What is an absolute XPath? Please elaborate.
Hey Helen
An absolute XPath, as mentioned, starts from the root node and provides an explicit path to the target element. While it can be precise in locating elements, it comes with a notable drawback: its susceptibility to changes in the structure of the document or webpage.
For instance, consider the absolute XPath example html/body/div/div[2]/div/div/div/div[1]/div/input If any modification occurs in the document’s structure, such as the addition of new elements, rearrangement of existing ones, or changes in tag names, this XPath will no longer be valid. Consequently, it can lead to frequent test script maintenance and may result in brittle automation scripts that break easily.
To mitigate this issue, a more robust approach is to use relative XPaths, which are expressed in relation to other elements or attributes in the document. Relative XPaths are generally less likely to break when UI changes occur, as they adapt to the context of the elements they reference. This makes them a preferred choice for creating resilient and maintainable automation scripts when working with Selenium WebDriver.