locator - Stagehand

Page

Learn about the Page object that creates locators

Overview

The Locator class provides precise element interaction capabilities. It resolves CSS or XPath selectors within a frame and performs low-level actions using Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP). Create a locator through the page object:

const stagehand = new Stagehand({ env: "LOCAL" });
await stagehand.init();
const page = stagehand.context.pages()[0];

// Create a locator
const button = page.locator("button.submit");
await button.click();

Key Features

Lazy resolution - Selectors are resolved fresh on each action
Isolated execution - Runs in an isolated world, separate from page scripts
CDP-based - Uses Chrome DevTools Protocol for reliable interactions
Automatic cleanup - Releases remote objects automatically
Iframe support - Works seamlessly with iframes and shadow DOM

Interaction Methods

click()

Click the element at its visual center.

await locator.click(options?: ClickOptions): Promise<void>

button

"left" | "right" | "middle"

Mouse button to use for the click.Default: "left"

clickCount

number

Number of consecutive clicks (for double-click, triple-click).Default: 1

The method:

Scrolls element into view
Gets element geometry
Moves mouse to center
Dispatches mousePressed and mouseReleased events

fill()

Fill an input, textarea, or contenteditable element.

await locator.fill(value: string): Promise<void>

value

string

required

The text value to fill into the element.

The method intelligently handles different input types:

Uses native value setter for special inputs (date, number, etc.)
Types text character-by-character for regular inputs
Clears existing content before filling

type()

Type text into the element with optional delay between keystrokes.

await locator.type(text: string, options?: TypeOptions): Promise<void>

text

string

required

The text to type.

delay

number

Delay in milliseconds between each keystroke.If not specified, uses Input.insertText for efficiency.

hover()

Move the mouse cursor to the element’s center without clicking.

await locator.hover(): Promise<void>

Scrolls the element into view and dispatches a mouse move event.

selectOption()

Select one or more options in a <select> element.

await locator.selectOption(values: string | string[]): Promise<string[]>

values

string | string[]

required

Option value(s) to select. For multi-select elements, pass an array.

Returns: Promise<string[]> - Array of values that were actually selected.

setInputFiles()

Set files on an <input type="file"> element.

await locator.setInputFiles(files: FileInput): Promise<void>

files

string | string[] | FilePayload | FilePayload[]

required

File paths or file payloads to upload.File Path: Absolute or relative path to a fileFile Payload: Object with { name, mimeType, buffer }

FilePayload Interface:

interface FilePayload {
  name: string;
  mimeType: string;
  buffer: ArrayBuffer | Uint8Array | Buffer | string;
}

Pass an empty array to clear the file selection.

State Methods

isVisible()

Check if the element is visible.

await locator.isVisible(): Promise<boolean>

Returns: Promise<boolean> - true if element is attached and visible.

isChecked()

Check if a checkbox or radio button is checked.

await locator.isChecked(): Promise<boolean>

Returns: Promise<boolean> - true if checked. Also considers aria-checked for ARIA widgets.

inputValue()

Get the current value of an input element.

await locator.inputValue(): Promise<string>

Returns: Promise<string> - The element’s input value. Works with: <input>, <textarea>, <select>, contenteditable elements.

textContent()

Get the element’s text content (raw).

await locator.textContent(): Promise<string>

Returns: Promise<string> - The element’s textContent property.

innerText()

Get the element’s visible text (layout-aware).

await locator.innerText(): Promise<string>

Returns: Promise<string> - The element’s innerText property.

innerHtml()

Get the element’s HTML content.

await locator.innerHtml(): Promise<string>

Returns: Promise<string> - The element’s innerHtml.

Selection Methods

count()

Get the number of elements matching the selector.

await locator.count(): Promise<number>

Returns: Promise<number> - Count of matching elements.

nth()

Get a locator for the element at a specific index.

locator.nth(index: number): Locator

index

number

required

Zero-based index of the element to select.

Returns: Locator - New locator targeting the nth element.

// Get the third button
const thirdButton = page.locator("button").nth(2);
await thirdButton.click();

first()

Get a locator for the first matching element.

locator.first(): Locator

Returns: Locator - Returns the same locator (querySelector already returns first match).

Utility Methods

highlight()

Visually highlight the element with an overlay.

await locator.highlight(options?: HighlightOptions): Promise<void>

durationMs

number

How long to display the highlight in milliseconds.Default: 800

borderColor

{ r, g, b, a? }

Border color RGBA values (0-255).Default: { r: 255, g: 0, b: 0, a: 0.9 } (red)

contentColor

{ r, g, b, a? }

Content fill color RGBA values (0-255).Default: { r: 255, g: 200, b: 0, a: 0.2 } (yellow)

Useful for debugging and visual verification.

scrollTo()

Scroll the element to a specific position.

await locator.scrollTo(percent: number | string): Promise<void>

percent

number | string

required

Scroll position as percentage (0-100).

