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Element Validations

assertThat vs verifyThat​

assertThat (Hard)verifyThat (Soft)
Failure behaviourStops the test immediatelyContinues; collects all failures
Use forBusiness-critical checkpointsMultiple validations in one test
tip

Always call .perform() at the end of every validation chain — without it the validation will not execute.

Text Validations​

text().isEqualTo()​

TextEquals.java
driver.assertThat(locator).text().isEqualTo("Add to cart").perform();
driver.verifyThat(locator).text().isEqualTo("Add to cart").perform();

text().contains()​

TextContains.java
driver.assertThat(locator).text().contains("Welcome").perform();

text().equalsIgnoringCaseSensitivity()​

TextEqualsIgnoreCase.java
driver.assertThat(locator).text().equalsIgnoringCaseSensitivity("SHAFT ENGINE").perform();

textTrimmed()​

Validates text after stripping leading and trailing whitespace:

TextTrimmed.java
driver.assertThat(locator).textTrimmed().isEqualTo("Hello World").perform();

Existence & Visibility​

exists() / doesNotExist()​

Existence.java
driver.assertThat(locator).exists().perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).doesNotExist().perform();

isVisible() / isHidden()​

Visibility.java
driver.assertThat(locator).isVisible().perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).isHidden().perform();

Element State​

isEnabled() / isDisabled()​

EnabledDisabled.java
driver.assertThat(locator).isEnabled().perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).isDisabled().perform();

isSelected() / isNotSelected()​

SelectedNotSelected.java
driver.assertThat(locator).isSelected().perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).isNotSelected().perform();

isChecked() / isNotChecked()​

CheckedNotChecked.java
driver.assertThat(locator).isChecked().perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).isNotChecked().perform();

Attribute & CSS Validations​

attribute()​

Attribute.java
driver.assertThat(locator).attribute("class").contains("active").perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).attribute("href").isEqualTo("https://example.com").perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).attribute("aria-label").contains("Submit").perform();

cssProperty()​

CssProperty.java
driver.assertThat(locator).cssProperty("color").contains("rgb(0, 128, 0)").perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).cssProperty("display").isEqualTo("none").perform();

Visual Validation​

matchesReferenceImage()​

On the first run, SHAFT saves a baseline screenshot. On subsequent runs it compares against the baseline.

VisualValidation.java
driver.assertThat(locator).matchesReferenceImage().perform();
driver.assertThat(locator).doesNotMatchReferenceImage().perform();

Baseline images are saved in src/test/resources/DynamicObjectRepository/. See Visual Testing → for engine options.

Custom Report Messages​

Add a business-readable message to any validation:

CustomMessage.java
driver.assertThat(By.id("cart-badge"))
      .text().isEqualTo("3")
      .withCustomReportMessage("Cart should contain exactly 3 items after adding the product")
      .perform();

Complete Example​

src/test/java/tests/CheckoutValidationTest.java
import com.shaft.driver.SHAFT;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.testng.annotations.*;

public class CheckoutValidationTest {
    private SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver driver;

    private final By addToCartBtn  = By.cssSelector("[data-test='add-to-cart']");
    private final By cartBadge     = By.className("shopping_cart_badge");
    private final By checkoutBtn   = By.id("checkout");
    private final By orderSummary  = By.id("order-summary");
    private final By placeOrderBtn = By.id("place-order");

    @Test
    public void checkoutFlow() {
        driver.browser().navigateToURL("https://example.com/products");

        // Add item and check badge
        driver.element().click(addToCartBtn);
        driver.assertThat(cartBadge)
              .text().isEqualTo("1")
              .withCustomReportMessage("Cart badge must show 1 after adding an item")
              .perform();

        // Proceed to checkout
        driver.element().click(checkoutBtn);
        driver.assertThat().browser().url().contains("/checkout").perform();

        // Verify order summary is displayed
        driver.assertThat(orderSummary)
              .isVisible()
              .withCustomReportMessage("Order summary must be visible on checkout page")
              .perform();

        // Verify place order button is enabled
        driver.assertThat(placeOrderBtn)
              .isEnabled()
              .withCustomReportMessage("Place Order button must be enabled")
              .perform();
    }

    @BeforeMethod
    public void setup() {
        driver = new SHAFT.GUI.WebDriver();
    }

    @AfterMethod
    public void teardown() {
        driver.quit();
    }
}

See Also​