Capturing Full-Page Screenshots with AShot and Selenium WebDriver

In the realm of web automation testing, capturing full-page screenshots is essential. AShot, a robust library built on top of Selenium WebDriver, streamlines this process and offers advanced features for obtaining high-quality screenshots. This will walk you through the latest practices for using AShot with Selenium WebDriver to capture full-page screenshots as of 2024.

Updated Setup for AShot and Selenium WebDriver

1. Add Dependencies to pom.xml

Ensure you are using the latest versions of AShot, Selenium, and WebDriverManager. Here’s the updated Maven configuration:

xml

<dependencies>
    <!-- Selenium WebDriver -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>org.seleniumhq.selenium</groupId>
        <artifactId>selenium-java</artifactId>
        <version>4.25.0</version> <!-- Check for the latest version -->
    </dependency>

    <!-- AShot -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>ru.yandex.qatools</groupId>
        <artifactId>ashot</artifactId>
        <version>1.5.4</version> <!-- Check for the latest version -->
    </dependency>

    <!-- WebDriverManager -->
    <dependency>
        <groupId>io.github.bonigarcia</groupId>
        <artifactId>webdrivermanager</artifactId>
        <version>5.9.2</version> <!-- Check for the latest version -->
    </dependency>
</dependencies>

2. Download and Configure WebDriver Executable

With WebDriverManager, you no longer need to manually download the WebDriver executable (like chromedriver or geckodriver). WebDriverManager will handle that for you.

Capturing Full-Page Screenshots

Here’s the updated code sample to capture full-page screenshots using the latest versions of AShot, Selenium WebDriver, and WebDriverManager.

Updated Sample Code

java

import org.openqa.selenium.WebDriver;
import org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver;
import io.github.bonigarcia.wdm.WebDriverManager;
import ru.yandex.qatools.ashot.AShot;
import ru.yandex.qatools.ashot.Screenshot;
import ru.yandex.qatools.ashot.shooting.ShootingStrategies;

import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;

public class FullPageScreenshot {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Set up WebDriverManager to manage ChromeDriver
        WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup();

        // Initialize WebDriver
        WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
        try {
            driver.get("https://example.com"); // Replace with your target URL

            // Capture full page screenshot
            Screenshot screenshot = new AShot()
                    .shootingStrategy(ShootingStrategies.viewportPasting(1000)) // Capture full page with a 1000 ms pause between viewport captures
                    .takeScreenshot(driver);

            // Save the screenshot
            BufferedImage image = screenshot.getImage();
            try {
                ImageIO.write(image, "PNG", new File("full_page_screenshot.png"));
                System.out.println("Screenshot saved successfully!");
            } catch (IOException e) {
                System.err.println("Error saving screenshot: " + e.getMessage());
            }
        } finally {
            // Close the browser
            driver.quit();
        }
    }
}

Explanation of the Updated Code

WebDriver Initialization:

• The line WebDriverManager.chromedriver().setup(); automatically downloads the appropriate ChromeDriver version and sets it up, removing the need for manual configuration.
• Initialize ChromeDriver and navigate to the desired URL using driver.get().

Capturing the Screenshot:

• Create an instance of AShot and configure it with ShootingStrategies.viewportPasting(1000). This strategy allows AShot to capture the entire page by scrolling and taking multiple viewport screenshots with a 1000 ms delay between each scroll.
• Use takeScreenshot(driver) to capture the screenshot of the entire page.

Saving the Screenshot:

• Save the screenshot using ImageIO.write(). Handle IOException for file operations to ensure robustness.

Cleanup:

• Close the browser using driver.quit() to release resources properly.

Running the Code

1. Compile and Run: Ensure your Maven project is up-to-date with the latest dependencies. You can compile and run your project using the following Maven commands:
   bash

   mvn clean compile
   mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="your.package.FullPageScreenshot"
   

   Make sure the exec-maven-plugin is configured in your pom.xml if you use Maven to run the Java class.

Example exec-maven-plugin Configuration

Add this plugin configuration to your pom.xml if you want to run Java classes with Maven:

xml

<build>
    <plugins>
        <plugin>
            <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
            <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>3.0.0</version>
            <executions>
                <execution>
                    <goals>
                        <goal>java</goal>
                    </goals>
                </execution>
            </executions>
        </plugin>
    </plugins>
</build>

Conclusion

By following these updated steps, you can effectively use the latest versions of Selenium WebDriver, AShot, and WebDriverManager to capture full-page screenshots. This setup ensures compatibility with the latest versions and leverages best practices for web automation testing.

Additional Considerations

Cross-Browser Testing: AShot supports capturing screenshots across different browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Adjust the WebDriver initialization based on your target browser.Handling Dynamic Content: If your website has dynamic content that may affect the screenshot, consider using strategies like waiting for specific elements or conditions before capturing the screenshot.Integrating with Reporting Tools: Combine the screenshot capturing with your test reporting framework to include screenshots in test reports for better visualization and debugging.Parallel Execution: When running tests in parallel, ensure proper synchronization and unique file naming to avoid overwriting screenshots.By incorporating these practices and staying up-to-date with the latest versions of Selenium WebDriver, AShot, and WebDriverManager, you can enhance your web automation testing capabilities and consistently deliver high-quality screenshots.