85. starts-with() function in XPath Expressions (Selenium Java 2026)
*starts-with() XPath Function*
Similar to contains() function
Only checks the starting part of text or attribute value
*Practical Example*
Find element "Practice Automation Here" using starting text or attribute:
//p[starts-with(text(),'Practice')]
//p[starts-with(@id,'p')]
*starts-with()*
Works with partial text or attribute value
Matches only from the beginning (starting position)
*contains()*
Works with partial text or attribute value
Matches from anywhere:
Start
Middle
End