WebElement.clear() fires javascript change event - Alternatives?

Question

I use selenium IDE to initially record the tests and save them as Java WebDriver tests.

When I go into an input field, delete all the text and enter a new value, it records that as 2 commands:

driver.findElement(By.id("username")).clear();
driver.findElement(By.id("username")).sendKeys("johnnyleitrim");

One problem with this for me is that the clear() event fires a Javascript change event for the "username" field. This does not happen when I use the browser itself - it waits until the field loses focus before firing the change javascript event, and that's what I want to emulate in Selenium.

The reason I need this is that I do validation on the change() event, and when change is called with an empty value, it displays an alert telling the user the information is invalid - and this alert stops Selenium

So how do I clear the field without using WebElement.clear()?

Answer 1

You can avoid using the clear() method and use the Actions class to clear and set text in one go, therefore firing the onchange() event only once the text is set.

Call the below method like:

ClearAndSetText(By.id("username"),"johnnyleitrim");

The method clicks the element, selects the existing text using shift+home keys,clears using backspace, and then types in the new text - just like how a user would do.

public void ClearAndSetText(By by, string text)
{
    WebElement element = driver.findElement(by);
    Actions navigator = new Actions(driver);
    navigator.click(element)
        .sendKeys(Keys.END)
        .keyDown(Keys.SHIFT)
        .sendKeys(Keys.HOME)
        .keyUp(Keys.SHIFT)
        .sendKeys(Keys.BACK_SPACE)
        .sendKeys(text)
        .perform();
}