Clicking Elements When Intercepted by Others: Tackling ElementClickInterceptedException in Splinter/Selenium

When scraping web pages, clicking on certain elements can prove challenging due to the presence of obscuring elements. In Selenium, the ElementClickInterceptedException is raised when an attempt is made to click on an element that is obscured by another element. A common scenario is when a loading indicator, often denoted by a class like "loadingWhiteBox," appears temporarily on the page and prevents interaction with underlying elements.

To address this, consider the following methods:

1. JavaScript Execution: Utilize JavaScript to directly click on the target element. For example:

element = driver.find_element_by_css('div[class*="loadingWhiteBox"]')
driver.execute_script("arguments[0].click();", element)

2. Action Chains Simulation: Simulate human-like actions to click on the element. This approach includes:

element = driver.find_element_by_css('div[class*="loadingWhiteBox"]')
webdriver.ActionChains(driver).move_to_element(element).click(element).perform()

Both methods effectively circumvent the obscuring element and allow you to click on the intended target.