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An Example​

First we'll include our requisite libraries, declare the test class, and wire up some simple setUp and tearDown methods.

# filename: keyboard_keys.py
import unittest
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.keys import Keys
from selenium.webdriver.common.action_chains import ActionChains
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By

class KeyboardKeys(unittest.TestCase):

    def setUp(self):
        self.driver = webdriver.Firefox()

    def tearDown(self):
        self.driver.quit()
# ...

Now we can wire up our test.

Let's use an example from the-internet that will display what key has been pressed (link). We'll use the result text that gets displayed to perform our assertion.

# filename: keyboard_keys.py
# ...
    def test_example_1(self):
        driver = self.driver
        driver.get('http://the-internet.herokuapp.com/key_presses')
        ddriver.find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, 'example').send_keys(Keys.SPACE)
        assert driver.find_element(By.ID, 'result').text == 'You entered: SPACE'
        ActionChains(driver).send_keys(Keys.TAB).perform()
        assert driver.find_element(By.ID, 'result').text == 'You entered: TAB'


if __name__ == "__main__":
    unittest.main()

After visiting the page we find an element that's visible (e.g., the div that contains the example on the page) and send the space key to it (e.g., .send_keys(Keys.SPACE). Then we grab the resulting text (e.g., driver.find_element(By.ID, 'result').text) and assert that it says what we expect (e.g., 'You entered: SPACE').

Alternatively, we can also issue a key press without finding the element first by using the Action Builder (e.g., ActionChains).

# filename: keyboard_keys.py
# ...
    def test_example_1(self):
        # ...
        ActionChains(driver).send_keys(Keys.TAB).perform()
        assert driver.find_element(By.ID, 'result').text == 'You entered: TAB'

if __name__ == "__main__":
    unittest.main()

Expected Behavior​

When we save this file and run it (e.g. python keyboard_keys.py from the command-line) here is what will happen:

  • Open the browser
  • Visit the page
  • Find the element and send the space key to it
  • Find the result text on the page and check that it's what we expect
  • Send the tab key to the element that's currently in focus
  • Find the result text on the page and check that it's what we expect
  • Close the browser

Summary​

If you have a specific element that you want to issue key presses to, then finding the element first is the way to go. But if you don't have a receiving element, or you need to string together multiple key presses, then the Action Builder is what you should reach for.

Happy Testing!