How to Resolve Stale Element Reference Exception in Selenium WebDriver?

How can I fix the Stale Element Reference Exception in Selenium WebDriver while testing a JSF Primefaces application?

import org.openqa.selenium.StaleElementReferenceException;

The Stale Element Reference Exception occurs in Selenium when the web element being interacted with becomes detached from the DOM after it is found. This can be particularly common when the page is reloaded or updated. To successfully handle this in your tests, here are some strategies to consider.

WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10);
WebElement textElement = wait.until(ExpectedConditions.presenceOfElementLocated(By.name("createForm:dateInput_input"))); 
textElement.sendKeys("24/04/2023");

Causes

• The web page was refreshed or navigated away from, causing the previously found element to become stale.
• Dynamic page content changes due to AJAX calls or JavaScript execution, leading to re-rendering of elements in the DOM.

Solutions

• Re-locate the web element just before interacting with it again after waiting for it to be present.
• Implement retry logic to attempt finding the element multiple times when a stale element is encountered.
• Use WebDriverWait to ensure that the element is available before any action is taken.

Mistake: Not waiting long enough for AJAX elements to finish loading, causing attempts to access stale elements.

Solution: Implement WebDriverWait to ensure elements are present before interacting.

Mistake: Re-using stale elements without re-fetching them from the DOM, leading to errors.

Solution: Always re-fetch the element right before you perform operations on it.