Getting Started with Selenium IDE

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May 14, 2026 · 6 min read · Tool Comparison
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Getting Started with Selenium IDE

What is Selenium IDE?

Selenium IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is mainly a record/run creature that a test case developer utilise to develop Selenium Test cases. Selenium IDE is an easy-to-use instrument from theSelenium Test Suiteand can even be utilize by someone new to developing machine-driven test event for their web applications. One does not require any special setup to get get with Selenium IDE. You but need to add the extension of your specific browser. Selenium IDE provides you with a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for easily recording your interactions with the website.

Selenium IDE allows a user or a test causa developer to create the test cases and test suites and edit it later as per their requirements. The development environment likewise provides the capability of converting test example to different programming languages, which create it easier for the user and does not mandate the motive for cognize a specific programming language.

Note:The most interesting part is that earlier Selenium IDE was available only for Firefox users. But now, with the late version climb (3.17.0) on 17th March 2020, the Selenium community introduced a Selenium IDE Chrome Add-on, where-in the like integrated development environment in Firefox, is too do available for Chrome exploiter as well.

After entering the fundament URL for the project, the recording begins, and all the interactions with the site are show and categorise into three independent categories as shown in the above Screenshot:

  • Command
  • Target
  • Value

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Features of Selenium IDE

There are several features furnish in the IDE under the toolbar, habituate which one can check the execution of examination lawsuit:

  1. Speed Control& # 8211; Helps control the speed of test cases
  2. Run All– Allows execution of the integral Test Suite
  3. Run– Runs the currently selected examination
  4. Pause/Resume– Allows a exploiter to pause and resume a special trial case
  5. Step& # 8211; Helps step into each specific dictation in the examination handwriting
  6. Rollup– Helps group all the Selenese Commands together and get them execute as a single operation

The feature keep on acquire eliminated or added calculate on the use of different versions of Selenium IDE extensions.

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Benefits of Using Selenium IDE

  • Provides you the capability of automatically recording your test cases found upon the interactions with the browser
  • Gives developers outstanding tractability in action the test cases. Either the test developer can run the entire test suite consisting of multiple test cases or execute a single test case
  • Operates on the basis of the rich set of Selenese bidding, which assist the IDE understand what postulate to be done
  • Allows the test developers to set breakpoints for the purpose of debugging particular exam cases
  • Test cases can be re-used apply the run bidding. (e.g. grant you to re-use the logic of login or reload on multiple places in the entire suite)
  • Use of multiple-locators for each constituent in the IDE ensures successful execution

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Next, let ’ s understand how dictation are written in Selenium using Selenese.

What is Selenese?

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Selenese is the language used to write. These Selenese commands are then used to test web-applications. Based on the HTML shred of the UI elements, one can check their macrocosm. Commands help Selenium understand what actions or operations to do.

Classification of Selenium Commands

Selenium commands are mainly categorize into three types:

  • Actions– Help manipulate or change the state of applications (e.g. clink on some connection or choose an option from a page).
  • Accessors– Enable confirmation and storage of the application province (e.g. consider command & # 8220;storeTextPresent& # 8221; & # 8211; if the text is found on the page, then it store True else stores false).
  • Assertions– Help compare expected and actual result. They act like checkpoints and if both the values are adequate, only so the test case passes or else it fails. Thus, help control whether the state of the coating after executing the test event conforms to the desired province (e.g.VerifyText, waitForPageToLoad). Assertions have three modes:
    • Assert
    • Verify
    • WaitFor

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Limitations of Selenium IDE

  • Not suitable for testing extensive data
  • Connections with the database can not be try
  • Can not handle the dynamic constituent of web-based coating
  • Does not support capturing of screenshots on test failures
  • No feature available for generating result reports

Learn About in Detail

How to Install Selenium IDE

Selenium IDE does not require any additional setup except append the browser extension.

Selenium IDE browser extension on Firefox:

  1. Open Firefox browser and navigate to https: //addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/selenium-ide/.
  2. Click on the “ Add to Firefox ” button which will open a pop up. Then detent on the “ Add ” button.  
  3. Once the installation is consummate, a pop up would be displayed saying Selenium IDE was added. Click on the “ Okay ” button.
  4. Selenium IDE plugin should be seeable now on top of the browser. Click on it to open Selenium IDE.

How to use Selenium IDE

Once we have the Selenium IDE setup on our respective browser, i.e Chrome or Firefox, it is time to see how to read and playback scripts in the IDE. We would be using the BStackDemo application to test the checkout process.

  1. We would Recordthe checkout process on the BStack Demo application.
  2. Save the examination suite.
  3. Play backthe script
  4. Export test hand.

Record process in Selenium IDE

  1. Open Chrome/ Firefox browser and click on the Selenium plugin present at the top rightfield corner of the browser to open Selenium IDE.
  2. Click on Create a new Project.
  3. Add the project name and click on the “ OK ” button.
  4. Rename Untitled tryout case to any appropriate trial case gens.
  5. Click on the Record button at the top right corner of IDE to start recording the stairs.
    It opens the below pop up as the project is created for the first time.
  6. Enter base URL ashttps: //bstackdemo.com/and click on the “ Start Recording ” button. And this opens the URL on the browser.
  7. On BStackDemo page, perform the following steps for recording:
    a. Filter Order by to “ Lowest to eminent ”.
    b. Click on Samsung model.
    c. Click “ Add to cart ” for the initiatory particular.
    d. Click on the “ Checkout ” button.
  8. Go to IDE and click on the Record button to stop the recording.
  9. All the step are enamour and executed after the transcription is stopped. Save the project on the scheme by clicking on the Save push at the top right nook of the IDE. (It is saved in .side format)

Playback process in Selenium IDE

  1. Click on the “ Run current trial “ button on Selenium IDE to execute the recorded script.
  2. It executes the like steps read antecedently and gives a issue as Pass if all the steps are performed right. In case it is unable to interact with any factor during playback, the execution betray.
  3. Logs are bewitch for each measure along with the time conduct to fulfil each step.

Export the TestCase use Selenium IDE

Testcase can be exported in different programming lyric from Selenium IDE by follow below stairs:

  1. Click on the “ Export ” button for the test case recorded.
  2. This open a popup to Select words. Choose any preferred language. (for eg: Java JUnit) and click on the “ Export ” push.
  3. Save the file in the local system and afterwards open the file habituate Notepad or any supported editor to verify the test script.

Summary

Selenium IDE is one of the almost approachable record and play instrument in the Selenium Tool Suite, which involve no particular setup. Selenium IDE has add-ons for Firefox and Chrome browsers. Selenium IDE comes with a rich set of commands that are powered by Selenese, and it let you to record and examine different interactions of a web application with the browser. There are also limitations that should be kept in mind before choosing the Selenium IDE.

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