"codeceptjs gt" fails if config contains a custom helper: Could not load helper MyHelper from module './helper/Playwright'

[mirao]

It's a regression in 3.3.7.
It works well in 3.3.6

What are you trying to achieve?

npx codeceptjs gt should work

What do you get instead?

When you set a feature name and a file name, it fails

$ npx codeceptjs gt
Creating a new test...
----------------------
? Feature which is being tested (ex: account, login, etc) My2
? Filename of a test My2_test.ts

Could not load helper MyHelper from module './helper/Playwright':
The "path" argument must be of type string. Received undefined
TypeError [ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE]: The "path" argument must be of type string. Received undefined
    at new NodeError (internal/errors.js:322:7)
    at validateString (internal/validators.js:124:11)
    at Object.resolve (path.js:1074:7)
    at createHelpers (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/container.js:161:29)
    at Function.create (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/container.js:44:25)
    at /home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/command/generate.js:60:15
    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:95:5)
    at async Command.<anonymous> (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/bin/codecept.js:9:5)

Error: 
    at createHelpers (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/container.js:184:13)
    at Function.create (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/container.js:44:25)
    at /home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/command/generate.js:60:15
    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:95:5)
    at async Command.<anonymous> (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/bin/codecept.js:9:5)

myhelper_helper.js

const Helper = require('@codeceptjs/helper');

class MyHelper extends Helper {

  // before/after hooks
  /**
   * @protected
   */
  _before() {
    // remove if not used
  }

  /**
   * @protected
   */
  _after() {
    // remove if not used
  }

  // add custom methods here
  // If you need to access other helpers
  // use: this.helpers['helperName']

}

module.exports = MyHelper;

Details

• CodeceptJS version: 3.3.7
• NodeJS Version: 14.21.1
• Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04
• Playwright 1.28.1
• Configuration file:

codecept.conf.ts

import { setHeadlessWhen, setCommonPlugins } from '@codeceptjs/configure';
// turn on headless mode when running with HEADLESS=true environment variable
// export HEADLESS=true && npx codeceptjs run
setHeadlessWhen(process.env.HEADLESS);

// enable all common plugins https://github.com/codeceptjs/configure#setcommonplugins
setCommonPlugins();

export const config: CodeceptJS.MainConfig = {
  tests: './*_test.ts',
  output: './output',
  helpers: {
    Playwright: {
      url: 'http://localhost',
      show: true,
      browser: 'chromium'
    },
     MyHelper: {
    require: './myhelper_helper.js',
  }
  },
  include: {
    I: './steps_file'
  },
  name: 'tmp'
}

[mirao]

For the reported case (helper in JavaScript), it seems to be fixed by a8c2cb2

However it fails for helper in TypeScript, this time with another error:

Could not load helper MyHelper from module '/home/mirao/tmp/myhelper_helper.ts':
Helper is not defined
ReferenceError: Helper is not defined
    at Object.<anonymous> (/home/mirao/tmp/myhelper_helper.ts:1:1)
    at Module._compile (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1085:14)
    at Module.m._compile (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/ts-node/src/index.ts:1618:23)
    at Module._extensions..js (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:1114:10)
    at Object.require.extensions.<computed> [as .ts] (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/ts-node/src/index.ts:1621:12)
    at Module.load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:950:32)
    at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:790:12)
    at Module.require (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:974:19)
    at require (internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js:101:18)
    at createHelpers (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/container.js:170:33)

Error: 
    at createHelpers (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/container.js:186:19)
    at Function.create (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/container.js:46:29)
    at /home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/lib/command/generate.js:60:15
    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:95:5)
    at async Command.<anonymous> (/home/mirao/tmp/node_modules/codeceptjs/bin/codecept.js:9:5)

myhelper_helper.ts

class MyHelper extends Helper {

    // before/after hooks
    /**
     * @protected
     */
    _before() {
        // remove if not used
    }

    /**
     * @protected
     */
    _after() {
        // remove if not used
    }

    // add custom methods here
    // If you need to access other helpers
    // use: this.helpers['helperName']

}

export = MyHelper;

codecept.conf.ts

import { setHeadlessWhen, setCommonPlugins } from '@codeceptjs/configure';
// turn on headless mode when running with HEADLESS=true environment variable
// export HEADLESS=true && npx codeceptjs run
setHeadlessWhen(process.env.HEADLESS);

// enable all common plugins https://github.com/codeceptjs/configure#setcommonplugins
setCommonPlugins();

export const config: CodeceptJS.MainConfig = {
    tests: './*_test.ts',
    output: './output',
    helpers: {
        Playwright: {
            url: 'http://localhost',
            show: true,
            browser: 'chromium'
        },
        MyHelper: {
            require: './myhelper_helper.ts',
        },
    },
    include: {
        I: './steps_file'
    },
    name: 'tmp',
    fullPromiseBased: true
}

It works well with CodeceptJS 3.3.6, with TS helper.

[mirao]

However it fails for helper in TypeScript, this time with another error

It fails only if const Helper = require('@codeceptjs/helper'); is missing before definition of class in a custom TS helper.
But it's a real issue because helpers such as codeceptjs-resemblehelper or codeceptjs-chai don't have defined Helper explicitly.

It seems that 3.3.7 is missing a global definition of "Helper" so that you don't need to specify it in every custom helper ?
Note that tests work well even without const Helper = require('@codeceptjs/helper');. Only npx codeceptjs gt is problematic.

[mirao]

A possible fix is mentioned in #3514 (comment).
Not sure how correct it is, but it works for me.