Starting ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path to chromedriver in Windows environment #1992

chriswoodle · 2019-01-18T05:56:43Z

Overview

Hi all,
So I was following the instructions from nightwatchjs.org/gettingstarted, and setup nightwatch in one of my projects. It seems that running nightwatch in a Windows environment produces the following error:

An error occurred while trying to start ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path: "./node_modules/.bin/chromedriver".
Please check that the "webdriver.server_path" config property is set correctly.

This might not only be a chromedriver issue, see the Environment section below. If it is, I can open this issue over there.

I am also not the only one who has seen this issue: #1960

Test Repo

I have made a bare minimum repo with instructions that produces the error here: https://github.com/chriswoodle/nightwatch-windows-chromedriver-bug

Environment

Chromedriver: 2.45.0
Node: 8.12.0
NPM: 6.4.1
OS: Windows 10 1809

I can confirm that this is not an issue in at least MacOS.

I can also confirm that this error happens on other Windows machines, not the only environment described above.

It might not be a chromedriver issue, since chromedriver can be invoked from npm scripts without error.

package.json

{
  ...
  "scripts": {
    "chromedriver": "chromedriver -v"
  }
}

=>

ChromeDriver 2.45.615291 (ec3682e3c9061c10f26ea9e5cdcf3c53f3f74387)

Full error

npm run nightwatch

> universal-ws-tools@ nightwatch C:\Users\Super\git\universal-ws
> nightwatch ./test/browser/nightwatch.js --verbose

 Starting ChromeDriver on port 9515...

An error occurred while trying to start ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path: "./node_modules/.bin/chromedriver".
Please check that the "webdriver.server_path" config property is set correctly.

 ChromeDriver process closed.
 Wrote log file to: C:\Users\Super\git\universal-ws\chromedriver.log.

Thanks for your help!

The text was updated successfully, but these errors were encountered:

dmitruk-v · 2019-01-20T21:02:37Z

I have the same issue on Windows with http://nightwatchjs.org/gettingstarted. And finaly got this to work with this nightwatch.conf.js:

const chromedriver = require("chromedriver");
module.exports = (function (settings) {
  settings.test_workers = false;
  settings.webdriver.server_path = chromedriver.path;
  return settings;
})(require("./nightwatch.json"));

Just got chromedriver path property and set webdriver.server_path with that property.

beatfactor · 2019-01-21T11:57:56Z

or we could simply write node_modules/.bin/chromedriver which I believe it will work on all platforms?

chriswoodle · 2019-01-23T01:12:28Z

@dvalejo Your workaround works great, thanks.

chriswoodle · 2019-01-23T01:12:42Z

@beatfactor Are you referring to:

{
    "webdriver": {
        "server_path": "./node_modules/.bin/chromedriver"
    }
}

in nightwatch.json?

hillriegel · 2019-01-25T02:41:58Z

I have this issue, too, dvalejo's workaround doesn't work for me... or I don't understand its implementation.

no, './node_modules/.bin/chromedriver' as a path doesn't work... not as a server_path

chriswoodle · 2019-01-25T02:47:00Z

@hillriegel For the workaround, you can try the repo I linked in my original post and add the workaround:

All that you should have to do is add a file called nightwatch.conf.js with the content in dvalejo's post, and it should work normally.

hillriegel · 2019-01-25T04:50:50Z

thank you, Chris. I did try that originally and it didn't solve my problem. But I"ll try the repo just for kicks. Thanks, again.

FuzzicalLogic · 2019-01-28T04:09:52Z

After experiencing this problem, myself, I came across this Issue. Many thanks to @dvalejo and @chriswoodle, as I found both:

A way to solve this using a generic function
A way to solve this without nightwatch.conf.js

Solution 1: nightwatch.conf.js

const gecko = require("geckodriver");
const selenium = require("selenium-server");
const chrome = require("chromedriver");
module.exports = (function (settings) {
  // console.log('Firefox Path:\r\n', gecko.path);
  settings.test_workers = false;
  settings.test_settings.chrome.webdriver.server_path = chrome.path;
  settings.test_settings.firefox.webdriver.server_path = gecko.path;
  return settings;
})(require("./nightwatch.json"));

By overriding the test environments, you don't have to a) detect the current environment or b) have multiple conf.js files. See that commented out .log(). Leads to...

Solution 2: using nightwatch.json only

Inspecting the .path showed that nightwatch is looking specifically for the .exe file. It does not accept the .cmd or non-extension file. Pointing your test environments directly to the .exe solved most issues almost immediately. Here is my nightwatch.json file.

