Add the option to stop recording without saving it. PuppeteerScreenRecorder.stop

[nzyoni]

• I'm submitting a ... [ ] bug report [v] feature request [ ] question about the decisions made in the repository [ ] question about how to use this project

• Summary Hello, I use this library to record my E2E tests, In case the test fails I invoke stop and it works ok but when the test pass successfully I would like to stop the recording without saving it.

Currently, I do something like that

  const recorder = new PuppeteerScreenRecorder(page);

  await recorder.start(path);
  /* test is running  */
  await recorder.stop()

  if(testPassedSuccessfully) {
     // remove the file
  }

I would like to pass a parameter to stop function, for example, save, to indicate if the recorder should save the file or not.

  await recorder.stop({ save: !testPassedSuccessfully })

[ojamui]

Sounds like a great idea! +1

[prasanaworld]

Hi @nzyoni,

Thanks for bring this up.

I will add this feature as part of the next release version planned.

Meanwhile, as a workaround you could achieve the same using the startStream method.

instead of passing a filePath, you could pass a stream as input and once the stop method is invoked, you could determine, whether to save the stream to a file or not.

  const recorder = new PuppeteerScreenRecorder(page);
  const passthrough = new PassThrough();

  await recorder. startStream(passthrough);
  /* test is running  */
  await recorder.stop()

  if(testPassedSuccessfully) {
    const fileWriteStream = fs.createWriteStream(path);
    passthrough.pipe(fileWriteStream);;
  }

[minipunch]

Does that method not work when starting recording in a beforeEach block and stopping the recording in an afterEach block?

Seems to be hanging at recorder.stop() for me in that case

I was able to get that to work but only when using the not-streaming method

[MorpheusNephew]

Does that method not work when starting recording in a beforeEach block and stopping the recording in an afterEach block?

Seems to be hanging at recorder.stop() for me in that case

I was able to get that to work but only when using the not-streaming method

I'm also having this issue starting using startStream then attempting to stop hangs. Works as expected when using start. The time of the video, based on the physical file, is roughly 3 seconds.

[prasanaworld]

Hi @minipunch & @MorpheusNephew,

I couldn't reproduce this issue. I've updated the example script for startStream method now.

Could you please try with the example script in pupper-screen-recorder and let me know you still face the same. https://github.com/prasanaworld/puppeteer-screen-recorder/blob/main/src/example/index.ts

[lucassardois]

Hi @nzyoni,

Thanks for bring this up.

I will add this feature as part of the next release version planned.

Meanwhile, as a workaround you could achieve the same using the startStream method.

instead of passing a filePath, you could pass a stream as input and once the stop method is invoked, you could determine, whether to save the stream to a file or not.

  const recorder = new PuppeteerScreenRecorder(page);
  const passthrough = new PassThrough();

  await recorder. startStream(passthrough);
  /* test is running  */
  await recorder.stop()

  if(testPassedSuccessfully) {
    const fileWriteStream = fs.createWriteStream(path);
    passthrough.pipe(fileWriteStream);;
  }

When trying that suggestion I get the following typescript error:

Argument of type 'internal' is not assignable to parameter of type 'Writable'.
  Type 'internal' is missing the following properties from type 'Writable': writable, writableEnded, writableFinished, writableHighWaterMark, and 16 more.ts(2345)

Edit: nevermind the above issue, when importing correctly from stream node core library it started to works. However I'm now experiencing the hang on stop issue with the following code:

    const recorder = new PuppeteerScreenRecorder(page);
    const passthrough = new PassThrough();
    await recorder.startStream(passthrough);

    try {
        await fn();
        console.log("1");
        const res = await recorder.stop();
        console.log("2");
    } catch (err: unknown) {
        await recorder.stop();
        const fileWriteStream = fs.createWriteStream("video.mp4");
        passthrough.pipe(fileWriteStream);
        throw err;
    }

Log 1 appears but not 2, the promise of the stop never resolves.

[lucassardois]

Hi @minipunch & @MorpheusNephew,

I couldn't reproduce this issue. I've updated the example script for startStream method now.

Could you please try with the example script in pupper-screen-recorder and let me know you still face the same. https://github.com/prasanaworld/puppeteer-screen-recorder/blob/main/src/example/index.ts

I ran the tests without issue on my end.

[lucassardois]

Okay I found a workaround:

    const recorder = new PuppeteerScreenRecorder(page);
    const passthrough = new PassThrough();
    await recorder.startStream(passthrough);

    try {
        await fn();
        passthrough.destroy(); // The important line
        await recorder.stop();
    } catch (err: unknown) {
        const fileWriteStream = fs.createWriteStream(`report/${testName}.mp4`);
        passthrough.pipe(fileWriteStream);
        await recorder.stop();
        throw err;
    }

By doing this the recorder.stop() call no longer hang.