Selenium series: mixing implicit and explicit waits

In Matthew Casperson's blog post, the interaction between implicit and explicit waits in Selenium WebDriver test frameworks is explored, demonstrating how they affect the performance and outcomes of automated tests. Through a series of test scenarios, the post reveals that when both types of waits are used concurrently, the longer wait time dominates, potentially leading to unexpected test durations. The tests show that an implicit wait can inadvertently extend an explicit wait, resulting in misleading test results such as false positives. To address this issue, Casperson suggests using explicit waits exclusively, which provide more precise control over the timing of interactions by enforcing the state of an element within a specified duration, thus enhancing test reliability. The post concludes by recommending the disabling of implicit waits to fully leverage the advantages of explicit waits in automated testing, emphasizing the importance of careful wait configuration in ensuring accurate and efficient tests.