Maven + Selenium setup

Create a Maven project and add Selenium dependency for automation.

What You'll Learn

• How to create a new Maven project in IntelliJ IDEA.
• What pom.xml is and how to use it to manage dependencies.
• How to find the Selenium Java dependency on MavenRepository.
• How to add Selenium to your project and reload Maven changes.
• How to verify that Selenium is properly installed by importing WebDriver.

Why This Lab Matters

Maven makes managing dependencies incredibly simple. Instead of manually downloading JAR files and adding them to your project, you just declare what you need in pom.xml, and Maven handles the rest.

Learning to add Selenium through Maven is the industry-standard approach for test automation projects. This ensures:

• All team members use the same library versions.
• Dependencies are automatically downloaded and updated.
• Your project is portable and can be built anywhere.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

• JDK installed (e.g., JDK 25) with JAVA_HOME configured.
• Maven installed with MAVEN_HOME and PATH configured.
• IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition installed and running.
• A stable internet connection (to download dependencies from Maven Central).

Core Concepts

Maven Project

A Java project structure that uses Maven for build automation and dependency management. It includes a pom.xml file at the root.

pom.xml

The Project Object Model file. This XML file contains all project configuration, including dependencies, plugins, build settings, and more.

Dependency

A library or framework that your project needs. Maven downloads these automatically from Maven Central Repository.

GroupId, ArtifactId, Version

Maven coordinates that uniquely identify a dependency:

• GroupId: Usually the organization or project (e.g., org.seleniumhq.selenium).
• ArtifactId: The specific library name (e.g., selenium-java).
• Version: The version number (e.g., 4.38.0).

Maven Central Repository

The default public repository where Maven looks for dependencies. You can browse it at MavenRepository.com.

Step 1 – Create a New Maven Project

1. Open IntelliJ IDEA.
2. Click New Project.
3. In the New Project dialog:
   • Name: selenium-basics (or any name you prefer).
   • Build system: Select Maven.
   • JDK: Select your installed JDK (e.g., Java 25).
   • GroupId: com.dotlog.student (example).
   • ArtifactId: selenium-basics (example).
4. Click Create.
5. Wait for IntelliJ to index the project (you'll see a progress bar at the bottom).

Step 2 – Understand pom.xml

After the project is created, you'll see a pom.xml file in the project root.

1. Open pom.xml in IntelliJ.
2. You'll see something like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 
         http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <groupId>com.dotlog.student</groupId>
    <artifactId>selenium-basics</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <properties>
        <maven.compiler.source>25</maven.compiler.source>
        <maven.compiler.target>25</maven.compiler.target>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <!-- We will add Selenium here -->
    </dependencies>
</project>

This file contains all project configurations and dependencies. The <dependencies> section is where we'll add Selenium.

Step 3 – Get Selenium Dependency from Maven Central

1. Open your browser and go to:
   https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.seleniumhq.selenium/selenium-java
2. You'll see a list of Selenium versions.
3. Click on the latest stable version (e.g., 4.38.0).
4. On the version page, you'll see a Maven dependency snippet. Copy it.

The snippet should look like this:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
    <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
    <version>4.38.0</version>
</dependency>

Step 4 – Add Selenium to pom.xml & Reload

1. Go back to IntelliJ and open pom.xml.
2. Paste the Selenium dependency snippet inside the <dependencies> tag.

Your pom.xml should now look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 
         http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <groupId>com.dotlog.student</groupId>
    <artifactId>selenium-basics</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <properties>
        <maven.compiler.source>25</maven.compiler.source>
        <maven.compiler.target>25</maven.compiler.target>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
            <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
            <version>4.38.0</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</project>

3. After pasting, IntelliJ should show a small Maven icon (elephant) in the top-right of the editor or a notification saying "Maven projects need to be imported".
4. Click the Load Maven Changes icon or the notification.
5. Wait for Maven to download Selenium and all its dependencies (you'll see progress in the bottom-right corner).

Step 5 – Verify Selenium Setup

Let's quickly verify that Selenium is installed correctly.

1. In your project, right-click the src/main/java folder.
2. Choose New → Java Class.
3. Name it SeleniumCheck and click OK.
4. In the new file, try to import WebDriver:

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;

public class SeleniumCheck {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Selenium is ready!");
    }
}

If IntelliJ auto-completes the import without errors, Selenium is properly installed!

Complete pom.xml Example

Here's what a complete pom.xml should look like after adding Selenium:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 
         http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <groupId>com.dotlog.student</groupId>
    <artifactId>selenium-basics</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <properties>
        <maven.compiler.source>25</maven.compiler.source>
        <maven.compiler.target>25</maven.compiler.target>
        <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
    </properties>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
            <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
            <version>4.38.0</version>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>
</project>

Pro Tips (From Real Projects)

• Always use Maven Central Repository
  Check MavenRepository.com to find the latest Selenium version. Using outdated versions may cause compatibility issues with newer browsers.
• Check for updates regularly
  Selenium releases frequent updates with bug fixes and new features. Update your dependencies periodically to stay current.
• Use properties for version management
  Define version numbers in the <properties> section for easier management across multiple dependencies.
• Enable auto-import in IntelliJ
  Go to Settings → Build, Execution, Deployment → Build Tools → Maven and enable "Import Maven projects automatically" for seamless dependency updates.
• Understand transitive dependencies
  When you add Selenium, Maven automatically downloads all libraries that Selenium depends on. This is called transitive dependency resolution.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting to reload Maven changes
  After adding dependencies, you must reload Maven. Otherwise, IntelliJ won't download the libraries.
• Using outdated Selenium versions
  Always check for the latest stable version. Old versions may not work with current browser versions.
• Not waiting for Maven to finish downloading
  Be patient when Maven is downloading dependencies. Interrupting the process can corrupt your local Maven repository.
• Adding dependencies outside the <dependencies> tag
  Dependencies must be placed inside <dependencies></dependencies> tags to work correctly.
• Incorrect XML formatting
  Maven is strict about XML syntax. Make sure all tags are properly closed and nested.