{
    "src_folder": ["test"],
    "webdriver": {
        "start_process": true
    },

    "test_runner": "mocha",
    "test_settings": {
        "default": {
        },

        "chrome": {
            "silent": false,
            "selenium_port": 9515,
            "selenium_host": "localhost",
            "webdriver" : {
                "server_path": "node_modules/chromedriver/lib/chromedriver/chromedriver.exe",
                "host": "localhost",
                "port": 9515
            },
            "desiredCapabilities": {
                "browserName": "chrome"
            }
        },

        "firefox": {
            "selenium_port": 4444,
            "selenium_host": "localhost",
            "webdriver": {
                "server_path": "node_modules/geckodriver/geckodriver.exe",
                "silent": false,
                "cli_args": [
                  "--log", "debug"
                ],
                "port": 4444
            },
            "desiredCapabilities": {
                "browserName" : "firefox",
                "acceptInsecureCerts": true
            }
        }
    }
}

Either solution works equally well, but the nightwatch.conf.js is probably more future proof and less hassle. If geckodriver or chromedriver change their structure, you don't have to manually inspect for the .exe which is not in node_modules/.bin/, where it is supposed to be.

Hopefully, this gives some insight and helps some others.

P.S: I also want to note that I was having the same problem with Firefox, as well. This is what necessitated the generic function

evgeniy-mh · 2019-02-07T11:44:45Z

@FuzzicalLogic your solution didn't work for me. I get error:
Error: An error occurred while trying to start the Nightwatch Runner: The path to the GeckoDriver binary is not set. Please download GeckoDriver from https://g ithub.com/mozilla/geckodriver/releases, extract the archive and set "webdriver.s erver_path" config option to point to the binary file.

While trying to run npx nightwatch ./tests/hello-world.js

FuzzicalLogic · 2019-02-08T11:04:32Z

@evgeniy-mh : To get my solutions, I used the function and uncommented the console.log to get the actual paths that I needed. Then you put them into the nightwatch.json. If the console.log does not get you a path, then the drivers are not installed correctly. You should only need either the conf.js or the .json, but you probably need the conf.js temporarily to get the paths if your preferred method is the .json. YMMV depending on your project setup, but this has worked for all of my nightwatch testing (43 projects since my post) since I figured it out.

dgateles · 2019-04-16T11:12:22Z

Same issue here.

ignasiv · 2019-05-07T12:51:46Z

I resolved this by downloading the chromedriver files manually from here and adjusting the path inside nightwatch.json instead of node_modules/.bin/chromedriver to node_modules/.bin/chromedriver.exe. I use Windows machine and I believe the problem is that npm install command missed to install .exe file for me.

Muscan · 2019-05-14T13:39:20Z

P.S: I also want to note that I was having the same problem with Firefox, as well. This is what necessitated the generic function

This solved my problem
"server_path": "node_modules/chromedriver/lib/chromedriver/chromedriver.exe" insted of 'server_path': 'node_modules/.bin/chromedriver',

mattwaler · 2019-05-15T19:08:14Z

Hello All!

I was able to solve this issue just now by doing the following:

// nightwatch.conf.js (not using a json file for config either)
const chrome = require('chromedriver')

module.exports = {
  src_folders: ['tests'],
  webdriver: {
    start_process: true,
    server_path: chrome.path,
    port: 9515,
  },
  test_settings: {
    default: {
      desiredCapabilities: {
        browserName: 'chrome',
      },
    },
  },
}

This now exits properly on completion on Windows.

stale · 2019-08-13T19:12:06Z

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had any recent activity.
If possible, please retry using the latest Nightwatch version and update the issue with any relevant details. If no further activity occurs, it will be closed. Thank you for your contribution.

AliHirsi1 · 2020-08-03T20:22:41Z

run the following commands

npx chromeDriver -v
the above command will tell you if you have ChromeDriver in your machine but to find out where npx is looking run this command
npx which chromeDriver

then copy the path and put it in your path.

hope this helps.

promoters98 · 2020-08-10T21:07:05Z

Worked for me by changing the server_path in nightwatch.json. Thanks to FuzzicalLogic for his help above.

{
"src_folders" : ["tests"],

"webdriver" : {
"start_process": true,
"server_path": "node_modules/chromedriver/lib/chromedriver/chromedriver.exe",
"port": 9515
},

"test_settings" : {
"default" : {
"desiredCapabilities": {
"browserName": "chrome"
}
}
}
}

zxmbw54 · 2020-10-08T14:34:15Z

I have a similar issue with running Nightwatch using Chromedriver but I get the following error message:
An error occurred while trying to start GeckoDriver: cannot resolve path: "node_modules/.bin/chromedriver".
Please check that the "webdriver.server_path" config property is set correctly.

