Selenium ChromeDriver C# (How it Works For Developers)

In this tutorial, we will dive into the powerful combination of Selenium ChromeDriver and Selenium WebDriver for automating tasks in the Google Chrome browser and IronPDF for converting web content into PDFs. This guide is tailored for beginners, aiming to provide a solid foundation in both technologies.

Selenium ChromeDriver is a key component in web automation, especially for Google Chrome users. It's a standalone server that enables automated control of Chrome version sessions, making it an essential tool for testing and automating web browsers with or without headless mode. With Selenium ChromeDriver, tasks like opening new tabs, navigating to URLs, and interacting with web elements become programmable and repeatable.

IronPDF offers the capability to transform online pages into PDF documents. Whether you're looking to capture the state of a web page for documentation, reporting, or archiving purposes, IronPDF provides a seamless solution. It integrates effortlessly with Selenium, allowing you to convert the automation results into a fixed format.

Setting Up Selenium ChromeDriver

Selenium ChromeDriver is essential for web automation in C#. This section guides you through the installation process and initial configuration, setting the foundation for automated Chrome browser interactions.

Installation Steps

NuGet Package: Install Selenium WebDriver and ChromeDriver through NuGet in Visual Studio. Search for 'Selenium.WebDriver' and 'Selenium.WebDriver.ChromeDriver' and add them to your project.

Matching Chrome Version: Ensure you have the correct and latest ChromeDriver version, which can automatically download the version matching your Chrome browser through NuGet.

Basic Configuration

System Path: After installation, ChromeDriver.exe is located in your project's bin folder. You may need to add this separate executable to your system's path.

Default Settings: In C#, instantiate a new ChromeDriver object which will enable automation. This launches a new Chrome browser instance with default configurations. This instantiation uses the default configuration version of ChromeDriver, which is sufficient for most basic automation tasks.

Example: Launching Chrome

using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;

public class ChromeAutomation
{
    public void StartChrome()
    {
        // Initialize ChromeDriver
        var driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Navigate to the specified URL
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://www.ironpdf.com");

        // Additional actions can be implemented here

        // Close the browser after tasks are complete
        driver.Quit();
    }
}

using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;

public class ChromeAutomation
{
    public void StartChrome()
    {
        // Initialize ChromeDriver
        var driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Navigate to the specified URL
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://www.ironpdf.com");

        // Additional actions can be implemented here

        // Close the browser after tasks are complete
        driver.Quit();
    }
}

This code snippet demonstrates how to launch Chrome using Selenium WebDriver, a fundamental step in web automation.

Basic Automation with ChromeDriver

Once you have set up Selenium ChromeDriver in your C# project, the next step is to automate interactions with web pages. This basic automation will demonstrate how you can use ChromeDriver to navigate, search, and interact with elements on a web page.

Launching and Navigating in Chrome

Opening a URL: Use the Navigate().GoToUrl() method to open web pages.

Interacting with Web Elements: Locate elements using various methods like FindElement() and perform actions like clicking or entering text.

Example: Searching on a Web Page

using OpenQA.Selenium;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;

public class WebSearch
{
    public void PerformSearch()
    {
        // Initialize ChromeDriver
        var driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Navigate to Google
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://www.google.com");

        // Locate the search box by its name attribute
        var searchBox = driver.FindElement(By.Name("q"));

        // Enter search text
        searchBox.SendKeys("Selenium ChromeDriver");

        // Submit the search
        searchBox.Submit();

        // Additional actions or validation can be performed here

        // Close the browser after tasks are complete
        driver.Quit();
    }
}

using OpenQA.Selenium;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;

public class WebSearch
{
    public void PerformSearch()
    {
        // Initialize ChromeDriver
        var driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Navigate to Google
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://www.google.com");

        // Locate the search box by its name attribute
        var searchBox = driver.FindElement(By.Name("q"));

        // Enter search text
        searchBox.SendKeys("Selenium ChromeDriver");

        // Submit the search
        searchBox.Submit();

        // Additional actions or validation can be performed here

        // Close the browser after tasks are complete
        driver.Quit();
    }
}

In this example, Chrome Driver navigates to Google, finds the search box, enters a query, and submits the search. This demonstrates a simple yet common automation task.

It is the output Google Chrome browser:

Introduction to IronPDF

IronPDF is a versatile library in C# that allows for the conversion of HTML content to PDF documents. Its integration into Selenium ChromeDriver workflows enables the capturing and conversion of web pages into PDF format, making it an ideal tool for documentation and reporting.

