chromedriver-helper breaks projects not using it

[mfazekas]

I have a project not using chromedriver-helper. I'm running my tests via:

bin/rails test:system

this passes. But once i bundle install a project which uses chromedriver-helper or i gem install chromedriver-helper i can no longer run my tests.

gem install chromedriver-helper # or bundle install on a project using chromedriver-helper
$ bin/rails test:system
Run options: --seed 13360

# Running:

E

Error:
CustomersTest#test_login:
Selenium::WebDriver::Error::WebDriverError: unable to connect to chromedriver 127.0.0.1:9515
    test/system/customers_test.rb:5:in `block in <class:CustomersTest>'

Running the chromedriver from irb shows the reason for the error:

$ bundle exec irb
2.4.0 :001 > system('chromedriver -v')
.../rubygems_integration.rb:458:in `block in replace_bin_path': can't find executable chromedriver for gem chromedriver-helper. chromedriver-helper is not currently included in the bundle, perhaps you meant to add it to your Gemfile? (Gem::Exception)

[flavorjones]

Have you tried adding the gem to your bundle? I believe this will address your issue, which I suspect is based in your $PATH containing an executable script chromedriver but your bundle exec environment does not.

[mfazekas]

Have you tried adding the gem to your bundle? I believe this will address your issue, which I suspect is based in your $PATH containing an executable script chromedriver but your bundle exec environment does not.

Yes the 2 workarounds are:

• add chromedriver-helper to your Gemfile
• remove chromedriver-helper gem, from the machine:gem uninstall chromedriver-helper

The point is that if you're working on multiple projects, either all of them or non of them should have chromedriver-helper which is less than ideal.

[flavorjones]

Sorry, to be clear I meant to only install into your bundler environments. gem install will put an executable into your global path. If you avoid the global install and only install into your projects, you shouldn't have a problem.

[mfazekas]

Sorry, to be clear I meant to only install into your bundler environments. gem install will put an executable into your global path. If you avoid the global install and only install into your projects, you shouldn't have a problem.

Even if i install through bundler i still end up with a chromedriver executable in my PATH. I've never did gem install chromedriver-helper, only bundle install.

Bundler work by installing the gem globally and then only selecting the ones in the Gemfile when you do bundle exec.

$ which chromedriver
/usr/local/bin/chromedriver
$ mkdir -p /tmp/chtest ; cd /tmp/chtest
$ bundle init
$ echo 'gem "chromedriver-helper"' >> Gemfile
$ bundle install
Fetching gem metadata from https://rubygems.org/..............
Resolving dependencies...
Using io-like 0.3.0
Using archive-zip 0.11.0
Using bundler 1.16.1
Using mini_portile2 2.3.0
Using nokogiri 1.8.4
Fetching chromedriver-helper 1.2.0
Installing chromedriver-helper 1.2.0
Bundle complete! 1 Gemfile dependency, 6 gems now installed.
Use `bundle info [gemname]` to see where a bundled gem is installed.
$ which chromedriver
~/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.4.0/bin/chromedriver

[twalpole]

@flavorjones Not true, at least if using rbenv - could be different with rvm --- Adding chromedriver-helper to any project ends up with $HOME/.rbenv/shims/chromedriver being installed which ends up being in the PATH at all times (even when not in that project), and prevents access to any system version of chromedriver installed, often leading to failures. Basically once you use chromedriver-helper in one project you need to use it in all projects where chromedriver is needed.

[flavorjones]

OK, I see now, thanks all for explaining more clearly. (I will note that the OP did indicate that installation was via gem install which did lead me down the wrong path.)

I'm open to solutions here. This isn't a problem I have, personally, and it's not clear to me what the "right" way to solve it is. Any ideas?

[twalpole]

Given that no one really runs chromedriver manually (so no shim is really needed) -- I wonder what would happen if chromedriver was not specified as an executable in the gemspec - would that prevent a shim being added for it, but still provide it in the path when in the bundle environment? never mind - wouldn't work - but overall the solution would be to prevent a shim from being installed for chromedriver

[mfazekas]

Another thing to try would be using a different shim name (chromedriver-helper) for example. Then use Selenium::WebDriver::Chrome.driver_path= to make capybara use that.

[twalpole]

@mfazekas In that case you'd probably just be better off using the webdrivers gem rather than chromedriver-helper

[mfazekas]

@mfazekas In that case you'd probably just be better off using the webdrivers gem rather than chromedriver-helper

@twalpole can you ellaborate? The point is changing chromedirver-helper so that it won't break projects not using it. I don't want to use any of those gems, i just don't want to have my projects broken just because i did bundle install on a project using them.

I've suggested chaging the shim name to chromedriver-helperfrom chromedriver in chromedriver-helper gem and also adding a minimal code to chromedriver-helper helper gem to tell selenium-webdriver to default to this executable. That way if the gem will not shadow the system isntalled chromedriver. AFAIK all uses of chromedriver ends up being through selenium-webdriver gem, definetely the case with capybara.