Overview
Some applications use custom dropdown components that automatically close when they lose focus. This can make it challenging to verify the dropdown's list of options during an automated test, as the testing tool's attempt to inspect the options can be interpreted as a loss of focus, causing the menu to close before verification can occur.
How It Works
These dropdowns are often custom interactive components rather than standard HTML <select> elements. They are programmed to remain open only while they have focus and to close automatically on a 'blur' event, which happens when the user clicks or interacts with anything outside the component.
When a testing tool tries to interact with or inspect the dropdown options, the component registers this as a loss of focus and closes immediately. As a result, the options are only available in the Document Object Model (DOM) temporarily during the active click state, making them difficult to capture or verify through standard methods.
How to Verify the Dropdown Values
To work around this behavior, you can verify the dropdown values by checking the attributes of the main dropdown element itself, rather than trying to inspect the individual options. In many cases, all available option values are contained within the element's text attribute.
- Locate and select the primary dropdown element in your test. This is the element you would click to open the menu.
- Choose to add a verification step that checks an attribute of this element.
- Select the
textattribute to verify. - The value of the
textattribute should contain all the available dropdown values, which you can then validate.
Limitations
This method is effective when the custom dropdown is built to store all its option values within the main element's text attribute. This approach may not work if the component is designed differently and stores its option data elsewhere.