How to Read Data from Properties File in Selenium?

What is a Property File?

Before diving into the details of reading data from a properties file in Selenium, let's first understand what a properties file is. A properties file is a simple text file that contains key-value pairs of configuration data. Each line in the property file in Selenium represents a property, where the key and value are separated by an equal sign =. For example: Code

username=john
password=secretpassword
url=https://www.example.com

Explanation In the example above, username, password, and url are the keys, while john, secretpassword, and https://www.example.com are the corresponding values.

Why Properties File?

There are various benefits to storing configuration information in a properties file in Selenium. It makes the test scripts more modular and maintainable by enabling us to divide the test script logic from the test data. We can save the data in a property file in Selenium and read them dynamically at runtime rather than hard-coding them straight into the test scripts. This method makes it simple to change test data without changing the code.

Furthermore, even non-technical users can easily read and alter properties file in Selenium. Without any programming experience, stakeholders can add or modify test data in the properties file, increasing stakeholder accessibility and lowering reliance on the development team.

How to Read Data From Properties File?

Now that we understand the concept of a property file in Selenium and its benefits, let's explore the step-by-step process of reading data from a properties file in Selenium.

1. Create a Properties File

The first step is to create a properties file and populate it with the required key-value pairs. You can use any text editor to create the file and save it with a .properties extension. Make sure to give meaningful names to the keys and assign appropriate values.

2. Load the Properties File

In Selenium, we can use the java.util.Properties class to load and read data from a properties file. The Properties class provides methods to load a properties file and retrieve values based on keys. To load the properties file, create an instance of the Properties class and use the load() method to load the file.

Code

Explanation In the example above, we create an instance of the Properties class and load the properties file named config.properties using a FileInputStream. The load() method reads the file and populates the Properties object with the key-value pairs.

3. Read Values from the Properties File

Once the properties file is loaded, we can retrieve values by using the keys. The Properties class provides the getProperty() method to retrieve the value associated with a given key.

Code

Explanation In the example above, we retrieve the values of username, password, and url from the properties file using the getProperty() method.

4. Use the Retrieved Values

Now that we have retrieved the values from the properties file, we can use them in our Selenium test scripts. For example, we can use the retrieved URL to navigate to a specific page or use the username and password to log in to an application.

Code

Explanation In the example above, we create a WebDriver instance and navigate to the URL retrieved from the properties file. We locate the username and password fields on the page and populate them with the retrieved values.