Cannot invoke “org.openqa.selenium.searchcontext.findelement(org.openqa.selenium.by)” because “this.searchcontext” is null

This error message indicates that you are trying to invoke the “findElement” method on a null object. In other words, the “searchContext” object is null and cannot be used to find elements using the “By” locator strategy.

To resolve this issue, you need to ensure that the “searchContext” object is properly initialized before calling the “findElement” method. This can be done by either instantiating a new “searchContext” object or by assigning an existing “searchContext” object to the variable.

Here is an example to illustrate the problem and its solution:

    // Example code with the error
    WebDriver driver;
    WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("example-id"));
    
    // To fix the error, ensure the "searchContext" object is not null
    // Option 1: Create a new WebDriver instance
    WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
    WebElement element = driver.findElement(By.id("example-id"));
    
    // Option 2: Assign an existing WebDriver instance
    WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
    WebDriver searchContext = driver;
    WebElement element = searchContext.findElement(By.id("example-id"));
  

In the first example, the error occurs because the “driver” object is null or has not been instantiated. In the second example, a new WebDriver instance is created to ensure that the “driver” object is not null. In the third example, the “driver” object is properly assigned to the “searchContext” variable, which allows the “findElement” method to be invoked successfully.