Playwright Java Select Dropdown Guide for Beginners

Selecting values from dropdowns is a prevalent task in UI automation, and this guide will help you understand how to work with them using Playwright Java select dropdown methods. In this tutorial, you will learn the complete process of interacting with different types of dropdown elements, along with practical examples that you can use in real automation projects.

This guide covers everything you need to know to handle dropdowns smoothly in Playwright Java. You will learn how dropdowns work, how to select values by label, value, and index, how to retrieve selected values, how to verify selections, and how to manage multi-select dropdowns. Each topic is explained in a beginner-friendly way so you can follow along without any confusion.

Dropdown automation matters because it is a core part of testing user input flows. Many forms, product filters, and registration pages rely on dropdowns, so your test cases must handle them reliably. A stable dropdown automation flow helps you catch UI issues early and improves the accuracy of your tests.

Throughout this guide, you will also work with the selectOption method, which is the primary way to select options in Playwright Java. You will see how this method works with different parameters and how it fits into real-world automation scenarios.

• How Dropdowns Work in Playwright Java
• Project Setup for Dropdown Tests
• Select Dropdown by Value in Playwright Java
• Select Dropdown by Label in Playwright Java
• Select Dropdown by Index in Playwright Java
• Handle Multiple Select Dropdown in Playwright Java
• Get Selected Dropdown Value in Playwright Java
• Verify Dropdown Selection in Playwright Java
• Conclusion

How Dropdowns Work in Playwright Java

Dropdowns in most web applications are created using the HTML <select> element. Each option inside the dropdown is defined using <option> tags, and these options usually contain a value attribute and visible text. Playwright interacts directly with these underlying HTML elements, which makes dropdown selection stable and reliable.

There are two main types of dropdowns you will encounter. A single select dropdown allows the user to pick only one option at a time, while a multi-select dropdown lets the user choose more than one value when the multiple attribute is present in the HTML. Understanding which type you are working with helps you select the right method and structure your test cases correctly.

Playwright identifies dropdown elements just like any other locator. You can target them using IDs, names, CSS selectors, or even accessible roles. Once the dropdown is located, Playwright uses the selectOption method to choose the desired option. This method works on all standard HTML dropdowns without extra code or custom logic.

You can choose options using value, label, or index. Using value is the most reliable because it targets the exact backend value the application expects. A label is useful when you want to match what the user actually sees in the UI. Index should be used carefully because it depends on the position of the option, which may change if the UI is updated. Understanding when to use each approach helps keep your tests stable and easier to maintain.

Project Setup for Dropdown Tests

Before you start working with dropdown automation, you need a basic Playwright Java project ready in your IDE. If you have not set up Playwright Java yet, you can follow the complete installation and setup guide here: Install Playwright Java. Once your environment is ready, you can begin writing dropdown test cases without any extra configuration.

To run dropdown tests, make sure your Maven project includes the required Playwright Java dependency. This gives you access to the Playwright API, including browser handling, page actions, and the selectOption method. Your project structure generally includes a src/test/java folder for test classes, a base test file for browser setup, and separate packages for organising your test suites.

Here is a simple boilerplate code snippet to help you start a dropdown test in Playwright Java. This example opens the browser, navigates to a sample page, and prepares the test environment so you can focus on writing dropdown logic:

import com.microsoft.playwright.*;

public class DropdownTestSetup {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try (Playwright playwright = Playwright.create()) {
            Browser browser = playwright.chromium().launch(new BrowserType.LaunchOptions().setHeadless(false));
            BrowserContext context = browser.newContext();
            Page page = context.newPage();

            page.navigate("Your test page url");

            // Your dropdown test steps will go here
        }
    }
}

This basic setup is enough to begin experimenting with different dropdown selection methods in Playwright Java. Once the project is configured correctly, you can build tests that select values, verify selections, and automate both single-select and multi-select dropdowns.

Select Dropdown by Value in Playwright Java

Selecting a dropdown option by its value is one of the most reliable methods in Playwright Java. Each <option> inside a <select> tag usually contains a value attribute, and this value is what the application uses internally for processing. When you choose an option using its value, your automation becomes stable because it depends on a backend-friendly identifier rather than visible text, which may change over time.

Here is a simple example showing how to select a dropdown option by value using the selectOption method:

page.selectOption("#country", "GB");

In this sample, #country is the dropdown locator and "GB" is the value of the option you want to select. Playwright directly matches this value with the option element inside the dropdown and selects it instantly.

This approach is ideal when the value attribute is stable and predictable. It works best for form submissions, country lists, product filters, or any scenario where the code behind the UI depends on consistent value identifiers. Selecting by value also helps avoid issues where visible labels are dynamic, translated, or formatted differently across environments.

Select Dropdown by Label in Playwright Java

Selecting a dropdown option by label is one of the most user-friendly approaches because it matches the visible text that users see on the screen. Each <option> in a dropdown contains readable text, and Playwright lets you pick an option directly based on this label. This is helpful when the visible text carries meaning for your test case or when you want your script to mirror real user actions more closely.

Here is a simple example showing how to select a dropdown option by its label:

page.selectOption("#country", new SelectOption().setLabel("United Kingdom"));

In this example, Playwright looks for the option whose displayed label is United Kingdom and selects it. This works even if the underlying value is different from the visible text, making it a clean and readable way to write test steps.

