Async Element Actions with Virtual Threads

SHAFT Engine exposes an async API via driver.async().element() that leverages Java 21 Virtual Threads to perform element actions concurrently without blocking the main test thread. This is particularly useful when populating forms or executing independent actions that do not depend on each other.

info

Async element actions require Java 21 or later. Ensure your project targets --release 21 (or higher) in your pom.xml compiler configuration.

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When to Use Async Actions

Use async actions when:

• You need to fill in multiple form fields that are all already visible on screen.
• You want to run parallel interactions that do not depend on each other's results.
• You are optimising test execution time in long form-filling or data-entry scenarios.

warning

Do not use async actions for sequential interactions where the result of one action must precede the next (for example, typing in a field that only appears after clicking a button).

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Available Actions

The driver.async().element() fluent API supports the same actions as the synchronous driver.element() API, including:

• type(By locator, String text)
• click(By locator)
• select(By locator, String option)
• captureScreenshot(By locator)

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Synchronizing Async Actions

After scheduling async actions you must call one of the synchronization methods to wait for completion before proceeding:

Method	Description
synchronize()	Waits for all scheduled async actions to finish
join()	Alias for synchronize()
sync()	Alias for synchronize()

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Examples

Parallel Form Fill

AsyncActions.java

// Perform multiple actions in parallel using virtual threads
driver.async().element()
    .type(By.id("firstName"), "John")
    .type(By.id("lastName"), "Doe")
    .type(By.id("email"), "john.doe@example.com")
    .select(By.id("country"), "United States")
    .synchronize(); // Wait for all async actions to complete

Click and Screenshot

AsyncActions.java

// Alternative sync methods: .join() or .sync()
driver.async().element()
    .click(By.id("submitBtn"))
    .captureScreenshot(By.id("confirmationMessage"))
    .join();

Complete Test Example

AsyncFormTest.java

import com.shaft.driver.SHAFT;
import org.openqa.selenium.By;
import org.testng.annotations.AfterMethod;
import org.testng.annotations.BeforeMethod;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

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

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

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

        // Fill all visible fields concurrently
        driver.async().element()
            .type(By.id("firstName"), "John")
            .type(By.id("lastName"), "Doe")
            .type(By.id("email"), "john.doe@example.com")
            .type(By.id("phone"), "+1234567890")
            .select(By.id("country"), "United States")
            .synchronize();

        // Continue with sequential actions
        driver.element().click(By.id("submitBtn"));
        driver.assertThat(By.id("successMsg")).text().contains("Registration complete").perform();
    }

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

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tip

Pair async element actions with SHAFT's fluent assertion API after synchronization to keep your tests both fast and readable.