How to use Selenium WebDriver to simulate user operations in Python

When conducting web automation testing, various front-end verification mechanisms are often encountered, such as sliding bar verification, which are designed to prevent automated scripts from simulating user behavior. In this article, we will explore how to use Selenium WebDriver to simulate user operations to circumvent these verification mechanisms.

Introduction to slider verification

Slider bar verification is a common front-end security measure that requires users to drag the slider to a specific location to prove that the operator is a human rather than an automated script. This verification is a challenge for automated testing, as it requires simulating uncertainty and randomness in human behavior. For websites, frequent use of verification will affect the user experience, so most websites will only jump out of verification when they detect bot risks. We can try to simulate users to avoid this risk when we operate.

Simulate user operation strategies

1. Random delay

An important aspect when simulating human operations is the introduction of random delays. Human behavior is not uniform, but uncertain. In Selenium we can use()Functions to achieve this.

import time

((0.2, 0.4))  # Wait randomly for 0.2 to 0.4 seconds

2. No regular mouse movement

Simulating unruly mouse movements can confuse the front-end verification mechanism before clicking or entering an action. Selenium'sActionChainsClasses can be used to simulate mouse hovering and movement.

from .action_chains import ActionChains

element = browser.find_element_by_id("some-element")
ActionChains(browser).move_by_offset(50, 50).perform()  # Mouse moves 50,50 pixels

3. Segmented input

When entering text, don't send all characters at once, but enter them in segments to simulate human typing behavior. The delay speed here is very important. Some websites' front ends calculate risks based on the input speed.

username = "user_name"
for char in username:
    element.send_keys(char)
    ((0.2, 0.4))  # Random delay

4. Avoid using too fast speed

When performing operations, avoid using too fast speeds, which can cause suspicion of the slider verification mechanism.

5. Use explicit waiting

Explicit waiting is an important concept in Selenium, which waits for a certain condition to be established before continuing to execute. This can be used to wait for the element to be clickable or visible, thus avoiding exceptions caused by the element not loading.

from  import By
from  import WebDriverWait
from  import expected_conditions as EC

element = WebDriverWait(browser, 10).until(
    EC.element_to_be_clickable((, "some-id"))
)

6. Simulate complex user behavior

Before logging in or performing important operations, simulate some complex user behaviors, such as scrolling pages, clicking on irrelevant elements, etc.

# Scroll to the bottom of the pagebrowser.execute_script("(0, );")

# Click on an irrelevant elementirrelevant_element = browser.find_element_by_id("irrelevant")
irrelevant_element.click()

Example of integrated simulation operations

Here is an example that integrates the above policy, simulates the user login process and bypasses slider bar verification.

from selenium import webdriver
from  import By
from  import ActionChains
import time
import random

# Initialize WebDriver and Chrome optionsbrowser = ()
chrome_options = ()
chrome_options.add_argument("--headless")  # Enable headless mode
# Open the login page("")

# Wait for the username input box to load and simulate mouse hoverusername_input = browser.find_element(, "username")
ActionChains(browser).move_to_element(username_input).perform()
((0.5, 1.0))  # Random delay
# Enter username in segmentsusername = "user_name"
for char in username:
    username_input.send_keys(char)
    ((0.2, 0.4))  # Random delay
# Wait for the password input box to loadpassword_input = browser.find_element(, "password")
ActionChains(browser).move_to_element(password_input).perform()

# Enter password in segmentspassword = "password"
for char in password:
    password_input.send_keys(char)
    ((0.2, 0.4))

# Click the login buttonlogin_button = browser.find_element(, "login")
ActionChains(browser).move_to_element(login_button).click()

# Wait for the page to jump or further operation((1.0, 2.0))

# Close the browser()

Summarize

By simulating user operations, we can effectively avoid sliding bar verification on web pages. In practice, it may be necessary to adjust the strategy according to the specific verification mechanism.

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