Compilation Error: 'Cannot invoke 'String.equals(Object)' because the return value of 'org.openqa.selenium.WebElement.getAttribute(String)' is null'

Backend Code Fix for Attribute Value Comparison Error in Java Selenium Scripts

Error Description:

While generating Java Selenium scripts, When comparing attribute values during automated testing, you may encounter an error message that says:

Cannot invoke 'String.equals(Object)' because the return value of 'org.openqa.selenium.WebElement.getAttribute(String)' is null

This error occurs because the automation tool is unable to compare a retrieved attribute value with a specified text value when the attribute value is missing.

Error Context:
This error might occur while running automated tests on web pages. It typically happens when the test script tries to check if a certain attribute value matches an expected value, but the attribute value is not found or is empty.

Resolution:  To resolve the encountered error, a fix is provided by addressing the backend code responsible for comparing attribute values retrieved using the 'getAttribute method'.

Tip - Use try-catch block to handle the exception and attempt to locate the element again in the catch block.