Troubleshooting Puppeteer click issues

Other Questions Puppeteer
1

Hey everyone. I’m having trouble with my Puppeteer script. For some reason, one of the buttons won’t click no matter what I try. It’s weird because I got it working in another script, but this one just won’t cooperate.

Here’s a snippet of what I’m trying:

await page.focus('#main-nav input.search-box');
await page.type('Test query');
await page.click('#main-nav form.search-form');

I’m clicking the form instead of the button because that worked before. But now nothing happens. Any ideas on how to debug this or figure out why the click isn’t working? I’ve been scratching my head for hours. Thanks for any help!

2

hey Tom, sounds frustrating! Have u tried waiting for the element to be visible? Sometimes that helps. Also, maybe try clicking the actual button instead of the form? Like #main-nav form.search-form button or something. Good luck troubleshooting!

3

I’ve faced similar issues with Puppeteer clicks before. One thing that often helps is using page.evaluate() to trigger the click directly in the page context. Try something like this:

await page.evaluate(() => {
document.querySelector(‘#main-nav form.search-form’).click();
});

This bypasses any potential issues with element visibility or positioning. Also, double-check that your selectors are correct and unique. Sometimes slight changes in the page structure can break selectors.

If that doesn’t work, you might want to add some logging or use page.screenshot() to capture what’s on the page when the click should happen. That can help pinpoint if there are any overlays or other elements interfering with the click.

4

Have you considered using page.waitForSelector() before attempting the click? This ensures the element is fully loaded and ready for interaction. Something like:

await page.waitForSelector(‘#main-nav form.search-form’);
await page.click(‘#main-nav form.search-form’);

Also, it might be worth checking if there are any JavaScript events preventing the default form submission. You could try:

await page.evaluate(() => {
document.querySelector(‘#main-nav form.search-form’).submit();
});

This directly submits the form, bypassing potential click event issues. If these don’t work, try inspecting the page source to ensure your selectors are still accurate. Page structure changes can sometimes break scripts.