JAVA Selenium Webdriver Ask where to save each file before downloading

Question

I am trying to automate file download using Selenium.

Whenever a file is received for download, i want to save that particular file to custom location and save it with custom name.

I want browser to ask to save each file so that i can provide custom path and file name dynamically.

I am able to save the file to custom directory but i could not get control on the file name. I want to use java.awt.Robot, java.awt.datatransfer.StringSelection and java.awt.Toolkit for using custom file name.

My code

ChromeOptions chromeOptions = new ChromeOptions();
HashMap<String, Object> chromePreferences = new HashMap<String, Object>();
chromePreferences.put("profile.default_content_settings.popups", 0);
chromePreferences.put("download.default_directory", browserDownloadDirectoryPath);
chromePreferences.put("safebrowsing.enabled", "true");
chromeOptions.setExperimentalOption("prefs", chromePreferences);
chromeOptions.addArguments("--test-type");
chromeDesiredCapabilities = DesiredCapabilities.chrome();
chromeDesiredCapabilities.setCapability(ChromeOptions.CAPABILITY, chromeOptions);

This is saving file to custom folder.

If the browser ask for file saving, i want to use Robot Class to send path.

StringSelection stringSelection = new StringSelection(
                "<file path>" + "<file name>");
Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getSystemClipboard()
                .setContents(stringSelection, null);

Robot robot = new Robot();

robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_CONTROL);
robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_V);
robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_V);
robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_CONTROL);
robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_TAB);
robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_TAB);
robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN);
robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN);
robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN);
robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN);
robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_TAB);
robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_TAB);
robot.keyPress(KeyEvent.VK_ENTER);
robot.keyRelease(KeyEvent.VK_ENTER);

Kindly provide a solution to force browser to ask to save file.

For Firefox, we have about:config to see all preferences for the browser. Do we have something like this for other browsers as well?

Can you check this out and see whether there is a similar Java counterpart. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18954686/how-to-download-file-using-selenium — mootmoot, Apr 25 '16 at 14:26

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 19:15

A better way would be to setup chrome to automatically download the file, then wait for a new file to appear and finally rename it.

Here is an example to download a PDF by clicking on a link and then rename it to "mydocument.pdf" :

// define the download folder
Path download_folder = Paths.get(System.getProperty("user.home") + "/Downloads");

// define the preferences
HashMap<String, Object> prefs = new HashMap<String, Object>();
prefs.put("download.default_directory", download_folder.toAbsolutePath());
prefs.put("download.prompt_for_download", false);
prefs.put("download.directory_upgrade", true);
prefs.put("plugins.plugins_disabled", new String[]{"Chrome PDF Viewer"});

// define the options
HashMap<String, Object> options = new HashMap<String, Object>();
options.put("prefs", prefs);

// define the capabilities
DesiredCapabilities capabilities = DesiredCapabilities.chrome();
capabilities.setCapability("chromeOptions", options);

// start the driver
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(capabilities);

// click on a PDF link
driver.get("http://www.adobe.com/legal/terms.html");
driver.findElement(By.linkText("Adobe Creative SDK")).click();

// wait for the PDF to be downloaded
File file = WaitForNewFile(download_folder, ".pdf", 60);

// rename the downloaded file
file.renameTo(download_folder.resolve("mydocument.pdf").toFile());

// quit
driver.quit();

And for the file waiter :

/**
 * Waits for a new file to be downloaded with a file watcher
 */
public static File WaitForNewFile(Path folder, String extension, int timeout_sec) throws InterruptedException, IOException {
    long end_time = System.currentTimeMillis() + timeout_sec * 1000;
    try (WatchService watcher = FileSystems.getDefault().newWatchService()) {
        folder.register(watcher, StandardWatchEventKinds.ENTRY_MODIFY);
        for (WatchKey key; null != (key = watcher.poll(end_time - System.currentTimeMillis(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)); key.reset()) {
            for (WatchEvent<?> event : key.pollEvents()) {
                File file = folder.resolve(((WatchEvent<Path>)event).context()).toFile();
                if (file.toString().toLowerCase().endsWith(extension.toLowerCase()))
                    return file;
            }
        }
    }
    return null;
}

i do not know which type of file will be downloaded. what do i do then? — Venkatesh, Apr 26 '16 at 02:09
For a description of the preferences: https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/master/chrome/common/pref_names.cc — Florent B., Apr 26 '16 at 07:55
This works really well for me if you do not have a specific url (which is my case, a button click downloads the PDF from a generic url) for the pdf but if you DO have a specific url, the solution described in the FileDownloader here works very well too: http://ardesco.lazerycode.com/index.php/2012/07/how-to-download-files-with-selenium-and-why-you-shouldnt/ — Noctiluque, Sep 17 '16 at 01:21

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 14:54

Set the desired capability for chrome browser.

  String downloadFilepath = "your path to save file";
  HashMap<String, Object> chromePrefs = new HashMap<String, Object>();
  chromePrefs.put("profile.default_content_settings.popups", 0);
  chromePrefs.put("download.default_directory", downloadFilepath);
  ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
  options.setExperimentalOption("prefs", chromePrefs);
  DesiredCapabilities cap = DesiredCapabilities.chrome();
  cap.setCapability(CapabilityType.ACCEPT_SSL_CERTS, true);
  cap.setCapability(ChromeOptions.CAPABILITY, options);
  WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(cap);

JAVA Selenium Webdriver Ask where to save each file before downloading

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