Automating web tasks can save a lot of time and make your work easier. Selenium is a popular tool that lets you control a web browser using Python. In this blog post, I’ll share my journey of getting started with Selenium and provide a step-by-step guide for beginners.
What is Selenium?
Selenium is a tool that automates web browsers. You can use it to perform tasks such as filling out forms, clicking buttons, and gathering data from web pages.
This was my first step when I started:
1. Install Python: If you don’t have Python installed, download it from [python.org](https://www.python.org/) and follow the installation instructions.
2. Install Selenium: Open your terminal and type:
pip install selenium
When I first started, I wrote a simple script to open Google and search for something.
1. Open your text editor and create a new file called `simple_selenium.py`.
2. Write the following code in the file:
Understanding the Code
Let’s break down what each part of the code does:
Importing Modules: We import the necessary parts of Selenium.
Setting Up WebDriver: We tell Selenium to use Chrome.
Opening Google: The `get` method opens the Google homepage.
Finding the Search Box: The `find_element` method finds the search box by its name.
Typing and Searching: The `send_keys` method types “Selenium with Python” into the search box and presses Enter.
Waiting: The `implicitly_wait` method waits for 5 seconds to allow the results to load.
Closing the Browser: The `quit` method closes the browser window.