Headless browser struggles with page navigation

Other Questions Headless Browser
1

I’m attempting to automate a headless browser to log into a cloud-based payroll system used by my organization. However, it’s failing to proceed past the login phase, while the code functions perfectly in normal mode. Here’s the code I’m working with:

from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.chrome.options import Options
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC

# Setup Chrome options
options = Options()
options.add_argument('--headless')  # Run Chrome in headless mode
options.add_argument('--no-sandbox')  # Bypass OS security restrictions
options.add_argument('start-maximized')
options.add_argument('disable-infobars')
options.add_argument('--disable-extensions')

# Initialize WebDriver
browser = webdriver.Chrome(options=options, executable_path='/path/to/chromedriver')
print('Initialized headless Chrome')

# Open the website
browser.get('https://example.com')
print('Accessing website')

# Execute the login process
print('Entering login credentials')
username = '[email protected]'
secret = '*****'
browser.find_element(By.ID, 'usernameField').send_keys(username)
browser.find_element(By.ID, 'passwordField').send_keys(secret)
browser.find_element(By.ID, 'loginButton').click()
print('Attempting login')

# Wait for the next page to load
try:
    WebDriverWait(browser, 10).until(EC.presence_of_element_located((By.CLASS_NAME, 'icon-class-name')))
finally:
    browser.find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, 'icon-class-name')

I encountered this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "login.py", line 71, in <module>
    browser.find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, 'icon-class-name').click()
  ...
selenium.common.exceptions.ElementNotInteractableException: Message: element not interactable

It appears the element isn’t interactable. I’m unclear on what this signifies since this function runs successfully when not in headless mode.

2

Encountering issues with headless browsers, such as Selenium, often results from discrepancies in how web pages render in headless mode versus non-headless mode. Here are a few approaches to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue you're facing:

  1. Check for Headless-Specific Differences:

    Sometimes, elements on pages are altered when running in headless mode, such as fonts, sizes, and presence of animations. Adding the following argument might help with rendering issues:

    options.add_argument('--window-size=1920,1080')

    This will simulate a standard window and might make elements more consistent between headless and regular modes.

  2. Ensure Element Visibility:

    The ElementNotInteractableException usually indicates that the element is present but not visible or not in an interactable state. Adding a wait time specifically for visibility may resolve this issue:

    WebDriverWait(browser, 10).until(EC.visibility_of_element_located((By.CLASS_NAME, 'icon-class-name')))
  3. Check Page Load Time:

    Slower loading times in headless mode can occasionally prevent task completion. Make sure you're providing sufficient load time for the scripts after clicking the login button.

  4. Enable JavaScript and Image Loading:

    Sometimes features disabled in headless mode might cause issues. You can enable images and scripts like so:

    options.add_argument('--enable-javascript')
    options.add_argument('--allow-running-insecure-content')
  5. Debug with Screenshots:

    Utilize screenshots for debugging purposes to capture the state of the page:

    browser.get_screenshot_as_file('headless_screenshot.png')

Implement these adjustments step-by-step and see which resolves the issue. This methodical approach will likely uncover why headless mode is behaving differently in your situation.