Electron allows for the development of desktop GUI applications using front and back end components originally developed for web applications: Node.js run-time for the back-end and Chromium for the front-end.
Electron uses HTML, JavaScript and CSS to build desktop applications. The vision of same codebase for web, mobile and desktop applications has never been closer.
There is a small difference in the driver creation section when we compare with normal driver instantiation. Once the driver creation done; rest of the automation script executions are same as Selenium. Here I would like to explain the driver creation logic below,
//Driver creation for Electron Applications using WebDriverManager (in JAVA):
WebDriver driver;
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setBinary("pathToElectronApplication");
WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup(); //you have to add WebDriverManager dependency or library.
driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
//Selenium version(>3.7.x) method to create driver session for Electron Applications (in JAVA):
WebDriver driver;
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "pathTochromedriver");
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setBinary("pathToElectronApplication");
ChromeDriverService chromeservices = new ChromeDriverService.Builder().build();
driver = new ChromeDriver(chromeservices, options);
//Old selenium version method to create diver session for Electron Applications (in JAVA):
WebDriver driver;
System.setProperty("webdriver.chrome.driver", "pathTochromedriver");
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setBinary("pathToElectronApplication");
DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
capabilities.setCapability("chromeOptions", options );
capabilities.setBrowserName("chrome");
driver = new ChromeDriver(capabilities);
//Driver creation for Electron Applications using WebDriverManager (in C#):
IWebDriver driver;
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions
{
BinaryLocation = @"pathToElectronApplication"
};
options.AddArgument("no-sandbox");
options.AddArgument("enable-automation");
new WebDriverManager.DriverManager().SetUpDriver(new ChromeConfig());
driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
NOTE:
- You have to install WebDriverManager package.
- Sometimes you may get System.UnauthorizedAccessException with chromedriver path denied. You need to run the Visual Studio as admin mode or make sure that \Chrome\<chromedriver-version>\X64 path available within IDE folder of Visual Studio.
- Make sure that the chrome driver version should match with the chrome version that used in the electron application.
Shortcut to open inspect mode in Electron Applications,
Windows: Ctrl+Shift+i
MAC: Command+Alt+i
make it perfect !
journey of quality 
Hi,
What does path to application mean,
Is it path of exe file?
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Yes this is a path to your Electron framework rendered application.
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hi Sanoj,
Thanks a lot for this ariticle.
while running my application i am getting the following error:
FAILED CONFIGURATION: @BeforeMethod setup
org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: unknown error: no chrome binary at D:\Shared\roadMap
(Driver info: chromedriver=2.45.615291 (ec3682e3c9061c10f26ea9e5cdcf3c53f3f74387),platform=Windows NT 10.0.16299 x86_64) (WARNING: The server did not provide any stacktrace information)
Command duration or timeout: 50 milliseconds
Build info: version: ‘3.14.0’, revision: ‘aacccce0’, time: ‘2018-08-02T20:19:58.91Z’
System info: host: ‘MUM-DSK-526’, ip: ‘10.102.193.204’, os.name: ‘Windows 10’, os.arch: ‘amd64’, os.version: ‘10.0’, java.version: ‘1.8.0_191′
Driver info: driver.version: ChromeDriver
My code:
WebDriver driver;
@BeforeMethod
public void setup() {
System.setProperty(“webdriver.chrome.driver”, “D:\\softwares\\selenium\\chromedriver.exe”);
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setBinary(“D:\\Shared\\roadMap”);
ChromeDriverService chromeservices = new ChromeDriverService.Builder().build(); driver = new ChromeDriver(chromeservices, options);
}
@Test
public void test() throws InterruptedException {
driver.findElement(By.xpath(“//p[contains(text(),’Call lists’)]”)).click();
}
}
Can you please help in figuring it out.
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Hi sanoj,
It started working. I was not adding ‘.exe ‘ at the end
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I am running into a different issue now for my electron desktop application.
my code:
WebDriver driver;
@BeforeMethod
public void setup() {
System.setProperty(“webdriver.chrome.driver”,
“D:\\softwares\\selenium\\chromedriver-v4.0.0-win32-x64\\chromedriver.exe”);
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setBinary(“D:\\Shared\\ProjectSandBox.exe”);
DesiredCapabilities capabilities = new DesiredCapabilities();
capabilities.setCapability(“chromeOptions”, options);
capabilities.setBrowserName(“chrome”);
options.addArguments(“start-maximized”); // open Browser in maximized mode
options.addArguments(“disable-infobars”); // disabling infobars
options.addArguments(“–disable-extensions”); // disabling extensions
options.addArguments(“–disable-gpu”); // applicable to windows os only
options.addArguments(“–disable-dev-shm-usage”); // overcome limited resource problems
options.addArguments(“–no-sandbox”); // Bypass OS security model
options.addArguments(“–headless”);
driver = new ChromeDriver(capabilities);
}
}
Issue:
FAILED CONFIGURATION: @BeforeMethod setup
org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: unknown error: Chrome failed to start: exited normally
(unknown error: DevToolsActivePort file doesn’t exist)
(The process started from chrome location D:\Shared\ProjectSandBox.exe is no longer running, so ChromeDriver is assuming that Chrome has crashed.)
(Driver info: chromedriver=69.0.3497.106 (857b284701ddf7bef0f14fa76416cf7ca786b411),platform=Windows NT 10.0.16299 x86_64) (WARNING: The server did not provide any stacktrace information)
Chrome version : Version 71.0.3578.98 (Official Build) (64-bit)
selenium 3.14.0
testNg 6.11
ChromeDriver chromedriver-v4.0.0-win32-x64
Windows 10
Any help would be appreciated.
