[Bug 29247] New: [WebDriver Spec]: Add support for interacting with text nodes

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=29247

            Bug ID: 29247
           Summary: [WebDriver Spec]: Add support for interacting with
                    text nodes
           Product: Browser Test/Tools WG
           Version: unspecified
          Hardware: All
                OS: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: P2
         Component: WebDriver
          Assignee: public-browser-tools-testing@w3.org
          Reporter: mfulton26@gmail.com
        QA Contact: public-browser-tools-testing@w3.org
                CC: mike@w3.org
            Blocks: 20860
  Target Milestone: ---

In addition to `WebElement` can a `WebText` be added? A `WebText` would be to
[text](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Text) nodes what
`WebElement` is to
[element](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Element) nodes.

Sometimes it is enough to use the element containing text but this can be
problematic when an element containing text also contains elements. e.g.
Without using `JavascriptExecutor` it is not possible, at least to my
knowledge, to click the text `"First name: "` in `<label>First name: <input
type="text" name="fname"></label>` (which, in this example, should cause the
input element to get focus).

A `WebText` interface might be as follows:
```java
public interface WebText extends TakesScreenshot {
  void click();
  void sendKeys(CharSequence... keysToSend);
  void clear();
  boolean isSelected();
  String getText();
  boolean isDisplayed();
  Point getLocation();
  Dimension getSize();
  String getCssValue(String propertyName);
}
```

Other potential `WebText` methods might include `select()` (to highlight/select
the text) and `select(String)` (to highlight/select a substring of the text).

Additional methods to `SearchContext` such as `findTexts(By)` and
`findText(By)` would also make sense.

I believe that `WebElement`'s `submit()`, `getTagName()`,
`getAttribute(String)`, `isEnabled()`, `findElements(By)`, and
`findElement(By)` methods would not make sense to include. A new `WebNode`
interface might even be worthwhile for both `WebElement` and `WebText` to
extend to declare the common methods between them.

Notes:
1. The `sendKeys(CharSequence...)` and `clear()` methods on a `WebText` would
be especially useful when dealing with text nodes in [Content
Editable](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Guide/HTML/Content_Editable)
elements. e.g. Double-click or otherwise select the text to highlight it and
then send keys to overwrite it, etc.
2. `WebText.isSelected()` would return true if the user has
highlighted/selected the text; otherwise false.
3. In addition to being able to "find" elements and text on the page and
interact with them, the capability to send a text node over the JSON wire
protocol in addition to element nodes would allow automation scripts using
`JavascriptExecutor` to "list" or "query" for relevant text and element nodes
on the page. e.g. Such a script might list all displayed nodes. On a simple
login page it would return a list such as `[WebText[Email: ], WebElement[<input
type="email">], WebText[Password: ], WebElement[<input type="password">],
WebElement[<input type="submit" value="Login">]]`. This would allow the
automation script to list text nodes, input elements, select elements, button
elements, etc. and then interact with them inferring what they are based on
their tagName, attributes, and relative positioning in the list (e.g. the
password input should be the element immediately following the text "Password:
"). This would seem to get closer to automating how a user interacts with a
page instead of searching within a page's DOM for elements by id, name, xpath,
css selector, etc.


Referenced Bugs:

https://www.w3.org/Bugs/Public/show_bug.cgi?id=20860
[Bug 20860] WebDriver Level 1
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Received on Tuesday, 27 October 2015 17:05:49 UTC