How to Download & Install Selenium WebDriver
Selenium installation is a 3 step process:
- Install Java SDK
- Install Eclipe
- Install Selenium Driver Files
In this tutorial, we will install Java Webdriver . Below is the detailed process
NOTE: The versions of Java, Eclipse, Selenium will keep updating with time. But the installation steps will remain the same. Please select the latest version and continue the installation steps below-
Step 1 – Install Java on your computer
Download and install the Java Software Development Kit (JDK) here.
Next –
This JDK version comes bundled with Java Runtime Environment (JRE), so you do not need to download and install the JRE separately.
Once installation is complete, open command prompt and type “java”. If you see the following screen you are good to move to the next step
Step 2 – Install Eclipse IDE
Download latest version of “Eclipse IDE for Java Developers” here. Be sure to choose correctly between Windows 32 Bit and 64 Bit versions.
You should be able to download an exe file named “eclipse-inst-win64” for Setup.
Double-click on file to Install the Eclipse. A new window will open. Click Eclipse IDE for Java Developers.
After that, a new window will open which click button marked 1 and change path to “C:\eclipse”. Post that Click on Install button marked 2
After successful completion of the installation procedure, a window will appear. On that window click on Launch
This will start eclipse neon IDE for you.
Step 3 – Download the Selenium Java Client Driver
You can download the Selenium Java Client Driver here. You will find client drivers for other languages there, but only choose the one for Java.
This download comes as a ZIP file named “selenium-3.14.0.zip”. For simplicity, extract the contents of this ZIP file on your C drive so that you would have the directory “C:\selenium-3.14.0\”. This directory contains all the JAR files that we would later import on Eclipse.
Step 4 – Configure Eclipse IDE with WebDriver
- Launch the “eclipse.exe” file inside the “eclipse” folder that we extracted in step 2. If you followed step 2 correctly, the executable should be located on C:\eclipse\eclipse.exe.
- When asked to select for a workspace, just accept the default location.
3. Create a new project through File > New > Java Project. Name the project as “newproject”.
A new pop-up window will open enter details as follow
- Project Name
- Location to save project
- Select an execution JRE
- Select layout project option
- Click on Finish button
4. In this step,
- Right-click on the newly created project and
- Select New > Package, and name that package as “newpackage”.
A pop-up window will open to name the package,
- Enter the name of the package
- Click on Finish button
5. Create a new Java class under newpackage by right-clicking on it and then selecting- New > Class, and then name it as “MyClass”. Your Eclipse IDE should look like the image below.
When you click on Class, a pop-up window will open, enter details as
- Name of the class
- Click on Finish button
This is how it looks like after creating class.
Now selenium WebDriver’s into Java Build Path
In this step,
- Right-click on “newproject” and select Properties.
- On the Properties dialog, click on “Java Build Path”.
- Click on the Libraries tab, and then
- Click on “Add External JARs..”
When you click on “Add External JARs..” It will open a pop-up window. Select the JAR files you want to add.
After selecting jar files, click on OK button.
Select all files inside the lib folder.
Select files outside lib folder
Once done, click “Apply and Close” button
6. Add all the JAR files inside and outside the “libs” folder. Your Properties dialog should now look similar to the image below.
7. Finally, click OK and we are done importing Selenium libraries into our project.
Different Drivers
HTMLUnit and Firefox are two browsers that WebDriver can directly automate – meaning that no other separate component is needed to install or run while the test is being executed. For other browsers, a separate program is needed. That program is called as the Driver Server.
A driver server is different for each browser. For example, Internet Explorer has its own driver server which you cannot use on other browsers. Below is the list of driver servers and the corresponding browsers that use them.
You can download these drivers here
| Browser | Name of Driver Server | Remarks |
| HTMLUnit | HtmlUnitDriver | WebDriver can drive HTMLUnit using HtmlUnitDriver as driver server |
| Firefox | Mozilla GeckoDriver | WebDriver can drive Firefox without the need of a driver server Starting Firefox 45 & above one needs to use gecko driver created by Mozilla for automation |
| Internet Explorer | Internet Explorer Driver Server | Available in 32 and 64-bit versions. Use the version that corresponds to the architecture of your IE |
| Chrome | ChromeDriver | Though its name is just “ChromeDriver”, it is, in fact, a Driver Server, not just a driver. The current version can support versions higher than Chrome v.21 |
| Opera | OperaDriver | Though its name is just “OperaDriver”, it is, in fact, a Driver Server, not just a driver. |
| PhantomJS | GhostDriver | PhantomJS is another headless browser just like HTMLUnit. |
| Safari | SafariDriver | Though its name is just “SafariDriver”, it is, in fact, a Driver Server, not just a driver. |
Summary
Aside from a browser, you will need the following to start using WebDriver
- Java Development Kit (JDK). http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
- Eclipse IDE – http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/
- Java Client Driver – https://selenium.dev/downloads/
When starting a WebDriver project in Eclipse, do not forget to import the Java Client Driver files onto your project. These files will constitute your Selenium Library.
With new version of Selenium, there is no browser that you can automate without the use of a Driver Server.
Source: https://www.guru99.com/
