How to open a new tab using Selenium WebDriver in Java?

To open a new tab in the existing Firefox browser using Selenium WebDriver in Java, you can use the following approaches:

1. Using JavaScript Execution

The most common method to open a new tab is by using JavaScript. Selenium WebDriver's JavascriptExecutor allows you to execute JavaScript code.

Here’s the example:

import org.openqa.selenium.JavascriptExecutor;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;

public class OpenNewTab {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Set the path to the GeckoDriver
        System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "path/to/geckodriver");

        // Initialize the WebDriver
        WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();

        // Open the first URL
        driver.get("https://www.example.com");

        // Cast WebDriver to JavascriptExecutor
        JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver;

        // Open a new tab
        js.executeScript("window.open();");

        // Switch to the new tab
        for (String handle : driver.getWindowHandles()) {
            driver.switchTo().window(handle);
        }

        // Load a different URL in the new tab
        driver.get("https://www.google.com");

        // Clean up
        driver.quit();
    }
}

You can use the sendKeys() method to simulate keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl + t) for opening a new tab.

Here’s an example:

import org.openqa.selenium.Keys;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.firefox.FirefoxDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.interactions.Actions;

public class OpenNewTabWithKeys {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Set the path to the GeckoDriver
        System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "path/to/geckodriver");

        // Initialize the WebDriver
        WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();

        // Open the first URL
        driver.get("https://www.example.com");

        // Create an Actions instance
        Actions actions = new Actions(driver);

        // Press Ctrl + t (or Command + t on Mac)
        actions.keyDown(Keys.CONTROL).sendKeys("t").keyUp(Keys.CONTROL).perform();

        // Switch to the new tab
        for (String handle : driver.getWindowHandles()) {
            driver.switchTo().window(handle);
        }

        // Load a different URL in the new tab
        driver.get("https://www.google.com");

        // Clean up
        driver.quit();
    }
}

Explanation

  JavascriptExecutor Method:

It uses JavaScript to create a new tab.

Then, you switch to the new tab using driver.getWindowHandles().

Keyboard Shortcuts:

Simulates Ctrl + t to open a new tab in the browser.

Both methods work well with modern Selenium versions, but the JavaScript approach is often more robust.