I’m trying to use a web scraping tool for my project. It works fine when I just want to print stuff:
browser.waitForElement('button.update')
.then(() => {
console.log('Found it!')
console.log('Yay!')
})
But when I try to do something with the page, it breaks:
browser.waitForElement('button.update')
.then(() => {
const updateButton = await browser.findElement('button.update')
})
I get this error:
SyntaxError: Unexpected identifier
How can I work with the page inside the callback without getting errors? Is there a trick to it? Thanks for any help!
The issue you’re encountering is related to the use of await in a non-async context. To resolve this, you need to modify your callback function to be asynchronous. Here’s how you can adjust your code:
browser.waitForElement('button.update')
.then(async () => {
const updateButton = await browser.findElement('button.update')
// Now you can work with updateButton
})
By adding the async keyword before the arrow function, you’re enabling the use of await inside the callback. This should allow you to interact with the page elements without syntax errors. Remember to handle any potential errors with try/catch blocks if needed.
hey alex, looks like ur using async/await syntax in a regular function. that’s why u get the error. try changing ur callback to an async function like this:
.then(async () => {
const updateButton = await browser.findElement(‘button.update’)
})
that should fix it. good luck with ur project!
I’ve encountered similar issues in my web scraping projects. One approach that’s worked well for me is using async/await with IIFE (Immediately Invoked Function Expression). It keeps your code clean and allows for easier error handling. Here’s an example:
browser.waitForElement('button.update')
.then(() => {
(async () => {
try {
const updateButton = await browser.findElement('button.update')
// Do something with updateButton
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error:', error)
}
})()
})
This method wraps your async code in a self-executing function, giving you the benefits of async/await without changing the overall structure of your promise chain. It’s been a game-changer for me in complex scraping scenarios.