Parameterized locators provide flexibility and efficiency in automation testing by allowing dynamic

identification of elements based on varying conditions. Instead of hardcoding locators, we can

create reusable templates that accept parameters at runtime, making our test scripts more scalable

and maintainable.

Advantages of Parameterized Locators

• Dynamic: We can interact with any element by just passing the required parameters (like button text or product name).
• Scalable: As the website grows and new elements are added, we don’t need to create new locators; just pass the right parameters.
• Clean & Reusable: Parameterized locators reduce redundancy in our test code, making it more concise and easier to maintain.
• Maintainable: If the structure of a page changes, we only need to update the locator function, rather than changing multiple instances of locators in our tests.

Example: Parameterized Locators for the QABrains Website

Let’s assume the QABrains website has several buttons or elements whose identifiers can change,

like buttons with dynamic text or links for different services. Instead of writing individual locators

for each button or element, we’ll create parameterized locators to interact with elements based on

dynamic attributes.

1. Generic Locator for Any Button or Link Based on Dynamic Text

On a website, links or buttons text like “Home”, “Discussion”, “Tags”, “About Us”, “Sign In” often

change. Instead of creating separate locators for each, we can use a parameterized locator to handle

them dynamically.

public By getLinkByText(String linkText) {
	return By.xpath("//nav//*[self::a or self::button] [normalize-space()='" + linkText + "']");
}

Usage Example:

To interact with a "Discussion" link:

By discussionLink = getLinkByText("Discussion");
WebElement discussionElement = driver.findElement(discussionLink);
discussionElement.click();

2. Handling Dynamic Product or Service Items in a List

If the website has a dynamic list of products or services, we can locate an item based on its name

(e.g., "Selenium Training" or "Web Automation").

public By getProductByName(String productName) {
	return By.xpath("//section[contains(@class, 'product-list')]//h2[normalize-space()='" + productName + "']");
}

Usage Example:

To locate a "Selenium Training" product:

By seleniumTraining = getProductByName("Selenium Training");
WebElement seleniumProduct = driver.findElement(seleniumTraining);
seleniumProduct.click();

3. Handling Dynamic Input Fields Based on Labels

We can create parameterized locators to find input fields based on their labels, which might change

(like "Username" or "Email").

public By getInputFieldByLabel(String labelText) {
  return By.xpath("//label[normalize-space()='" + labelText + "']/following-sibling::input | //label[normalize-space()='" + labelText + "']/ancestor::div[contains(@class, 'form-group')]//input");
  }

Usage Example:

To locate the "Username" input eld:

By usernameField = getInputFieldByLabel("Username");
WebElement usernameElement = driver.findElement(usernameField);
usernameElement.sendKeys("test user name");

4. Dynamic Table Cell Locator

In some cases, we may need to interact with cells in a table, where the row or column numbers are

dynamic.

public By getTableCellLocator(int row, int column) {
	return By.xpath("//table//tr[" + row + "]//td[" + column + "]");
}

Usage Example:

To access a cell in the 5th row and 7th column:

By cellLocator = getTableCellLocator(5, 7);
WebElement cellElement = driver.findElement(cellLocator);
System.out.println(cellElement.getText());

These parameterized locators help make our tests flexible, scalable, and maintainable for dynamic

websites like QABrains.