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# Element Interaction
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The WebElement interface provides comprehensive functionality for interacting with HTML elements, including clicking, typing, querying properties, and taking screenshots.
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## Capabilities
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### WebElement Interface
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Core interface for HTML element interaction extending SearchContext and TakesScreenshot.
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```java { .api }
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/**
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 * WebElement interface for HTML element interaction
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 * Extends SearchContext for finding child elements and TakesScreenshot for element screenshots
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 */
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interface WebElement extends SearchContext, TakesScreenshot {
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    /**
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     * Click the element
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     */
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    void click();
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    /**
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     * Submit a form containing this element
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     */
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    void submit();
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    /**
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     * Type text into the element (usually input fields)
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     * @param keysToSend - Text and special keys to send
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     */
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    void sendKeys(CharSequence... keysToSend);
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    /**
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     * Clear the content of the element (input fields and text areas)
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     */
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    void clear();
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    /**
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     * Get the HTML tag name of the element
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     * @return Tag name in lowercase (e.g., "input", "div", "span")
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     */
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    String getTagName();
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    /**
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     * Get DOM attribute value
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     * @param name - Attribute name
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     * @return Attribute value or null if not present
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     */
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    String getDomAttribute(String name);
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    /**
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     * Get DOM property value
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     * @param name - Property name  
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     * @return Property value or null if not present
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     */
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    String getDomProperty(String name);
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    /**
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     * Get attribute value (legacy method, use getDomAttribute for new code)
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     * @param name - Attribute name
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     * @return Attribute value or null if not present
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     */
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    String getAttribute(String name);
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    /**
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     * Get ARIA role of the element
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     * @return ARIA role or null if not present
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     */
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    String getAriaRole();
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    /**
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     * Get accessible name of the element
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     * @return Accessible name or null if not present
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     */
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    String getAccessibleName();
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    /**
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     * Check if the element is selected (checkboxes, radio buttons, options)
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     * @return true if selected, false otherwise
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     */
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    boolean isSelected();
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    /**
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     * Check if the element is enabled for interaction
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     * @return true if enabled, false if disabled
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     */
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    boolean isEnabled();
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    /**
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     * Check if the element is visible on the page
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     * @return true if displayed, false if hidden
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     */
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    boolean isDisplayed();
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    /**
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     * Get the visible text content of the element
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     * @return Text content as seen by the user
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     */
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    String getText();
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    /**
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     * Get computed CSS property value
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     * @param propertyName - CSS property name (e.g., "color", "font-size")
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     * @return Computed CSS value
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     */
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    String getCssValue(String propertyName);
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    /**
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     * Get element position relative to top-left of page
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     * @return Point with x,y coordinates
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     */
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    Point getLocation();
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    /**
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     * Get element dimensions
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     * @return Dimension with width and height
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     */
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    Dimension getSize();
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    /**
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     * Get element position and dimensions combined  
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     * @return Rectangle with position and size
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     */
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    Rectangle getRect();
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}
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```
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**Usage Examples:**
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```java
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import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
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import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
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import org.openqa.selenium.By;
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import org.openqa.selenium.Keys;
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import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
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WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
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try {
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    driver.get("https://example.com/form");
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    // Find and interact with input elements
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    WebElement usernameField = driver.findElement(By.id("username"));
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    WebElement passwordField = driver.findElement(By.id("password"));
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    WebElement submitButton = driver.findElement(By.xpath("//button[@type='submit']"));
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    // Type into input fields
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    usernameField.sendKeys("testuser");
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    passwordField.sendKeys("password123");
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    // Clear field and retype
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    usernameField.clear();
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    usernameField.sendKeys("newuser");
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    // Use special keys
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    usernameField.sendKeys(Keys.CONTROL, "a"); // Select all
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    usernameField.sendKeys("replacedtext");
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    // Check element properties
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    System.out.println("Tag name: " + usernameField.getTagName()); // "input"
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    System.out.println("Type attribute: " + usernameField.getDomAttribute("type")); // "text"
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    System.out.println("Value property: " + usernameField.getDomProperty("value"));
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    System.out.println("Placeholder: " + usernameField.getAttribute("placeholder"));
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    // Check element state
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    if (submitButton.isEnabled() && submitButton.isDisplayed()) {
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        submitButton.click();
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    }
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    // Work with checkboxes and radio buttons
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    WebElement checkbox = driver.findElement(By.id("terms"));
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    if (!checkbox.isSelected()) {
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        checkbox.click();
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    }
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    // Get element information
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    Rectangle rect = usernameField.getRect();
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    System.out.println("Element position: " + rect.getX() + "," + rect.getY());
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    System.out.println("Element size: " + rect.getWidth() + "x" + rect.getHeight());
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    // Get CSS properties
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    String color = usernameField.getCssValue("color");
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    String fontSize = usernameField.getCssValue("font-size");
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    // Get accessible information
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    String ariaRole = submitButton.getAriaRole();
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    String accessibleName = submitButton.getAccessibleName();
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} finally {
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    driver.quit();
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}
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```
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### SearchContext Interface
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Element finding interface implemented by both WebDriver and WebElement for locating child elements.