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Hi Karthik,
I am trying to automate testing of an electron application (from third party vendor) using Selenium and C# and am getting the error:
OpenQA.Selenium.WebDriverException : Cannot start the driver service on http://localhost:.
Below is the piece of code.
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
ChromeDriverService chromeService = ChromeDriverService.CreateDefaultService(@”C:\Selenium\chromedriver_win32_1″,
@””);
options.AddArgument(“–no-sandbox”);
options.AddArgument(“–disable-dev-shm-usage”);
driver = new ChromeDriver(chromeService, options, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(180));
Can you please help me with this error. Thanks !!!
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Updated with Selenium C# latest code snippet.
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Hi Sanoj, Thanks for enlightening us with the knowledge to automate Electron Application through selenium.
I’m facing a problem here. I need to switch between Electron App and WebApplication . I use two drivers.
1. to initiate Web and
2. initiate Electron.
I’m unable to get things into view/focus. Windows application gets overlapped by Electron App in the screen. I want to work on both the things one after another. Please help.
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What is the actual case? Do you have any connection or data exchange between electron app and web app? If it is parallel execution, you can handle it via testng.xml. If you need switch from electron app in between steps of test cases of between test cases:
1. Load a electron app and get the session Id of electron app.
2. Launch another browser and get the session ID that browser,
3. Do whatever action needed in web browser.
4. Compare the session Id’s of electron app, setDriver to electron driver and perform action in electron app,
5. Compare the session Id’s of web app, setDriver to web app driver and validate your actions.
You need to write a method to launch web driver (chrome or gecko driver), in your test case you can call that method to launch the web driver. Use SessionId sessionid = ((RemoteWebDriver) driver).getSessionId(); to get the session id.
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Hi,
For electron desktop application automation is there any way to automate Tool bar options like File, Edit, View, Window and Help using selenium webdriver with python?
I’m not able to inspect tool bar options using ctrl + shift + i.
Let me know if there is any possible way.
Also i’m not able to Maximize the application using both chrome options and using driver.maximize_window().
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In the case of Electron application, the toolbar is a builtin space in the Electron framework and you can’t inspect in a normal fashion. But there is an alternative you can use sikulixapi to perform click on toolbar but you have to pass image of the menu’s. Below is the dependency:
com.sikulix
sikulixapi
1.1.0
Create object of Screen class and then you can do the click action like
Screen screen = new Screen();
screen.click(“path_to_your_toolbar_menu_image”);
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Hello Sanoj,
I am using selenium webdriver c# to automation Electron App, I am able to launch the app but when i am trying to perform any action on the window, i am getting the below exception, could you please help me.
no such window: window was already closed (Session info: chrome=80.0.3987.163) (Driver info: chromedriver=2.38.551601 (edb21f07fc70e9027c746edd3201443e011a61ed),platform=Windows NT 10.0.18363 x86_64)
Thanks in advance,
Narayan
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Could you please update your chromedriver executable version and try again?
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could you please let me know the compatible version. or on what factors it will depend….
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Better you can use ChromeDriver 81.0.4044.20. It seems session info showing chrome 80.0.3987.163.
chromedriver=2.38.xxxx will support chrome browser version 66.xx
Download the ChromeDriver 81.0.4044.20 from below link,
https://chromedriver.storage.googleapis.com/index.html?path=81.0.4044.20/
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Thank you for your suggestion Swaminathan. but it did not work.. now i am getting a different exception session not created: This version of ChromeDriver only supports Chrome version 81.
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I believe your chrome browser version is 80.0.3987.163. You need to think only a factor about the chrome version of your electron app rendered and the same version driver executable should set in the system set property. The below link will direct you to get 80.xx chromedriver version.
https://chromedriver.storage.googleapis.com/index.html?path=80
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not able to find elements using the below solution
WebDriver driver;
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.setBinary(“pathToElectronApplication”);
WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup(); //you have to add WebDriverManager dependency or library.
driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
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What’s the error you are getting?
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Hi, I’m having an issue with testing the app which is on electron. I’m using Selenium for that. I used yours configuration settings and it works tottaly fine (thank you!), but it is not possible to localize any elements (I’m using developer console for elements search). I tried localize them by using xpath/css/id but I receive a NoSuchElementException all the time. Also I waited for elements as well. Thanks.
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Make sure that any frame is in your DOM.
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Hi, is there any possibility to bypass the Microsoft account login for electron based application like we do in web application with below code.
driver.get(“http://USERNMAE:PASSWORD@YOUR_URL”);
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If the Microsoft’s username and password fields comes up, you can inspect and enter the details right? or is there any SSO?
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Hello Sanoj,
I have followed the steps mentioned in this article. But when I tried to execute, I am getting below error
org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: unknown error: Chrome failed to start: exited normally.
(unknown error: DevToolsActivePort file doesn’t exist)
Could you please guide me to resolve it? Thanks in advance.
Other Details:
I am using Selenium 3.14 version – JAVA 8.
Chromium version used by my electron application – 91
chrome driver version – 91
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you can add ChromeOption argument: –remote-debugging-port=
like chromeOptions.add_argument(“–remote-debugging-port=9222”)
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Thanks Sanoj for the reply. I tried adding the remote-debugging-port. But no luck. My Electron application launches and it closes with in 2 seconds and displays the same error message
i.e.
org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: unknown error: Chrome failed to start: exited normally.
(unknown error: DevToolsActivePort file doesn’t exist)
(The process started from chrome location C:/Users/Rathish/AppData/Local/Electron.exe is no longer running, so ChromeDriver is assuming that Chrome has crashed.)
Could you please guide me to resolve it? Thanks in advance.
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Hi Sanoj,
Could you please guide me to resolve the issue. I am completely blocked and couldn’t proceed further.
All,
If you have faced this error in your project, could you please guide me how did you resolve it?
Thanks in advance
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