Introduction

In a real-world automation project using Selenium with C#, waits play a crucial role in handling dynamic elements and ensuring test stability. Below are the key use cases for waits in a real automation project:

To handle them we are having different methods in selenium such as -

1. accept,
2. dismiss,
3. sendKeys,
4. getText,
5. wait.
6. switchTo

Waiting for Page to Load

📌 Scenario: Your test needs to wait until the web page is fully loaded before interacting with elements.

✅ Solution: Use driver.Manage().Timeouts().PageLoad to wait until the page loads.

driver.Manage().Timeouts().PageLoad = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10);

Waiting for an Element to be Clickable

📌 Scenario: The element (e.g., button, link) exists in the DOM but is not yet clickable (e.g., covered by a loader).

✅ Solution: Use WebDriverWait with ExpectedConditions.ElementToBeClickable.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
IWebElement button = wait.Until(ExpectedConditions.ElementToBeClickable(By.Id("submitBtn")));
button.Click();

Waiting for an Element to be Visible

📌 Scenario: The element is present in the DOM but is hidden (e.g., appears after an AJAX call).

✅ Solution: Use ExpectedConditions.VisibilityOfElementLocated.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
IWebElement message = wait.Until(ExpectedConditions.VisibilityOfElementLocated(By.Id("successMessage")));
Console.WriteLine(message.Text);

Waiting for an Element to be Present in the DOM

📌 Scenario: The element is dynamically added to the DOM after an API call.

✅ Solution: Use ExpectedConditions.PresenceOfElementLocated.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
IWebElement dynamicElement = wait.Until(ExpectedConditions.PresenceOfElementLocated(By.XPath("//div[@class='dynamic']")));

Waiting for Text to Change

📌 Scenario: A text label (e.g., loading status) updates dynamically, and the test must wait until it contains the expected text.

✅ Solution: Use ExpectedConditions.TextToBePresentInElement.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
wait.Until(ExpectedConditions.TextToBePresentInElementLocated(By.Id("status"), "Completed"));

Waiting for a Frame to Load

📌 Scenario: The test must wait for an to be available before switching to it.

✅ Solution: Use ExpectedConditions.FrameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
wait.Until(ExpectedConditions.FrameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt("iframeID"));

Waiting for JavaScript Execution to Complete

📌 Scenario: Some elements may not be interactable until JavaScript execution completes.

✅ Solution: Use IJavaScriptExecutor to check for document.readyState.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
wait.Until(driver => ((IJavaScriptExecutor)driver).ExecuteScript("return document.readyState").Equals("complete"));

Waiting for an Element to Disappear

📌 Scenario: A loader or spinner should disappear before proceeding.

✅ Solution: Use ExpectedConditions.InvisibilityOfElementLocated.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
wait.Until(ExpectedConditions.InvisibilityOfElementLocated(By.ClassName("loading-spinner")));

Waiting for AJAX Requests to Complete

📌 Scenario: The application makes an AJAX request, and the test must wait before interacting with elements.

✅ Solution: Wait for jQuery.active == 0.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10));
wait.Until(driver => (bool)((IJavaScriptExecutor)driver).ExecuteScript("return jQuery.active == 0"));

Implementing Implicit Wait (Fallback Option)

📌 Scenario: You want to set a default wait time for all element interactions.

✅ Solution: Use Implicit Wait, but prefer Explicit Waits for dynamic elements.

driver.Manage().Timeouts().ImplicitWait = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(10);

📄 Also Read: Top 10 Best Automation Practice Website