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# Selenium Internet Explorer Driver
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The Selenium Internet Explorer Driver provides automated browser control capabilities specifically for Internet Explorer browsers through the Selenium WebDriver API. It implements the W3C WebDriver specification and offers a comprehensive Java API for controlling IE browser instances, including capabilities for navigation, element interaction, window management, and browser-specific configuration options.
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## Package Information
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- **Package Name**: selenium-ie-driver
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- **Package Type**: maven
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- **Language**: Java
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- **Maven Coordinates**: `org.seleniumhq.selenium:selenium-ie-driver:4.33.0`
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- **Installation**: Add to `pom.xml`:
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```xml
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<dependency>
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    <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
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    <artifactId>selenium-ie-driver</artifactId>
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    <version>4.33.0</version>
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</dependency>
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```
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## Core Imports
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```java
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import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerDriver;
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import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerOptions;
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import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerDriverService;
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```
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## Basic Usage
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```java
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import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerDriver;
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import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerOptions;
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import org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerDriverService;
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import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
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import org.openqa.selenium.By;
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import org.openqa.selenium.WebElement;
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// Basic IE driver with default settings
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WebDriver driver = new InternetExplorerDriver();
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// IE driver with custom options for better reliability
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InternetExplorerOptions options = new InternetExplorerOptions()
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    .ignoreZoomSettings()           // Ignore zoom level for consistent element location
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    .requireWindowFocus()           // Ensure window has focus for interaction
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    .enablePersistentHovering()     // Improve hover behavior
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    .withInitialBrowserUrl("about:blank");  // Set initial URL
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WebDriver driver = new InternetExplorerDriver(options);
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try {
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    // Navigate to a website
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    driver.get("https://example.com");
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    // Find and interact with elements
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    WebElement searchBox = driver.findElement(By.name("q"));
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    searchBox.sendKeys("Selenium WebDriver");
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    WebElement submitButton = driver.findElement(By.xpath("//input[@type='submit']"));
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    submitButton.click();
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    // Wait and verify results
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    Thread.sleep(2000);
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    System.out.println("Page title: " + driver.getTitle());
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} finally {
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    // Always clean up resources
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    driver.quit();
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}
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```
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## Architecture
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The Selenium IE Driver is built around several key components:
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- **InternetExplorerDriver**: Main WebDriver implementation extending RemoteWebDriver
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- **InternetExplorerOptions**: Fluent configuration API for IE-specific capabilities
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- **InternetExplorerDriverService**: Service management for IEDriverServer executable lifecycle
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- **Capability System**: String constants for all IE-specific browser capabilities
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- **Service Builder Pattern**: Configurable service creation with logging, host binding, and path options
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## Platform Requirements
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- **Operating System**: Windows only (throws WebDriverException on other platforms)
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- **Browser**: Internet Explorer installed on the system
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- **Driver Executable**: IEDriverServer.exe (automatically managed by Selenium Manager)
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- **Permissions**: May require administrator privileges for certain security settings
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## Capabilities
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### WebDriver Implementation
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Core WebDriver functionality for creating and managing Internet Explorer browser instances. Provides the main entry point for IE automation.
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```java { .api }
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public class InternetExplorerDriver extends RemoteWebDriver {
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    public InternetExplorerDriver();
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    public InternetExplorerDriver(InternetExplorerOptions options);
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    public InternetExplorerDriver(InternetExplorerDriverService service);
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    public InternetExplorerDriver(
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        InternetExplorerDriverService service, 
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        InternetExplorerOptions options
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    );
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    public InternetExplorerDriver(
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        InternetExplorerDriverService service,
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        InternetExplorerOptions options,
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        ClientConfig clientConfig
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    );
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    public static RemoteWebDriverBuilder builder(); // @Beta
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}
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```
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[WebDriver Implementation](./webdriver.md)
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### Configuration Options
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Comprehensive configuration system for IE-specific browser settings and behaviors. Supports fluent API pattern for easy configuration chaining.
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```java { .api }
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public class InternetExplorerOptions extends AbstractDriverOptions<InternetExplorerOptions> {
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    public InternetExplorerOptions();
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    public InternetExplorerOptions(Capabilities source);
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    public InternetExplorerOptions merge(Capabilities extraCapabilities);
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    public InternetExplorerOptions ignoreZoomSettings();
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    public InternetExplorerOptions requireWindowFocus();
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    public InternetExplorerOptions enablePersistentHovering();
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    public InternetExplorerOptions withInitialBrowserUrl(String url);
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    public InternetExplorerOptions elementScrollTo(ElementScrollBehavior behavior);
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}
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```
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[Configuration Options](./options.md)
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### Service Management
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Service lifecycle management for the IEDriverServer executable, including process creation, configuration, and cleanup.
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```java { .api }
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public class InternetExplorerDriverService extends DriverService {
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    public static InternetExplorerDriverService createDefaultService();
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    public static class Builder extends DriverService.Builder<
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        InternetExplorerDriverService, 
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        InternetExplorerDriverService.Builder
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    > {
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        public Builder withLogLevel(InternetExplorerDriverLogLevel logLevel);
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        public Builder withHost(String host);
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        public Builder withExtractPath(File extractPath);
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        public Builder withSilent(Boolean silent);
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    }
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}
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```
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[Service Management](./service.md)
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## Types
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```java { .api }
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// Log level enumeration
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public enum InternetExplorerDriverLogLevel {
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    TRACE, DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR, FATAL
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}
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// Element scroll behavior options
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public enum ElementScrollBehavior {
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    TOP(0), BOTTOM(1);
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    public int getValue();
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    public static ElementScrollBehavior fromString(String text);
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}
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// Driver metadata and factory
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public class InternetExplorerDriverInfo implements WebDriverInfo {
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    public String getDisplayName();
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    public Capabilities getCanonicalCapabilities();
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    public boolean isSupporting(Capabilities capabilities);
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    public boolean isSupportingCdp();
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    public boolean isSupportingBiDi();
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    public boolean isAvailable();
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    public boolean isPresent();
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    public int getMaximumSimultaneousSessions();
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    public Optional<WebDriver> createDriver(Capabilities capabilities);
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}
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```
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## Error Handling
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The IE driver throws specific exceptions for common error conditions:
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- **WebDriverException**: General driver errors, platform compatibility issues
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- **SessionNotCreatedException**: When IE session cannot be created
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- **Platform-specific errors**: When running on non-Windows platforms
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## Security Considerations
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Internet Explorer has specific security requirements that may affect automation:
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- **Protected Mode**: May require `introduceFlakinessByIgnoringSecurityDomains()` option (not recommended)
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- **Security Zones**: Different zones may have different automation behavior
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- **Administrator Privileges**: Some operations may require elevated permissions
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- **Browser Configuration**: Zoom level and security settings can affect automation reliability