Interactive Barking Log: Fill & Download for Free

Why do we need to create the driver object withWebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver(); WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(); and not withWebDriver driver = new WebDriver(); ?Assuming that this line works (it doesn’t but lets assume it does)WebDriver driver = new WebDriver(); what is the browser that the driver is created for?Is it Chrome?Is it Firefox?Is it Internet Explorer?There is nothing that is tied to a specific browser.We cannot create a generic driver that works for all browsers.Each browser has its own driver:Chrome uses the driver from chromedriver.exe fileFirefox uses the driver from a Firefox extension included in the Selenium jar filesIE uses the driver from the IEDriverServer.exe fileSo, when creating the driver, you have to specify somehow which driver you need (for which browser).Going back toWebDriver driver = new WebDriver(); this line of code does not work because WebDriver is not a class but an interface.What is the difference between a class and an interface?A Java class contains fields (variables) and methods (with code).A Java interface contains only methods signatures (names, parameters, exceptions, no code).A Java interface is implemented by a class (see below) and it defines the methods that the class implements.For example, the Animal interface only declares methods signatures:interface Animal {  public void eat();  public void move(); } There is no code for the eat() and move() methods because the Animal interface is generic and works for all animals.It cannot have code for the eat() method becausedogs eat different than cats andcats eat different than giraffesAn interface is implemented by a class.This means that the class will have all methods of the interface.The class is usually about a specific concept (dog, cat, etc).Lets take the Dog class.Since we know how dogs eat and move, we can specify the code for the eat() and move() methods.The Dog class may have additional methods that are valid only for dogs but not for other animals:public class Dog implements Animal {   public void eat() {  System.out.println("dog eats");  }   public void move() {  System.out.println("dog moves");  }    public void bark() {  System.out.println("dog barks");  }   public void wagTail() {  System.out.println("dog wags tail");  } } The same interface can be implemented by other classes such as Cat:public class Cat implements Animal {   public void eat() {  System.out.println("dog eats");  }   public void move() {  System.out.println("dog moves");  }    public void meow() {  System.out.println("cat meows");  }   public void purr() {  System.out.println("cat purrs");  } } How do we create objects for the interface and classes that implement it?Animal animal = new Animal(); animal.eat(); animal.move(); will not work because Animal is an interface.animal.eat() or animal.move() cannot work since these methods are not implemented in the Animal interface.Dog sparky = new Dog(); sparky.eat(); sparky.move(); sparky.wagsTail(); sparky.bark(); works because all these methods are implemented (have code) in the Dog class.Cat chic = new Cat(); chic.eat(); chic.move(); chic.meow(); chic.purr(); works because all these methods are implemented in the Cat class.Interestingly, the following code works as well:Animal sparky = new Dog(); sparky.eat(); sparky.move();  Animal chic = new Cat(); chic.eat(); chic.move(); Why does it work?To put it simply, a dog is an animal and so is a cat.What you saw is called polymorphism.What about the driver object?It should be clear now whyWebDriver driver = new WebDriver(); does not work.WebDriver is an interface with the following method signatures:package org.openqa.selenium; import org.openqa.selenium.logging.Logs; import org.openqa.selenium.logging.LoggingPreferences; import java.net.URL; import java.util.List; import java.util.Set; import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;  public interface WebDriver extends SearchContext {   void get(String url);  String getCurrentUrl();  String getTitle();  List<WebElement> findElements(By by);  WebElement findElement(By by);  String getPageSource();  void close();  void quit();  Set<String> getWindowHandles();  String getWindowHandle();  TargetLocator switchTo();  Navigation navigate();  Options manage();   interface Options {  void addCookie(Cookie cookie);  void deleteCookieNamed(String name);  void deleteCookie(Cookie cookie);  void deleteAllCookies();  Set<Cookie> getCookies();  Cookie getCookieNamed(String name);  Timeouts timeouts();  ImeHandler ime();  Window window();   @Beta  Logs logs();  }   interface Timeouts {  Timeouts implicitlyWait(long time, TimeUnit unit);  Timeouts setScriptTimeout(long time, TimeUnit unit);  Timeouts pageLoadTimeout(long time, TimeUnit unit);  }   interface TargetLocator {  WebDriver frame(int index);  WebDriver frame(String nameOrId);  WebDriver frame(WebElement frameElement);  WebDriver parentFrame();  WebDriver window(String nameOrHandle);  WebDriver defaultContent();  WebElement activeElement();  Alert alert();  }   interface Navigation {   void back();  void forward();  void to(String url);  void to(URL url);  void refresh();  }   interface ImeHandler {  List<String> getAvailableEngines();  String getActiveEngine();  boolean isActivated();  void deactivate();  void activateEngine(String engine);  }   @Beta  interface Window {  void setSize(Dimension targetSize);  void setPosition(Point targetPosition);  Dimension getSize();  Point getPosition();  void maximize();  void fullscreen();  } } To create a driver object, you need to use a specific class such as FirefoxDriver or ChromeDriver.Do these classes implement the WebDriver interface?They do not.These are the signatures of the FirefoxDriver and ChromeDriver classes:public class FirefoxDriver extends RemoteWebDriver   implements Killable   public class ChromeDriver extends RemoteWebDriver  implements LocationContext, WebStorage  They inherit from the RemoteWebDriver class which implements the WebDriver interface:public class RemoteWebDriver   implements WebDriver,   JavascriptExecutor,  FindsById,   FindsByClassName,   FindsByLinkText,   FindsByName,  FindsByCssSelector,   FindsByTagName,   FindsByXPath,  HasInputDevices,   HasCapabilities,   TakesScreenshot  So,FirefoxDriver extends RemoteWebDriver implements WebDriver.ChromeDriver extends RemoteWebDriver implements WebDriver.Because of thisWebDriver driver = new FirefoxDriver(); WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();  works.Once the driver object is created, it is a driver either for Firefox or Chrome so it will interact with that browser.

