How to Get Text from a WebElement in Selenium (using JavaScript Executor)

In some cases, you might need to use JavaScript Executor to retrieve text from a WebElement when using Selenium WebDriver in Java. This approach can be helpful when dealing with complex web pages or when the standard methods of obtaining text from a WebElement are not effective. In this article, we will demonstrate how to use JavaScript Executor to get the text from a WebElement on a web page.

Using JavaScript Executor to Get Text from a WebElement

To use JavaScript Executor for this purpose, you need to utilize the 'executeScript' method provided by the WebDriver. This method allows you to execute JavaScript code within the context of the currently selected frame or window. Here is a code snippet that demonstrates how to get the text from a WebElement using JavaScript Executor:

JavascriptExecutor js = (JavascriptExecutor) driver;
WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.xpath("element_xpath"));
String elementText = (String) js.executeScript("return arguments[0].innerText;", element);

In the code snippet above, we first cast the WebDriver instance to a JavascriptExecutor. Next, we find the target WebElement using the 'findElement' method and the desired locator. Finally, we use the 'executeScript' method to return the innerText property of the WebElement, which gives us the text content of the element.

Here is an example test that uses the above code snippet.

See Working Example

This approach of using JavaScript Executor can be useful when dealing with complex web pages or when the standard methods of obtaining text from a WebElement are not effective. However, it's important to note that using JavaScript Executor should be considered a last resort, as it can introduce potential security risks and may not be as reliable as the standard Selenium WebDriver methods.