Expected Conditions Reference

Master the built-in Expected Conditions for common wait scenarios

Concept

Expected Conditions are a set of predefined conditions used with explicit waits (WebDriver Wait and FluentWait).

Instead of writing a custom lambda function every time, you can reuse these built-in conditions for common scenarios like: waiting for visibility, clickability, text changes, and more.

Best Practice

Use Expected Conditions to keep wait code readable and consistent. They're well-tested, optimized, and cover 95% of common wait scenarios.

Common Expected Conditions

Element Presence (in DOM)

presenceOfElementLocated(By locator)

Waits until an element is present in the DOM (may not be visible). Returns the WebElement.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.presenceOfElementLocated(By.id("btn")));

presenceOfAllElementsLocatedBy(By locator)

Waits until at least one element matching the locator is present. Returns List<WebElement>.

Example

List<WebElement> items = wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.presenceOfAllElementsLocatedBy(By.className("item"))
);

Element Visibility

visibilityOfElementLocated(By locator)

Waits until an element is present AND visible (has height/width, not display:none). Returns the WebElement.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("modal")));

visibilityOf(WebElement element)

Similar to above but takes an existing WebElement instead of a locator.

Example

WebElement el = driver.findElement(By.id("box"));
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOf(el));

invisibilityOfElementLocated(By locator)

Waits until an element is not visible or not present. Useful for waiting for loaders/spinners to disappear.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.invisibilityOfElementLocated(
    By.className("loading-spinner")
));

Element Interactability

elementToBeClickable(By locator)

Waits until an element is visible AND enabled (ready to be clicked). Most commonly used condition!

Example

WebElement btn = wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit-btn"))
);
btn.click();

elementToBeSelected(WebElement element)

Waits until an element (checkbox, radio button, option) is selected.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeSelected(checkbox));

Text & Attributes

textToBePresentInElementLocated(By locator, String text)

Waits until the visible text of an element contains the specified text (case-sensitive).

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.textToBePresentInElementLocated(
    By.id("status"),
    "Success"
));

attributeToBe(By locator, String attribute, String value)

Waits until an element's specific attribute has the expected value.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.attributeToBe(
    By.id("input"),
    "value",
    "Expected Value"
));

attributeContains(By locator, String attribute, String value)

Waits until an attribute contains the specified value (useful for class names).

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.attributeContains(
    By.id("btn"),
    "class",
    "active"
));

Alerts & Windows

alertIsPresent()

Waits until a JavaScript alert is present. Returns the Alert object.

Example

Alert alert = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.alertIsPresent());
alert.accept();

numberOfWindowsToBe(int number)

Waits until the number of browser windows equals the specified count.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.numberOfWindowsToBe(2));

titleIs(String title)

Waits until the page title exactly matches the specified string.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleIs("Dashboard - MyApp"));

titleContains(String title)

Waits until the page title contains the specified text.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleContains("Dashboard"));

Frame & Staleness

frameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt(By locator)

Waits until a frame is available and automatically switches to it.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.frameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt(
    By.id("iframe")
));

stalenessOf(WebElement element)

Waits until an element is no longer attached to the DOM. Useful after page reloads or dynamic content updates.

Example

WebElement oldElement = driver.findElement(By.id("content"));
driver.navigate().refresh();
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.stalenessOf(oldElement));

Boolean Combinators

and(ExpectedCondition... conditions)

Waits until all specified conditions are true.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.and(
    ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("modal")),
    ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit"))
));

or(ExpectedCondition... conditions)

Waits until at least one of the specified conditions is true.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.or(
    ExpectedConditions.titleContains("Success"),
    ExpectedConditions.titleContains("Error")
));

not(ExpectedCondition condition)

Waits until the specified condition is false.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.not(
    ExpectedConditions.attributeContains(By.id("btn"), "class", "disabled")
));

Quick Reference

Use Case	Expected Condition
Wait for element to exist in DOM	presenceOfElementLocated
Wait for element to be visible	visibilityOfElementLocated
Wait for element to be clickable	elementToBeClickable
Wait for element to disappear	invisibilityOfElementLocated
Wait for text to appear	textToBePresentInElementLocated
Wait for alert	alertIsPresent
Wait for page title	titleContains / titleIs
Wait for attribute value	attributeToBe / attributeContains

Pro Tip

Prefer Built-in Conditions

Use Expected Conditions instead of inline lambdas for common wait scenarios. They're tested, optimized, and make your code more readable.

visibilityOf vs presenceOf

Use visibilityOf for elements you'll interact with.presenceOf only checks DOM existence, not visibility.

Combine Conditions

Use and(), or(), and not() to create complex wait logic without writing custom conditions.