Is there a reason why it shows GeckoDriver instead of ChromeDriver?
This is my nightwatch.json file:

"webdriver" : {
    "start_process": true,
    "server_path": "node_modules/.bin/chromedriver",
    "port": 9515
  },

"test_settings" : {
    "default" : {
      "launch_url" : "https://simplewebrtc.com/demo.html",
      "silent" : true,
      "screenshots" : {
        "enabled" : false,
        "path" : "./screenshots"
      }
    },
  "chrome": {
    "desiredCapabilities": {
      "browserName": "chrome",
      "chromeOptions": {
        "args": [
          "-use-fake-device-for-media-stream",
          "-use-fake-ui-for-media-stream"
        ]
      }
    }
  }  
}

nikhilbisht · 2021-09-26T14:30:20Z

After experiencing this problem, myself, I came across this Issue. Many thanks to @dvalejo and @chriswoodle, as I found both:

A way to solve this using a generic function
A way to solve this without nightwatch.conf.js

Solution 1: nightwatch.conf.js

const gecko = require("geckodriver");
const selenium = require("selenium-server");
const chrome = require("chromedriver");
module.exports = (function (settings) {
  // console.log('Firefox Path:\r\n', gecko.path);
  settings.test_workers = false;
  settings.test_settings.chrome.webdriver.server_path = chrome.path;
  settings.test_settings.firefox.webdriver.server_path = gecko.path;
  return settings;
})(require("./nightwatch.json"));

By overriding the test environments, you don't have to a) detect the current environment or b) have multiple conf.js files. See that commented out .log(). Leads to...

Solution 2: using nightwatch.json only

Inspecting the .path showed that nightwatch is looking specifically for the .exe file. It does not accept the .cmd or non-extension file. Pointing your test environments directly to the .exe solved most issues almost immediately. Here is my nightwatch.json file.

{
    "src_folder": ["test"],
    "webdriver": {
        "start_process": true
    },

    "test_runner": "mocha",
    "test_settings": {
        "default": {
        },

        "chrome": {
            "silent": false,
            "selenium_port": 9515,
            "selenium_host": "localhost",
            "webdriver" : {
                "server_path": "node_modules/chromedriver/lib/chromedriver/chromedriver.exe",
                "host": "localhost",
                "port": 9515
            },
            "desiredCapabilities": {
                "browserName": "chrome"
            }
        },

        "firefox": {
            "selenium_port": 4444,
            "selenium_host": "localhost",
            "webdriver": {
                "server_path": "node_modules/geckodriver/geckodriver.exe",
                "silent": false,
                "cli_args": [
                  "--log", "debug"
                ],
                "port": 4444
            },
            "desiredCapabilities": {
                "browserName" : "firefox",
                "acceptInsecureCerts": true
            }
        }
    }
}

Either solution works equally well, but the nightwatch.conf.js is probably more future proof and less hassle. If geckodriver or chromedriver change their structure, you don't have to manually inspect for the .exe which is not in node_modules/.bin/, where it is supposed to be.

Hopefully, this gives some insight and helps some others.

P.S: I also want to note that I was having the same problem with Firefox, as well. This is what necessitated the generic function

This works for me. Thanks

chriswoodle changed the title ~~ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path in Windows environment~~ Starting ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path to chromedriver in Windows environment Jan 18, 2019

KGBemployee added a commit to KGBemployee/nightwatch that referenced this issue Apr 20, 2019

fix issue nightwatchjs#1992 - chromedriver path on windows

fb5ce35

KGBemployee mentioned this issue Apr 20, 2019

fix issue #1992 - chromedriver path on windows #2075

Closed

stale bot added the stale label Aug 13, 2019

stale bot closed this as completed Aug 20, 2019

DougAnderson444 mentioned this issue Jul 18, 2020

Proposed example for IPNS publish interop (address questions in Discuss) ipfs/js-ipfs#3166

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Starting ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path to chromedriver in Windows environment #1992

Starting ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path to chromedriver in Windows environment #1992

chriswoodle commented Jan 18, 2019

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beatfactor commented Jan 21, 2019

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dgateles commented Apr 16, 2019

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nikhilbisht commented Sep 26, 2021

Starting ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path to chromedriver in Windows environment #1992

Starting ChromeDriver: cannot resolve path to chromedriver in Windows environment #1992

Comments

chriswoodle commented Jan 18, 2019

Overview

Test Repo

Environment

Full error

dmitruk-v commented Jan 20, 2019 • edited Loading

beatfactor commented Jan 21, 2019

chriswoodle commented Jan 23, 2019

chriswoodle commented Jan 23, 2019

hillriegel commented Jan 25, 2019

chriswoodle commented Jan 25, 2019 • edited Loading

hillriegel commented Jan 25, 2019

FuzzicalLogic commented Jan 28, 2019 • edited Loading

evgeniy-mh commented Feb 7, 2019

FuzzicalLogic commented Feb 8, 2019 • edited Loading

dgateles commented Apr 16, 2019

ignasiv commented May 7, 2019

Muscan commented May 14, 2019

mattwaler commented May 15, 2019

stale bot commented Aug 13, 2019

AliHirsi1 commented Aug 3, 2020

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