For <html> or <body> elements, scrolls the window. Otherwise, scrolls the element itself.

centroid()

Get the center coordinates of the element.

await locator.centroid(): Promise<{ x: number; y: number }>

Returns: Promise<{ x, y }> - Center point in CSS pixels.

backendNodeId()

Get the DOM backend node ID for the element.

await locator.backendNodeId(): Promise<BackendNodeId>

Returns: Promise<BackendNodeId> - Unique identifier for the DOM node. Useful for identity comparisons without maintaining element handles.

sendClickEvent()

Dispatch a DOM click event directly on the element.

await locator.sendClickEvent(options?: EventOptions): Promise<void>

bubbles

boolean

Whether the event bubbles.Default: true

cancelable

boolean

Whether the event is cancelable.Default: true

composed

boolean

Whether the event crosses shadow DOM boundaries.Default: true

detail

number

Click count detail.Default: 1

This dispatches an event directly without synthesizing real pointer input. Useful for elements that rely on click handlers without needing hit-testing.

Code Examples

import { Stagehand } from "@browserbasehq/stagehand";

// Initialize with Browserbase (API key from environment variable)
// Set BROWSERBASE_API_KEY in your environment
const stagehand = new Stagehand({ env: "BROWSERBASE" });
await stagehand.init();
const page = stagehand.context.pages()[0];

await page.goto("https://example.com");

// Click a button
const submitButton = page.locator("button[type=submit]");
await submitButton.click();

// Fill an input
const emailInput = page.locator("input[name=email]");
await emailInput.fill("user@example.com");

// Type with delay
const searchBox = page.locator("input[type=search]");
await searchBox.type("stagehand", { delay: 100 });

await stagehand.close();

// Fill multiple form fields
const form = page.locator("form#login");

await page.locator("#username").fill("myuser");
await page.locator("#password").fill("mypass");

// Select from dropdown
await page.locator("select#country").selectOption("US");

// Multi-select
await page.locator("select#skills").selectOption(["js", "ts", "react"]);

// Check checkbox
const termsCheckbox = page.locator("input#terms");
const isChecked = await termsCheckbox.isChecked();
if (!isChecked) {
  await termsCheckbox.click();
}

// Submit
await page.locator("button[type=submit]").click();

// Upload from file path
const fileInput = page.locator("input[type=file]");
await fileInput.setInputFiles("/path/to/document.pdf");

// Upload multiple files
await fileInput.setInputFiles([
  "/path/to/image1.jpg",
  "/path/to/image2.jpg"
]);

// Upload from buffer
await fileInput.setInputFiles({
  name: "data.json",
  mimeType: "application/json",
  buffer: JSON.stringify({ key: "value" })
});

// Clear file selection
await fileInput.setInputFiles([]);

// Count elements
const buttons = page.locator("button");
const count = await buttons.count();
console.log(`Found ${count} buttons`);

// Click the first button
await buttons.first().click();

// Click the third button
await buttons.nth(2).click();

// Iterate with nth
for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
  const button = buttons.nth(i);
  const text = await button.innerText();
  console.log(`Button ${i}: ${text}`);
}

// Check visibility
const modal = page.locator(".modal");
if (await modal.isVisible()) {
  console.log("Modal is visible");
}

// Check checkbox state
const checkbox = page.locator("input#subscribe");
const checked = await checkbox.isChecked();
console.log("Subscribed:", checked);

// Get input value
const email = page.locator("input#email");
const value = await email.inputValue();
console.log("Email:", value);

// Get text content
const heading = page.locator("h1");
const text = await heading.textContent();
console.log("Heading:", text);

// Hover to reveal menu
const menuButton = page.locator("button.menu");
await menuButton.hover();

// Wait for submenu
await page.waitForLoadState("networkidle");

// Click submenu item
await page.locator("a.submenu-item").click();

// Highlight for debugging
await page.locator("div.error").highlight({
  durationMs: 2000,
  borderColor: { r: 255, g: 0, b: 0 },
  contentColor: { r: 255, g: 0, b: 0, a: 0.1 }
});

// Scroll element into position
const section = page.locator("#section-3");
await section.scrollTo(50); // Scroll to 50%

// Get element position
const { x, y } = await section.centroid();
console.log(`Element center: ${x}, ${y}`);