A prominent feature of IronPDF is its HTML to PDF Conversion capability, ensuring layouts and styles are intact. This function turns web content into PDFs, which is perfect for reports, invoices, and documentation. It supports converting HTML files, URLs, and HTML strings to PDFs.

using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Initialize the PDF renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // 1. Convert HTML String to PDF
        var htmlContent = "<h1>Hello, IronPDF!</h1><p>This is a PDF from an HTML string.</p>";
        var pdfFromHtmlString = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
        pdfFromHtmlString.SaveAs("HTMLStringToPDF.pdf");

        // 2. Convert HTML File to PDF
        var htmlFilePath = "path_to_your_html_file.html"; // Specify the path to your HTML file
        var pdfFromHtmlFile = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf(htmlFilePath);
        pdfFromHtmlFile.SaveAs("HTMLFileToPDF.pdf");

        // 3. Convert URL to PDF
        var url = "http://ironpdf.com"; // Specify the URL
        var pdfFromUrl = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);
        pdfFromUrl.SaveAs("URLToPDF.pdf");
    }
}

using IronPdf;

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Initialize the PDF renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // 1. Convert HTML String to PDF
        var htmlContent = "<h1>Hello, IronPDF!</h1><p>This is a PDF from an HTML string.</p>";
        var pdfFromHtmlString = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(htmlContent);
        pdfFromHtmlString.SaveAs("HTMLStringToPDF.pdf");

        // 2. Convert HTML File to PDF
        var htmlFilePath = "path_to_your_html_file.html"; // Specify the path to your HTML file
        var pdfFromHtmlFile = renderer.RenderHtmlFileAsPdf(htmlFilePath);
        pdfFromHtmlFile.SaveAs("HTMLFileToPDF.pdf");

        // 3. Convert URL to PDF
        var url = "http://ironpdf.com"; // Specify the URL
        var pdfFromUrl = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);
        pdfFromUrl.SaveAs("URLToPDF.pdf");
    }
}

Get started with IronPDF

Install IronPDF Library

Install Using NuGet Package Manager

To integrate IronPDF into your Selenium ChromeDriver C# project using the NuGet Package manager, follow these steps:

1. Open Visual Studio and in the solution explorer, right-click on your project.
2. Choose “Manage NuGet packages…” from the context menu.
3. Go to the browse tab and search IronPDF.
4. Select IronPDF library from the search results and click install button.
5. Accept any license agreement prompt.

If you want to include IronPDF in your project via the Package manager console, then execute the following command in Package Manager Console:

Install-Package IronPdf

It’ll fetch and install IronPDF into your project.

Install Using NuGet Website

For a detailed overview of IronPDF, including its features, compatibility, and additional download options, visit the NuGet IronPDF Package Page.

Install Via DLL

Alternatively, you can incorporate IronPDF directly into your project using its DLL file. Download the ZIP file containing the DLL from this IronPDF ZIP Download. Unzip it, and include the DLL in your project.

Example: Basic PDF Creation

using IronPdf;

public class PdfCreation
{
    public void CreatePdfFromHtml()
    {
        // Initialize the PDF renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Convert simple HTML string to PDF
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello, IronPDF!</h1>");

        // Save the PDF to a file
        pdf.SaveAs("HelloIronPDF.pdf");
    }
}

using IronPdf;

public class PdfCreation
{
    public void CreatePdfFromHtml()
    {
        // Initialize the PDF renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Convert simple HTML string to PDF
        var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello, IronPDF!</h1>");

        // Save the PDF to a file
        pdf.SaveAs("HelloIronPDF.pdf");
    }
}

In this example, a simple HTML string is converted into a PDF document using IronPDF, illustrating the ease with which web content can be transformed into a fixed document format.

Integrating Selenium ChromeDriver with IronPDF

In this section, we integrate Selenium ChromeDriver with IronPDF in C#, a combination that allows for automated web content capture and its conversion into PDF format. This integration is particularly useful for creating reports, archiving web pages, or gathering data from various websites.

Automating Web Browsing with ChromeDriver

Web Page Navigation: Use Selenium ChromeDriver to navigate to and interact with web pages. This could involve filling out forms, navigating through search results, or accessing specific URLs.

Converting Web Content to PDF with IronPDF

Capturing Web Pages as PDFs: After navigating to the desired web content using ChromeDriver, use IronPDF to convert the current web page view into a PDF document.

Example: Web to PDF Conversion

using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;
using IronPdf;

public class WebPageToPdf
{
    public void ConvertToPdf(string url)
    {
        // Initialize ChromeDriver to automate browsing
        var driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Navigate to the specified URL
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl(url);

        // Initialize the PDF renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Convert the web page at the URL to PDF
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);

        // Save the PDF to a file
        pdf.SaveAs("WebContent.pdf");

        // Close the browser after tasks are complete
        driver.Quit();
    }
}

using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;
using IronPdf;

public class WebPageToPdf
{
    public void ConvertToPdf(string url)
    {
        // Initialize ChromeDriver to automate browsing
        var driver = new ChromeDriver();

        // Navigate to the specified URL
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl(url);

        // Initialize the PDF renderer
        var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

        // Convert the web page at the URL to PDF
        var pdf = renderer.RenderUrlAsPdf(url);

        // Save the PDF to a file
        pdf.SaveAs("WebContent.pdf");

        // Close the browser after tasks are complete
        driver.Quit();
    }
}

In this example, ChromeDriver navigates to a specified URL, and IronPDF captures the webpage and converts it into a PDF. This demonstrates how to automate web browsing and document generation.

Conclusion

As we wrap up this tutorial, you've learned how to harness the power of Selenium ChromeDriver for automating web interactions in the Chrome browser and IronPDF for converting web content into PDF documents in C#. This combination unlocks a multitude of possibilities for automated reporting, data archiving, and content management within your C# applications. Explore IronPDF's capabilities with a free trial of IronPDF, with licenses starting at just $749.