What is By.tagName() in Selenium?

By.tagName() is a Selenium locator that finds elements using their HTML tag such as input, button, a, div, tr, and others.

When should I use By.tagName()?

Use By.tagName() when you want to find all elements of a type, count tag-based elements, or locate children inside a specific parent container.

What is the difference between findElement and findElements with tagName?

findElement returns the first matching element of that tag, while findElements returns a list of all matching elements. Use findElements when expecting multiple results.

Why is my tagName locator not working?

The tag might not exist in the DOM, you may be searching in the wrong context, or the element might not be loaded yet. Use WebDriverWait or scope the search within a parent element.

Can I use tagName inside another element?

Yes. You can use parentElement.findElements(By.tagName()) to restrict the search inside a specific container such as a form, div, or table.

How to Locate Elements Using By.tagName() in Selenium WebDriver

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The By.tagName() locator in Selenium is used to identify web elements by their HTML tag name. This is especially useful when you want to select elements like <input>, <button>, <a>, or <div> when no other unique attributes are available.

🔎 What is a Tag Name?

A tag name refers to the name of the HTML element, such as input, button, a, div, etc.

<input type="text" name="username" />
<button type="submit">Login</button>
<a href="/home">Home</a>

✅ When to Use By.tagName()?

✅ When you want to count elements of a certain type
✅ When you’re working inside a parent element and need children by tag
✅ When testing elements like all links, buttons, or list items

📌 Syntax in Java

driver.findElement(By.tagName("tagname"));

To fetch multiple elements of the same tag:

driver.findElements(By.tagName("tagname"));

💻 Example: Fetch All Links on a Page

import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import java.util.List;

public class LinksExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "path/to/chromedriver");
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();

        driver.get("https://example.com");

        // Get all anchor (link) elements
        List<WebElement> allLinks = driver.findElements(By.tagName("a"));

        System.out.println("Total links found: " + allLinks.size());

        for (WebElement link : allLinks) {
            System.out.println(link.getText() + " - " + link.getAttribute("href"));
        }

        driver.quit();
    }
}

🧪 Example: Access Table Rows

If you want to get all rows from a table:

WebElement table = driver.findElement(By.id("userTable"));
List<WebElement> rows = table.findElements(By.tagName("tr"));

for (WebElement row : rows) {
    System.out.println(row.getText());
}

✅ Best Practices

🔸 Use By.tagName() when other locators like ID, name, or class are unavailable.
🔸 Combine with parent elements to narrow down results.
🔸 Avoid relying solely on tag names when elements are not unique.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

Mistake	How to Avoid
Using `findElement()` when multiple elements exist	Use `findElements()` to avoid missing results
Accessing tag without scoping inside a container	Use parent element’s `findElements()` to restrict search area
Assuming tags are unique	Verify with browser inspection or DevTools

📚 Summary

By.tagName() allows locating elements using standard HTML tags.

Best for selecting all elements of a type like <a>, <input>, <tr>, etc.

Use findElements() when expecting multiple results.

🚀 Keep Learning

Explore other locators in Selenium:

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