Selector Support

Locators support both CSS and XPath selectors:

CSS Selectors

page.locator("button");                    // Tag
page.locator(".submit-btn");              // Class
page.locator("#login-form");              // ID
page.locator("button.primary");           // Tag + class
page.locator("input[type=email]");        // Attribute
page.locator("div > p");                  // Child
page.locator("h1 + p");                   // Adjacent sibling
page.locator("div.container button");     // Descendant

XPath Selectors

page.locator("//button");                               // Tag
page.locator("//button[@class='submit']");             // Attribute
page.locator("//div[@id='content']//p");               // Descendant
page.locator("//button[contains(text(), 'Submit')]");  // Text content
page.locator("(//button)[1]");                         // First button
page.locator("//input[@type='text'][1]");              // First text input

Best Practices

Use specific selectors - Prefer IDs or unique attributes over generic selectors
Chain with nth() - Use locator().nth() instead of putting index in selector
Check state before action - Use isVisible(), isChecked() for conditional logic
Let locators auto-resolve - Don’t store element handles, use locators which re-resolve
Use fill() for inputs - Prefer fill() over click() + type() for better reliability
Handle file uploads properly - Use absolute paths or buffer payloads for setInputFiles()
Highlight for debugging - Use highlight() during development to verify targeting

Common Patterns

Conditional Interaction

const errorMessage = page.locator(".error-message");
if (await errorMessage.isVisible()) {
  const text = await errorMessage.textContent();
  console.log("Error:", text);
}

Wait and Interact

// Locators automatically wait during actions
const dynamicButton = page.locator("button.dynamic");
await dynamicButton.click(); // Waits for element to exist

Loop Through Elements

const items = page.locator("li.item");
const count = await items.count();

for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
  const item = items.nth(i);
  const text = await item.innerText();
  console.log(`Item ${i}:`, text);
}

Error Handling

Locator methods may throw the following errors:

Element not found - Selector doesn’t match any elements
Element not visible - Element exists but is not visible (for actions requiring visibility)
Invalid selector - Malformed CSS or XPath selector
Timeout errors - Operation exceeded timeout limits
CDP errors - Chrome DevTools Protocol communication errors

Handle errors appropriately:

try {
  await page.locator("button.submit").click();
} catch (error) {
  console.error("Click failed:", error.message);
}

Type Definitions

interface Locator {
  // Actions
  click(options?: { button?: MouseButton; clickCount?: number }): Promise<void>;
  fill(value: string): Promise<void>;
  type(text: string, options?: { delay?: number }): Promise<void>;
  hover(): Promise<void>;
  selectOption(values: string | string[]): Promise<string[]>;
  setInputFiles(files: FileInput): Promise<void>;

  // State
  isVisible(): Promise<boolean>;
  isChecked(): Promise<boolean>;
  inputValue(): Promise<string>;
  textContent(): Promise<string>;
  innerText(): Promise<string>;
  innerHtml(): Promise<string>;

  // Selection
  count(): Promise<number>;
  nth(index: number): Locator;
  first(): Locator;

  // Utilities
  highlight(options?: HighlightOptions): Promise<void>;
  scrollTo(percent: number | string): Promise<void>;
  centroid(): Promise<{ x: number; y: number }>;
  backendNodeId(): Promise<BackendNodeId>;
  sendClickEvent(options?: EventOptions): Promise<void>;
}

Page

​Overview

​Key Features

​Interaction Methods

​click()

​fill()

​type()

​hover()

​selectOption()

​setInputFiles()

​State Methods

​isVisible()

​isChecked()

​inputValue()

​textContent()

​innerText()

​innerHtml()

​Selection Methods

​count()

​nth()

​first()

​Utility Methods

​highlight()

​scrollTo()

​centroid()

​backendNodeId()

​sendClickEvent()

​Code Examples

​Selector Support

​CSS Selectors

​XPath Selectors

​Best Practices

​Common Patterns

​Conditional Interaction

​Wait and Interact

​Loop Through Elements

​Error Handling

​Type Definitions

Overview

Key Features

Interaction Methods

click()

fill()

type()

hover()

selectOption()

setInputFiles()

State Methods

isVisible()

isChecked()

inputValue()

textContent()

innerText()

innerHtml()

Selection Methods

count()

nth()

first()

Utility Methods

highlight()

scrollTo()

centroid()

backendNodeId()

sendClickEvent()

Code Examples

Selector Support

CSS Selectors

XPath Selectors

Best Practices

Common Patterns

Conditional Interaction

Wait and Interact

Loop Through Elements

Error Handling

Type Definitions