Avoiding Common Selenium Errors: Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome

Avoiding Common Selenium Errors: Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome

As a web developer or tester, you might have encountered scenarios where your Selenium script fails to execute and throws an error. One such common error is “Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome.” This error occurs when the Chrome Driver is unable to set the desired capabilities specified in the script. In this blog post, we will discuss how this error can be avoided and what measures can be taken to overcome this problem.

Understanding the Error: Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome

The error message “Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome” indicates that the desired capabilities specified in the script are not recognized by the Chrome Driver. Desired capabilities are a set of key-value pairs that provide additional information to the WebDriver to start a session with the browser. When the driver is unable to set these capabilities, it throws this error.

Causes of the Error: Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome

Some of the common causes of this error are:

• Incorrect syntax of desired capabilities.
• Using unsupported Chrome driver versions.
• Specifying an invalid or unsupported Chrome option.
• Not specifying capabilities required by the Chrome browser or WebDriver.

Preventing the Error: Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome

Here are some tips that can help you prevent this error:

Check the Syntax of Desired Capabilities

The syntax of the desired capabilities should be correct. Any mistake or typo in the desired capabilities can cause this error. Make sure that the key-value pairs are correct and in the right format.

Use Supported Chrome Driver Versions

Using unsupported Chrome driver versions can also cause this error. Ensure that you are using the correct and latest version of the Chrome driver that is compatible with the Chrome browser and your Selenium version.

Confirm Supported Chrome Options

Make sure that you are using only the supported and valid Chrome options in your script. Using unsupported or invalid options can cause this error.

Include Required Capabilities

Include all the necessary and required capabilities that the Chrome browser and WebDriver need to set up a session and execute the script successfully. Some of the mandatory capabilities are browserName, platform, and version.

Conclusion

The “Sending Invalid Capabilities to Chrome” error can be frustrating when encountered during script execution. However, it can be easily prevented by following the tips and guidelines mentioned above. Ensuring that the syntax of desired capabilities is correct, using the supported Chrome driver version, specifying only valid options, and including all the required capabilities can go a long way in preventing this error and help you execute your Selenium scripts with ease.