Setting Up Your Selenium Automation Environment on linux with Java and Eclipse
Harnessing Selenium's power for web automation on your Linux machine empowers you to streamline repetitive tasks. Here's a comprehensive guide to installing Java, Eclipse, and configuring them for Selenium WebDriver on your favorite Linux distribution:
Prerequisites
Linux Distribution: Ensure you have a compatible Linux distribution with a terminal emulator and package manager (e.g., apt for Ubuntu/Debian, yum for Red Hat/CentOS).
Superuser Privileges: You'll likely need sudo privileges for some installation steps.
Step 1: Install Java
⮞ Pre-installed Java (Optional): Some Linux distributions might come with Java pre-installed. Open a terminal window (usually Ctrl+Alt+T) and type java -version. Press Enter. If Java is installed, you'll see the version information.
⮞ Installing Oracle Java (Optional): If you don't have Java or prefer Oracle Java, download the appropriate .tar.gz file for your system architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) from the official Oracle Java SE Downloads page:
https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/.
⮞ Extract the downloaded archive using tar -xvf jdk-version_linux_x64.tar.gz (replace version with the actual version downloaded).
⮞ Move the extracted folder to a suitable location (e.g., /usr/local/java).
Set environment variables:
⮞ Edit your shell profile (e.g., .bashrc or .zshrc) using a text editor like nano ~/.bashrc.
⮞ Add the following lines (replace /usr/local/java/jdk-version with the actual path):
⮞ export JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/java/jdk-version
⮞ export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin
⮞ Save the changes and reload your profile using source ~/.bashrc.
⮞ Installing OpenJDK (Recommended): OpenJDK, a free and open-source Java implementation, is often preferred on Linux. Use your package manager to install it:
⮞ Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt install default-jdk
⮞ Red Hat/CentOS:
sudo yum install java-11-openjdk-devel (replace version number if needed)
Step 2: Install Eclipse
⮞ Visit the official Eclipse Downloads page: https://www.eclipse.org/downloads/
⮞ Under "Eclipse IDE for Java Developers," download the appropriate archive file for your Linux distribution (.tar.gz for most).
⮞ Open a terminal window and navigate to the downloaded file's location using cd.
⮞ Extract the archive using tar -xvf eclipse-ide-java-VERSION.tar.gz (replace VERSION with the actual version downloaded).
⮞ Move the extracted folder to a desired location (e.g., /opt/eclipse).
Step 3: Verify Eclipse Installation
⮞ Navigate to the extracted Eclipse folder (e.g., /opt/eclipse).
⮞ Run Eclipse by executing the startup script using ./eclipse.
Step 4: Download Selenium WebDriver Libraries
⮞ Visit the official Selenium Downloads page: https://www.selenium.dev/documentation/webdriver/getting_started/install_library/
⮞ Navigate to the "Java Client" section and download the appropriate .jar file matching your installed Java version (usually the latest stable version).
⮞ You'll also need additional client libraries depending on the browser you want to automate (e.g., ChromeDriver for Chrome, GeckoDriver for Firefox). Download these browser-specific drivers as well.
Step 5: Configure Eclipse for Selenium
⮞ In Eclipse, go to "File" -> "Open Project" (or "New Project" if you haven't created one yet).
⮞ Create a new Java project or open an existing one where you'll write your Selenium test scripts.
⮞ Right-click on your project in the Package Explorer and select "Properties."
⮞ Go to "Java Build Path" -> "Libraries" tab.
⮞ Click "Add External JARs" and select the downloaded Selenium client library (.jar) file you saved earlier. Click "Open."
⮞ Repeat step 5 for any additional required client libraries (e.g., for browser drivers).
Step 6: Verify Selenium Configuration
⮞ Create a new Java class in your project (right-click on the project package and select "New" -> "Class").
⮞ Import the necessary Selenium libraries (e.g., org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver).
⮞ Write a simple code snippet to create a WebDriver instance for your chosen browser (e.g., using ChromeDriver).
⮞ Try running this code to see if it launches the desired browser window. This is an optional step to verify your configuration.
Basic selenium code to test selenium setup
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
public class seleniumSetupTest {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Set the path to the chromedriver executable
// webdriver.gecko.driver
// webdriver.edge.driver
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "//path//to//chromedriver.exe");
// Create a new instance of the Chrome driver
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
// Navigate to a website
driver.get("https://www.tutorialsbox.com");
// Print the title of the current page
System.out.println("Page title is: " + driver.getTitle());
// Close the browser
driver.quit();
}
}
Congratulations! You've successfully set up your macOS environment for Selenium WebDriver development. Now you can delve into writing Selenium scripts and automating web browser interactions!
Tutorialsbox