Alerts and Popups are two different UI components that can be used on a webpage or even mobile app. Below we'll go over the similarities and differences between these two components.
| Alert | Popup |
|---|---|
| An alert is a simple dialog box that displays a message and waits for the user to press "OK". | A popup typically refers to a new browser window or a modal dialog that can contain various elements like forms, buttons and other interactive content. |
It is usually triggered by JavaScript using methods like alert(), confirm(), or prompt(). |
It is triggered by user actions, JavaScript, or even by external links that open in a new window or browser tab. |
| Limited interactivity: The user can only acknowledge the message and close the alert by pressing "OK". | High interactivity: The user can interact with multiple elements within the popup (e.g., fill out a form, close the window, etc.). |
| Alerts are part of the browser's native UI and cannot be styled or customized. | Popups can be styled and customized using HTML, CSS and Javascript. |
| Focus is completely captured by the alert; users cannot interact with the rest of the page until the alert is dismissed. | Popups may or may not capture focus depending on their implementation; users can often interact with the main page unless a modal popup specifically blocks it. |
| Alerts are managed by the browser and are consistent across different platforms. | Popups are rendered within the webpage context and can vary significantly depending on the implementation. |
Testing Alerts and Popups with Selenium
Testing Alerts
To test alerts with Selenium, you can use the Alert interface provided by Selenium. Here’s how you can handle them:
// Switch to the alert
Alert alert = driver.switchTo().alert();
// Accept the alert (click OK)
alert.accept();
// Dismiss the alert (if it is a confirm dialog, clicking Cancel)
alert.dismiss();
// Get the text of the alert
String alertText = alert.getText();
// Send text to a prompt dialog
alert.sendKeys("Some text");Testing Popups
Testing popups can be more complex because they can either be new windows or modal dialogs within the same current browser window.
For Popups as New Windows or Tabs:// Store the current window handle
String mainWindowHandle = driver.getWindowHandle();
// Perform actions that trigger the popup
// ...
// Switch to the new window or tab
for (String windowHandle : driver.getWindowHandles()) {
if (!mainWindowHandle.equals(windowHandle)) {
driver.switchTo().window(windowHandle);
break;
}
}
// Perform actions in the popup window
// ...
// Close the popup and switch back to the main window
driver.close();
driver.switchTo().window(mainWindowHandle);For Popups as Modal Dialogs within the Same Window:
// Assuming the popup is a modal dialog, interact with it
WebElement modal = driver.findElement(By.id("modal-dialog-id"));
// Perform actions within the modal
modal.findElement(By.id("some-element")).click();
// Close the modal if necessary
driver.findElement(By.id("close-button")).click();