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```java { .api }
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/**
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 * SearchContext interface for element finding
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 * Implemented by WebDriver (searches entire page) and WebElement (searches within element)
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 */
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interface SearchContext {
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    /**
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     * Find the first element matching the given locator
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     * @param by - Element locator strategy
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     * @return First matching WebElement
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     * @throws NoSuchElementException if no element found
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     */
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    WebElement findElement(By by);
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    /**  
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     * Find all elements matching the given locator
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     * @param by - Element locator strategy
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     * @return List of matching WebElements (empty list if none found)
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     */
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    List<WebElement> findElements(By by);
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}
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```
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**Usage Examples:**
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```java
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// Find elements from driver (entire page)
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WebElement form = driver.findElement(By.id("loginForm"));
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List<WebElement> allInputs = driver.findElements(By.tagName("input"));
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// Find child elements within a parent element
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WebElement navigation = driver.findElement(By.className("navbar"));
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List<WebElement> navLinks = navigation.findElements(By.tagName("a"));
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WebElement homeLink = navigation.findElement(By.linkText("Home"));
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// Chain element searches
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WebElement table = driver.findElement(By.id("dataTable"));
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WebElement firstRow = table.findElement(By.xpath(".//tr[1]"));
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List<WebElement> cells = firstRow.findElements(By.tagName("td"));
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```
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### TakesScreenshot Interface
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Screenshot capture capability for WebDriver and WebElement instances.
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```java { .api }
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/**
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 * TakesScreenshot interface for capturing screenshots
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 * Implemented by WebDriver (full page) and WebElement (element only)
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 */
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interface TakesScreenshot {
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    /**
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     * Capture screenshot in specified output format
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     * @param target - Output format (BASE64, BYTES, or FILE)
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     * @return Screenshot data in requested format
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     */
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    <X> X getScreenshotAs(OutputType<X> target);
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}
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```
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**Usage Examples:**
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```java
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import org.openqa.selenium.OutputType;
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import org.openqa.selenium.TakesScreenshot;
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import java.io.File;
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import java.io.IOException;
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import java.nio.file.Files;
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import java.nio.file.Paths;
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// Full page screenshot
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TakesScreenshot screenshot = (TakesScreenshot) driver;
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File fullPageFile = screenshot.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
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Files.copy(fullPageFile.toPath(), Paths.get("fullpage.png"));
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// Element screenshot
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WebElement loginForm = driver.findElement(By.id("loginForm"));
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File elementFile = loginForm.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.FILE);
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Files.copy(elementFile.toPath(), Paths.get("loginform.png"));
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// Screenshot as base64 string (useful for embedding in reports)
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String base64Screenshot = screenshot.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.BASE64);
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// Screenshot as byte array
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byte[] screenshotBytes = screenshot.getScreenshotAs(OutputType.BYTES);
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```
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### Element State Queries
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Common patterns for checking element states and properties.
