# Targets

How a step or a condition names an element.

A target is a CSS selector string, or an object with one locator key (or `candidates`, an ordered list of them) and the modifiers below. [Locators](https://docs.kaab.ist/concepts/locators) explains how candidates are ranked and healed.

| Key | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `candidates` | `object[]` | An ordered list of single-locator targets, tried in order until one matches exactly one element. A target with `candidates` carries no other locator key (lint `E005`); lint warns `W002` when every candidate is structural or positional. |
| `css` | `string` | A CSS selector. `>>>` crosses into a shadow root. |
| `exact` | `boolean` | Whether `name` or `text` must match exactly rather than as a substring. |
| `frame` | `string[]` | The chain of `<iframe>` selectors from the top document to the frame the target is in. Cross-origin frames work in browser tiers only. |
| `name` | `string` | The accessible name that qualifies a `role` locator, such as the label of a button. |
| `nth` | `integer` | Picks one of several matches, 0-based. Without it, a locator that matches more than one element fails with `target_ambiguous`. |
| `role` | `string` | An ARIA role such as `button` or `link`, usually with `name`. |
| `testid` | `string` | The value of the element's test id attribute, such as `data-testid`. The most stable locator. |
| `text` | `string` | Text the element shows; qualify with `exact`. |
| `xpath` | `string` | An XPath expression. A structural path breaks with the next redesign, so it ranks low (20) for lint and healing. |