Handling dynamic labels requires extra attention because the label text may change based on language, environment, or API data. If your application uses translated labels or generates labels at runtime, consider maintaining a small mapping of labels in your test data or verifying the label text before selection. When labels vary often, it may be safer to fall back to selecting by value, since that attribute usually stays consistent across releases and environments.

Select Dropdown by Index in Playwright Java

Selecting a dropdown option by index means choosing an option based on its position within the <select> element. Indexing starts from zero, so the first option is at index 0, the second at index 1, and so on. This method can be useful when the dropdown values or labels are dynamic, but the order is consistent across environments.

Here is an example of selecting a dropdown option by index:

page.selectOption("#country", new SelectOption().setIndex(2));

In this code, Playwright selects the third option from the dropdown because the index value is set to 2. This is a simple and direct way to pick an option when you do not want to depend on value or label attributes.

Selecting by index can be helpful in certain use cases, such as when dropdown options are generated from external data or when the visible text is unpredictable. However, it also comes with risks. If the order of options changes due to UI updates, environment differences, or new items being added, your test may select the wrong option. Because of this, index-based selection should only be used when the dropdown order is guaranteed to remain stable.

Handle Multiple Select Dropdown in Playwright Java

A multi-select dropdown allows users to choose more than one option at a time. You can identify a multi-select dropdown by checking whether the <select> element has the multiple attribute. When this attribute is present, the dropdown behaves differently from a regular single select, and Playwright supports selecting multiple values using the same selectOption method.

Here is a simple example showing how to select multiple values in a multi-select dropdown:

page.selectOption("#skills", new String[] { "java", "python", "javascript" });

In this snippet, Playwright selects all the options whose value attributes match the provided array. You can also select multiple labels by using SelectOption objects if needed.

When working with multi-select dropdowns, it is best to use stable values whenever possible, since labels may change and indexes are not reliable for multiple options. Always verify the selected items after selection to ensure that all expected values are applied. If the dropdown loads data from an API or changes dynamically, add a short wait for the options to appear before selecting them to keep your tests consistent and reliable.

Get Selected Dropdown Value in Playwright Java

Fetching the selected option from a dropdown is an important part of validating your test flow. In Playwright Java, you can extract the selected value directly from the <select> element using simple locator-based methods. This helps you confirm whether the dropdown has the right value after you perform a selection.

Here is an example showing how to get the selected value from a single select dropdown:

String selectedValue = page.locator("#country").inputValue();
System.out.println("Selected value is: " + selectedValue);

This code retrieves the value attribute of the currently selected <option>. It is useful when you want to verify that your previous selectOption action worked as expected.

For multi-select dropdowns, you may have more than one selected value. In that case, you can fetch all selected options using:

@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
List<String> selectedValues = (List<String>) page.locator("#skills")					.evaluate("el => Array.from(el.selectedOptions).map(o => o.value)");
System.out.println("Selected values are: " + selectedValues);

This returns all selected values in a list, allowing you to validate each one individually. When working with multiple selected values, make sure your assertions check the entire list rather than only the first item. This ensures that your test accurately confirms every selected option in the dropdown.

Verify Dropdown Selection in Playwright Java

Verifying the selected option is a key step in dropdown automation because it confirms that your test actions produced the expected result. Playwright Java offers simple ways to assert the selected value or label so you can validate that the correct option is chosen. These checks help prevent false positives and ensure that your dropdown logic works correctly across different scenarios.

Here is an example of verifying a selected value using a simple assertion:

String selectedValue = page.locator("#country").inputValue();
Assert.assertEquals(selectedValue, "IN", "Selected country value is incorrect");

If you want to verify the visible label instead of the value, you can fetch the text of the selected option:

String selectedLabel = page.locator("#country option:checked").textContent();
Assert.assertEquals(selectedLabel, "United Kingdom", "Selected country label is incorrect");

For multi-select dropdowns, you can validate multiple selected values by checking them as a list:

@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
List<String> selectedValues = (List<String>) page.locator("#skills")					.evaluate("el => Array.from(el.selectedOptions).map(o => o.value)");
Assert.assertEquals(selectedValues, List.of("java", "python", "javascript"), "Selected skill values are incorrect");

Verifying by value is usually the safest choice because value attributes tend to stay stable across releases. Verifying by label makes sense when the UI text is important for the test flow or when you want to mirror real user actions. Verifying by text is useful when labels contain formatted or dynamic content. Choosing the right verification method depends on how your application is built and how often the dropdown content changes.

Conclusion

Dropdown handling is an essential part of UI test automation, and Playwright Java provides clear and reliable ways to work with them. In this guide, you learned how to use different dropdown selection methods, including selecting by value, label, and index, along with handling multi-select elements and verifying selected options. Each method has its own purpose, and choosing the right one helps you create stable and maintainable tests.

By understanding how the selectOption method works, and when to apply each selection approach, you can confidently automate complex dropdown scenarios. With these techniques, you are now well prepared to use Playwright Java select dropdown actions in your daily automation tasks.

This completes the guide. Feel free to continue exploring more Playwright Java features as you build stronger and more dependable test suites.

Aravind QA Automation Engineer & Technical Blogger

Aravind is a QA Automation Engineer and technical blogger specializing in Playwright, Selenium, and AI in software testing. He shares practical tutorials to help QA professionals improve their automation skills.

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