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XPath & Locator Functions

The tricky bits of locator writing: whitespace and text nodes, pseudo-elements, comments in the DOM, multi-language text, XPath axes and not() — plus a quiz and a live XPath/CSS tester.

1. Text, dot and normalize-space()

Each element below has awkward text. Compare text(), . (string value) and normalize-space().

Welcome back, Amir!

↑ text() only returns “Welcome ”, “, ” and “!”. Use //p[.='Welcome back, Amir!'] or //p[normalize-space()='Welcome back, Amir!'].

Total Amount: ₹1,299

↑ Contains non-breaking spaces ( ) — contains(., 'Total Amount') fails; try translate() or match on “Amount”.

← text is “Save ” (trailing space): //button[text()='Save'] fails.

2. Pseudo-elements (::before / ::after)

Text drawn by CSS isn't in the DOM — XPath and getText() can't see it. Read it with getComputedStyle(el, '::before').content.

Price: 999

Full name

3. Comment in the DOM

Inspect the element below — the secret code is in an HTML comment right after it. Locate it with XPath comment() and type it in.

🔍 The code is hidden next to me

XPath: //span[@data-testid='comment-target']/following-sibling::comment() — then read its text in JavaScript.

4. Multi-language text

Locate by non-English text — watch encoding in your source files and right-to-left scripts.

5. Axes and not()

No test ids on the buttons — add the cheapest in-stock product using XPath axes (ancestor, following-sibling, preceding) and not().

Wireless Mouse

₹799

In stock

Mechanical Keyboard

₹3,499

Out of stock

USB-C Hub

₹1,299

In stock

Webcam HD

₹2,199

Out of stock

Laptop Stand

₹999

In stock

Example: //h4[.='USB-C Hub']/following-sibling::button · //div[@class='product-card'][not(.//span[contains(@class,'out')])]

6. Which XPaths are invalid — and why?

Pick an answer for each expression, then check your score.

  1. //input[@data-testid='comment-code']
  2. //label[normalize-space()='Delivery Address']/following::input[1]
  3. //button[normalise-space()='Checkout']
  4. //div[@class='product-card']h4
  5. //ol[@data-testid='xpath-quiz']/li/
  6. //h4[ends-with(.,'Hub')]
  7. //svg[@data-icon='star']
  8. //div[@class='product-card'][.//span[contains(@class,'in')]][not(.//button[@disabled])]
  9. (//div[@class='product-card']//button)[last()]
  10. //span[@class='price' and]
  11. //p[@data-testid='split-text']/text()[2]

Score: 0 / 11

7. Live XPath / CSS tester

Try any locator against this page — matches are counted and outlined.