For instruction to work using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or other video conferencing software, there must be a conversation between the instructor and the students. The instructor must call upon every single student, multiple times, during each lesson. If there are too many students for that to be feasible, then the wrong tool is being used. Zoom et al are for back and forth interaction. If the interaction isn’t there - just record a video and have the students download to watch at their convenience. Do not drone on in Zoom et al.I’ve had to teach five lessons using Microsoft Teams, during this pandemic. It wasn’t fun. So much is lost by not being face-to-face. But we got through it. We got through it by keeping everyone engaged and participating. That meant less questions thrown out to everyone and more questions targeted at individuals. A question thrown out to the “room” in general just results in a long period of silence. I had to come up with new activities. I had the students split into groups and gave them time to address the challenges I set for them, using sub-teams where they could converse with each other.Using just my laptop, I couldn’t see the students while I was teaching them. My PowerPoint set to slideshow filled my screen. And since they are muted unless they want to say something, that meant a lot of uncomfortable silence in places where I expected laughter. It also meant I couldn’t use the skills I’ve developed, as an instructor, of reading the class’s body language and facial expressions and vocal patterns to gauge whether the class is working. Those skills allow me to automatically, and largely subconsciously, adjust the way I’m teaching to adapt to the needs of the students. All of that was gone. I felt blinded. The only way to adapt was to get them talking.It was important for me to give the students more breaks. In the classroom, I would usually give them one break each hour. Online, I gave them two breaks each hour.I’m opposed to teaching while seated. In the classroom, it lowers the energy so much. While teaching online, it helped me to have my laptop on a high kitchen counter so that I could stand.I also oppose slides that are primarily text. I abhor the use of bullets in lessons. Even more than in the classroom, the slides used in Zoom/Teams lessons need to be graphical. If the students have to sit and stare at their screens for two hours, they have to be given interesting things to look at.Using the internet is unreliable. In two of those five lessons, my home lost its internet for a period of time. Because of increased loading, my local internet was dropping to a crawl in the mid-afternoon. As an emergency backup, I logged into the Teams call on my phone, also. So I could at least talk to them when the internet connection sucked. I recommend doing that. Students also periodically vanished from the call when their internet failed.If you’re using a cheap work-provided laptop, use headphones. We had so many problems of peoples’ voices dropping off because they turned their heads away from the laptop’s directional mic.One thing I could do nothing about was the distractions in the students’ homes - the screaming kids, barking dogs, needy spouses, and lawn-mowing-neighbors. We just have to tolerate those realities.The feedback says the students enjoyed the lessons and believe they learned from them, but I am confident they got less than they would have in a proper lesson.

For me, my introversion goes hand in hand with how I process external stimuli… the more that is going on, the more my energy “battery” gets drained… whether that be by conversations, sounds, lights, smells, or combinations thereof.It is like driving over a bumpy road, with heavy music as loud as it can go while staring straight into the sun, and someone keeps bopping you in the face with a balloon… while trying to have an emotional conversation that requires your opinion and emotional investiture. Every single day.So I modify my behaviour and develop coping mechanisms… like minimizing the external stimuli, ensuring I get enough “me time” to recharge, wear noise cancelling headphones, etc.There are such subtle beauties about this… have you ever felt such deep joy watching bright red ladybugs on a rough, black log? The scent of the hot bark and bugs in the warm sun (yes, ladybugs smell)? Watching their whirling little social interactions of their self-important lives?You might argue that I am just a “highly sensitive person” with Sensory Processing Disorder. Perhaps I have a little bit of that disorder. But if I just so happened to lose said disorder, I won’t simply just “become” an extrovert.