Concept

Expected Conditions are a set of predefined conditions used with explicit waits (WebDriver Wait and FluentWait).

Instead of writing a custom lambda function every time, you can reuse these built-in conditions for common scenarios like: waiting for visibility, clickability, text changes, and more.

Best Practice

Use Expected Conditions to keep wait code readable and consistent. They're well-tested, optimized, and cover 95% of common wait scenarios.

Common Expected Conditions

Element Presence (in DOM)

presenceOfElementLocated(By locator)

Waits until an element is present in the DOM (may not be visible). Returns the WebElement.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.presenceOfElementLocated(By.id("btn")));

presenceOfAllElementsLocatedBy(By locator)

Waits until at least one element matching the locator is present. Returns List<WebElement>.

Example

List<WebElement> items = wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.presenceOfAllElementsLocatedBy(By.className("item"))
);

Element Visibility

visibilityOfElementLocated(By locator)

Waits until an element is present AND visible (has height/width, not display:none). Returns the WebElement.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("modal")));

visibilityOf(WebElement element)

Similar to above but takes an existing WebElement instead of a locator.

Example

WebElement el = driver.findElement(By.id("box"));
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.visibilityOf(el));

invisibilityOfElementLocated(By locator)

Waits until an element is not visible or not present. Useful for waiting for loaders/spinners to disappear.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.invisibilityOfElementLocated(
    By.className("loading-spinner")
));

Element Interactability

elementToBeClickable(By locator)

Waits until an element is visible AND enabled (ready to be clicked). Most commonly used condition!

Example

WebElement btn = wait.until(
    ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit-btn"))
);
btn.click();

elementToBeSelected(WebElement element)

Waits until an element (checkbox, radio button, option) is selected.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeSelected(checkbox));

Text & Attributes

textToBePresentInElementLocated(By locator, String text)

Waits until the visible text of an element contains the specified text (case-sensitive).

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.textToBePresentInElementLocated(
    By.id("status"),
    "Success"
));

attributeToBe(By locator, String attribute, String value)

Waits until an element's specific attribute has the expected value.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.attributeToBe(
    By.id("input"),
    "value",
    "Expected Value"
));

attributeContains(By locator, String attribute, String value)

Waits until an attribute contains the specified value (useful for class names).

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.attributeContains(
    By.id("btn"),
    "class",
    "active"
));

Alerts & Windows

alertIsPresent()

Waits until a JavaScript alert is present. Returns the Alert object.

Example

Alert alert = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.alertIsPresent());
alert.accept();

numberOfWindowsToBe(int number)

Waits until the number of browser windows equals the specified count.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.numberOfWindowsToBe(2));

titleIs(String title)

Waits until the page title exactly matches the specified string.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleIs("Dashboard - MyApp"));

titleContains(String title)

Waits until the page title contains the specified text.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.titleContains("Dashboard"));

Frame & Staleness

frameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt(By locator)

Waits until a frame is available and automatically switches to it.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.frameToBeAvailableAndSwitchToIt(
    By.id("iframe")
));

stalenessOf(WebElement element)

Waits until an element is no longer attached to the DOM. Useful after page reloads or dynamic content updates.

Example

WebElement oldElement = driver.findElement(By.id("content"));
driver.navigate().refresh();
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.stalenessOf(oldElement));

Boolean Combinators

and(ExpectedCondition... conditions)

Waits until all specified conditions are true.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.and(
    ExpectedConditions.visibilityOfElementLocated(By.id("modal")),
    ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(By.id("submit"))
));

or(ExpectedCondition... conditions)

Waits until at least one of the specified conditions is true.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.or(
    ExpectedConditions.titleContains("Success"),
    ExpectedConditions.titleContains("Error")
));

not(ExpectedCondition condition)

Waits until the specified condition is false.

Example

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.not(
    ExpectedConditions.attributeContains(By.id("btn"), "class", "disabled")
));

Quick Reference

Use Case	Expected Condition
Wait for element to exist in DOM	presenceOfElementLocated
Wait for element to be visible	visibilityOfElementLocated
Wait for element to be clickable	elementToBeClickable
Wait for element to disappear	invisibilityOfElementLocated
Wait for text to appear	textToBePresentInElementLocated
Wait for alert	alertIsPresent
Wait for page title	titleContains / titleIs
Wait for attribute value	attributeToBe / attributeContains

Pro Tip

Prefer Built-in Conditions

Use Expected Conditions instead of inline lambdas for common wait scenarios. They're tested, optimized, and make your code more readable.

visibilityOf vs presenceOf

Use visibilityOf for elements you'll interact with.presenceOf only checks DOM existence, not visibility.

Combine Conditions

Use and(), or(), and not() to create complex wait logic without writing custom conditions.