Clicking links is one of the most basic things a user can do on a website. If you're writing test scripts, it’s also one of the most common actions you’ll need to automate.
With Selenium WebDriver, you can interact with any hyperlink on the page, no matter if it's visible, hidden, dynamic, or opens in a new tab. All you need is the right locator and a clear understanding of how the browser responds.
In this article, we’ll walk you through:
Let’s dive in and learn how to automate link clicks with confidence using Selenium click link techniques.
Clicking a link with Selenium WebDriver is a simple process. You launch the browser, find the link, and simulate a user click using the built-in method. This lets your automation follow links just like a real person would.
Step 1: Launch the browser and open the target page. Choose any website you want to test. Selenium will start the session and load the URL.
Step 2: Locate the hyperlink using a Selenium locator strategy. You can use link text, partial link text, XPath, CSS selector, or an attribute like href.
Step 3: Use the click method to simulate interaction. Selenium will trigger the same behavior as a user click.
Step 4: Verify that the link worked. You can check the page title, URL, or the presence of specific content to confirm the navigation was successful.
Here are two quick examples showing how to use selenium click link in both Java and Python. These samples demonstrate how to locate a link by text, click it, and confirm the page has changed.
Python example using link text
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://katalon.com")
# Click the link using full link text
link = driver.find_element(By.LINK_TEXT, "Platform")
link.click()
# Print the current page title
print(driver.title)
driver.quit()
Java example using partial link text
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class ClickLinkExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
driver.get("https://katalon.com");
// Click the link using partial link text
driver.findElement(By.partialLinkText("Plat")).click();
// Print the current page title
System.out.println(driver.getTitle());
driver.quit();
}
}
These examples show how the selenium click link method works using both full and partial link text. You can use this approach for most hyperlinks that are clearly labeled on the page.
Before you can use the selenium click link method, you need to identify the hyperlink accurately. Selenium provides several ways to do this, and each has its own advantages depending on the structure of the page.
When using Selenium click link techniques, choose the most unique and stable locator available. This keeps your test scripts reliable across page changes and layout updates.
Some hyperlinks open content in a new tab or window instead of the same view. In those cases, your script needs to shift focus and return later with a clean flow that mirrors real user behavior.
Step 1: Capture the current window’s identifier using getWindowHandle().
Step 2: After clicking the link, collect all open window handles using getWindowHandles(). This gives you access to the new tab or window.
Step 3: Switch context to the new window using switchTo().window(handle).
Step 4: Perform any checks or actions within the new window. Then close it or switch back to the original using its handle.
Here is a Python example illustrating the flow:
from selenium import webdriver
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get("https://katalon.com")
original = driver.current_window_handle
driver.find_element_by_link_text("Open in new tab").click()
for handle in driver.window_handles:
if handle != original:
driver.switch_to.window(handle)
print("New tab title:", driver.title)
driver.close()
break
driver.switch_to.window(original)
print("Back to original title:", driver.title)
driver.quit()
This pattern ensures your script stays in sync with the browser context. It mirrors user behavior of opening a link, verifying content, and returning to the starting point, creating tests that are both reliable and understandable.
In Selenium automation, both .click() and .submit() simulate user actions, but they serve distinct purposes. Understanding when to use each one makes your test cases cleaner and more predictable.
Here’s a helpful tip: links are not form elements, so calling .submit() on a hyperlink won't trigger navigation. Stick with .click() when your goal is to follow a link or press a button outside a form.
With this distinction clear, your Selenium click link commands will behave exactly as expected and help you avoid confusion while scripting tests.
Even simple actions like simulating a link click with Selenium can encounter unexpected challenges. Understanding common problems and effective debugging techniques will help your automation run smoothly every time.
By combining proper waits, accurate locators, and visual context, your selenium click link commands can stay resilient in the face of dynamic page changes. This keeps your automation reliable and easy to maintain.
This checklist helps you build stable and reliable automation scripts. Following these guidelines improves maintainability and test clarity.
These practices help your Selenium scripts stay clean, predictable, and easy to update. They support consistent usage of selenium click link commands and make link interactions more reliable overall.
Selenium itself is a browser automation library, so you still need a framework for test management, execution, reporting, and integration. With Katalon Studio, you get the power of Selenium in a full-featured automation platform.
This means you don’t have to hand-code everything from scratch (project structure, test runners, reporting, environment setup). Katalon lets you write Selenium-powered tests faster with built-in record/playback, test objects management, and a keyword-driven interface while still allowing custom code in Groovy/Java where needed.