Docker container: Selenium headless browser failing to switch windows

Other Questions Headless Browser
1

I’m having trouble with my Selenium tests in a Docker container on AWS Fargate. The tests work fine on my local machine, both in normal and headless mode. But in the container, I can’t switch between window tabs.

Here’s what I’ve tried:

ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments(
    "--headless=new",
    "--disable-extensions",
    "--disable-gpu",
    "--no-sandbox",
    "--incognito",
    "--disable-application-cache",
    "--disable-dev-shm-usage"
);

I’ve packaged everything into a JAR file. The weird thing is, other tests run okay in the container. It’s just the window switching that’s not working.

I’ve set up a Docker container with Chrome and Edge installed. The Dockerfile looks fine, and I’m running the tests with this command:

java -Dbrowser=$BROWSER -jar MyTestFramework.jar -testjar MyTestFramework.jar -xmlpathinjar $MODULE

Any ideas on how to fix this window switching issue in the Docker container? I’m stumped!

2

hey, have u tried using wait conditions before switching windows? sometimes the new window isn’t ready when u try to switch. try something like:

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);
wait.until(ExpectedConditions.numberOfWindowsToBe(2));

that might help. also, check if ur getting any js errors in the console, those can mess with window switching too.

3

I’ve dealt with similar headaches in Docker containers. One thing that often trips people up is the shared memory space. Have you tried increasing the shm-size in your Docker run command? Something like:

docker run --shm-size=2g …

This can help with browser stability, especially when dealing with multiple tabs or windows.

Also, double-check your Selenium version against the Chrome version in your container. Mismatches there can cause all sorts of weird behavior.

If those don’t work, you might want to look into using a tool like Zalenium or Selenium Grid. They can help manage browser instances more reliably in containerized environments.

Lastly, consider logging more details about the window handles before and after your switch attempts. It might give you more insight into what’s going wrong.

4

I’ve encountered similar issues with Selenium in Docker containers. One thing that’s worked for me is adding the ‘–window-size’ argument to your ChromeOptions. Try something like:

options.addArguments(‘–window-size=1920,1080’);

This can help simulate a more realistic browser environment. Also, make sure you’re using the latest versions of Selenium and ChromeDriver compatible with your Chrome version in the container.

Another potential fix is to use Actions instead of switchTo() for window switching. Something like:

new Actions(driver).keyDown(Keys.CONTROL).sendKeys(Keys.TAB).perform();

This might bypass some of the issues with traditional window switching in headless mode. Let me know if either of these suggestions helps!