ExpectedConditions;

import org.openqa.selenium.support.ui.WebDriverWait;

import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;

public class TestMail {

    protected static WebDriver driver;

    public static void setup() {

        System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "D:\geckodriver.exe");

        driver = new FirefoxDriver();

        driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(60, TimeUnit.SECONDS);

    }

    public static void Testcase1() {

        driver.get("http://mail.google.com");

        WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);

        WebElement loginfield = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.name("Email")));

        loginfield.sendKeys("ragesh@gmail.in");

        driver.findElement(By.name("signIn")).click();

        WebElement pwd = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.cssSelector("#Passwd")));

        pwd.click();

        pwd.clear();

        pwd.sendKeys("123");

    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        setup();

        Testcase1();

        driver.quit();

    }

}

Debugging Tips

Take Screenshots: Capture the state of the page when the exception occurs:

File screenshot = ((TakesScreenshot) driver).getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);

FileUtils.copyFile(screenshot, new File("screenshot.png"));

Verify Element Properties: Use the browser developer tools to check if the password field is visible, enabled, and correctly located.

If the issue persists, share additional details, and I’ll assist further!

How can the "Element Not Interactable Exception" in Selenium be handled while performing web application automation?

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