Can I ignore the WebElement returned through WebDriverWait and ExpectedConditions?

[Debanjan Bhattacharjee]

Hi All,

I got a simple query, what can be the ideal sequence of events if I ignore the WebElement returned through WebDriverWait and ExpectedConditions?

MVCE:

System.setProperty("webdriver.gecko.driver", "C:\\Utility\\BrowserDrivers\\geckodriver.exe");

WebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver();

driver.get("https://www.google.com/");

String xpath = "//*[@id=\"lst-ib\"]";

WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.xpath(xpath));

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);

wait.until(ExpectedConditions.elementToBeClickable(element));

element.click();

element.sendKeys("Hello Selenium");

This block works. But my question is:

As per `WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.xpath(xpath));` the element have a reference to `driver.findElement(By.xpath(xpath));`. WebDriverWait keeps the driver engaged for 10 seconds. How do `element.click();` works if `findElement()` isn't invoked again?

PS: I do believe in the best practices to use the element returned from WebDriverWait. But this is just a query.

Thanks and Regards

Debanjan Bhattacharjee