How to run Selenium tests on IE using IE Driver?

Chrome dominates orbicular browser usage, but Internet Explorer (IE) remains in use, peculiarly within enterprises and bequest systems. Historical data shows IE once held about 7 % of desktop usage, largely due to acquaintance and compatibility with older applications.

Despite its decline, IE ’ s presence in certain environments makes it all-important for QA teams to test and see covering compatibility where it & # 8217; s still required.

This article explains how QA professionals can automate testing for web applications on the Internet Explorer browser expend the Selenium IE Driver.

What is Selenium IE Driver?

The Selenium IE Driver (also known as Selenium Internet Explorer Driver) is a stand-alone server that implements the WebDriver protocol. This server acts as a link between Selenium playscript and Internet Explorer.

Transformation from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge

Microsoft formally began phasing out Internet Explorer in favor of, its modern, Chromium-based browser, to provide better speeding, protection, and web compatibility.

Support for IE 11 ended for most Windows versions in June 2022, with Microsoft encouraging users to switch to Edge.

To ease the passage for initiative relying on legacy web apps,Edge includes an & # 8220; IE Mode & # 8221;, which allows users to run sr. sites that require Internet Explorer within the Edge browser itself. This approach control continued compatibility while gradually moving users toward a more modern and secure browse environment.

IE Driver System Requirements and Compatibility

Before using theSelenium IE Driver, it & # 8217; s important to guarantee your scheme meets the required configurations, as Internet Explorer automation has several unique limitations and requirement:

Pro tip: Tools like SUSA can handle this autonomously — upload your app and get results without writing a single test script.

System Requirements:

• Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or 11 (only on systems where IE is still supported).
• Browser Version: Internet Explorer 11 (required; earlier versions are no longer indorse).
• Java: JDK 8 or above (for Java-based Selenium projects).
• Selenium Version: Use a compatible version that still supports the IE Driver (e.g., Selenium 3.x or early Selenium 4.x versions).
• IE Driver Server: Must match thearchitecture (32-bit or 64-bit)of the Internet Explorer browser installed.

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Steps to Configure the IE Driver

1. Download the zip file of the InternetExplorerDriver from theofficial site. Make sure the downloaded version is compatible with the act surround.
2. Unzip the file and transcript it to a specific location.
3. Download and install the IDE of your choice. Also, significance all the dependencies.
4. Define the IE Driver along with its route expend the method and instantiate the IE Driver course.
   Refer to the sampling codification snippet below:

// Defining System Property for the IEDriver System.setProperty (`` webdriver.ie.driver '', `` D: IE Driver ServerIEDriverServer.exe ''); // Instantiate a IEDriver course. WebDriver driver=new InternetExplorerDriver ();

How to launch the IE Driver in Selenium?

At this point, you have completed configure your IE Driver. Now let ’ s take a simple scenario that will excuse how to launch the IE browser in Selenium and navigate to a specific website. In this scenario, we will automatize three simple steps:

1. Open the Internet Explorer browser
2. Navigate to the Google site (www.google.com)
3. Enter BrowserStack in the search box.

Now let ’ s codification the above scenario.

import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit; import org.openqa.selenium.By; import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerDriver; public class IEexample {public static void main (String [] args) {//Setting system property of InternetExplorerDriver System.setProperty (`` webdriver.ie.driver '', `` D: IE Driver ServerIEDriverServer.exe ''); //Creating an object of InternetExplorerDriver WebDriver driver=new InternetExplorerDriver (); driver.manage () .window () .maximize (); //Deleting all the cookies driver.manage () .deleteAllCookies (); //Specifiying pageLoadTimeout and Implicit expect driver.manage () .timeouts () .pageLoadTimeout (40, TimeUnit.SECONDS); driver.manage () .timeouts () .implicitlyWait (30, TimeUnit.SECONDS); //launching the specified URL driver.get (`` https: //www.google.com/ ''); //Locating the constituent utilise name locator for the text box driver.findElement (By.name (`` q '')) .sendKeys (`` BrowserStack ''); //name locater for google search push WebElement searchIcon = driver.findElement (By.name (`` btnK '')); searchIcon.click ();}}

When the above script is executed, the InternetExplorerDriver launches the IE browser, navigate to the Google website, and enters “ BrowserStack ” as the search query in the search box.

Although themarket partof Internet Explorer might do it seem like one can avoid testing web-apps on IE, that ’ s not the case. As a line owner, one must leave no rock unturned to provide to possible customers. Optimizing web-applications for IE ensures that business are going the extra mile to supply a truly inclusive experience. This help organizations launch their credibility and addition gross flow.

offers robust support for testing site on Internet Explorer through both and platforms.

With BrowserStack Live, QA teams can manually screen websites on real Windows machines lead various variation of IE, enabling real-time interaction, inspection, and debugging without the need for local apparatus.

For , BrowserStack Automateallows user to run Selenium test cortege on real IE browsers hosted in the cloud. This obviate the complexity of configuring the IE Driver locally and supports parallel test execution. It also provides elaborate logarithm, screenshots, and picture recordings for efficient debugging.

Conclusion

Running Selenium tests on Internet Explorer using the IE Driver is essential for ensuring compatibility with legacy scheme, especially in enterprise environments. Despite IE & # 8217; s declining usage, some organizations keep to rely on it due to internal dependencies and long-standing infrastructure.

By properly configuring the IE Driver, handling its known limitations, and following best practices, QA teams can effectively automate their examination on IE.

For a more aerodynamic experience, platforms like offer real device and browser support for Internet Explorer, removing the motive for complex local apparatus and control accurate test answer across existent user conditions.

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