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**Usage Examples:**
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```java
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WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("myElement"));
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// Comprehensive element state check
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public boolean isElementInteractable(WebElement element) {
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    return element.isDisplayed() && element.isEnabled();
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}
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// Check if element has specific CSS class
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public boolean hasClass(WebElement element, String className) {
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    String classes = element.getAttribute("class");
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    return classes != null && classes.contains(className);
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}
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// Get element text with fallback to value attribute
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public String getElementText(WebElement element) {
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    String text = element.getText();
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    if (text.isEmpty()) {
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        text = element.getAttribute("value");
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    }
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    return text;
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}
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// Check if input field is empty
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public boolean isInputEmpty(WebElement input) {
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    return input.getDomProperty("value").isEmpty();
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}
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// Wait for element to be clickable
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WebElement button = driver.findElement(By.id("submitButton"));
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WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, Duration.ofSeconds(10));
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wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(button));
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button.click();
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```
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### Form Element Interactions
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Specialized interactions for different form element types.
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**Usage Examples:**
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```java
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// Text input
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WebElement textInput = driver.findElement(By.id("textField"));
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textInput.clear();
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textInput.sendKeys("New text value");
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// Password input  
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WebElement passwordInput = driver.findElement(By.id("password"));
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passwordInput.sendKeys("secretpassword");
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// Textarea
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WebElement textarea = driver.findElement(By.tagName("textarea"));
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textarea.clear();
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textarea.sendKeys("Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3");
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// Checkbox
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WebElement checkbox = driver.findElement(By.id("agreeTerms"));
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if (!checkbox.isSelected()) {
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    checkbox.click();
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}
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// Radio button
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WebElement radioButton = driver.findElement(By.id("option1"));
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radioButton.click();
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// File upload
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WebElement fileInput = driver.findElement(By.id("fileUpload"));
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fileInput.sendKeys("/path/to/file.txt");
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// Select dropdown (use Select class for better support)
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WebElement selectElement = driver.findElement(By.id("country"));
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Select select = new Select(selectElement);
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select.selectByVisibleText("United States");
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select.selectByValue("us");
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select.selectByIndex(0);
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```
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### Color Utility Class
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Utility class for parsing and manipulating CSS color values from elements.
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```java { .api }
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/**
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 * Color class for CSS color parsing and manipulation
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 * Converts between different color representations
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 */
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class Color {
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    /**
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     * Create Color from CSS color string
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     * @param cssColorString - CSS color value (hex, rgb, rgba, name, etc.)
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     * @return Color instance
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     */
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    static Color fromString(String cssColorString);
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    /**
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     * Get color as hex string
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     * @return Hex color string (e.g., "#ff0000")
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     */
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    String asHex();
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    /**
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     * Get color as RGB string
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     * @return RGB color string (e.g., "rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)")
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     */
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    String asRgb();
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    /**
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     * Get color as RGBA string
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     * @return RGBA color string with alpha channel
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     */
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    String asRgba();
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    /**
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     * Get red component (0-255)
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     * @return Red value
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     */
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    short getRed();
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    /**
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     * Get green component (0-255)
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     * @return Green value
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     */
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    short getGreen();
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    /**
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     * Get blue component (0-255)
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     * @return Blue value
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     */
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    short getBlue();
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    /**
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     * Get alpha/opacity component (0.0-1.0)
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     * @return Alpha value
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     */
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    float getAlpha();
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}
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```
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**Usage Examples:**
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```java
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import org.openqa.selenium.support.Color;
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// Get element color and parse it
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WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("colorful-element"));
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String cssColor = element.getCssValue("color");
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Color color = Color.fromString(cssColor);
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// Convert between color formats
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String hexColor = color.asHex();        // "#ff0000"
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String rgbColor = color.asRgb();        // "rgb(255, 0, 0)"
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String rgbaColor = color.asRgba();      // "rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)"
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// Get individual color components
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short red = color.getRed();      // 255
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short green = color.getGreen();  // 0
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short blue = color.getBlue();    // 0
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float alpha = color.getAlpha();  // 1.0
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// Parse different CSS color formats
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Color hexColor1 = Color.fromString("#ff0000");
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Color hexColor2 = Color.fromString("#f00");
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Color rgbColor1 = Color.fromString("rgb(255, 0, 0)");
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Color rgbaColor1 = Color.fromString("rgba(255, 0, 0, 0.5)");
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Color namedColor = Color.fromString("red");
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// Verify element colors in tests
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WebElement errorMessage = driver.findElement(By.className("error"));
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Color errorColor = Color.fromString(errorMessage.getCssValue("color"));
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assert errorColor.asHex().equals("#ff0000"); // Verify red color
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```