avajs/ava

Set `test.meta.debugMode = true` when timeout has been disabled for debugging

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#3152 opened on Jan 13, 2023

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enhancementhelp wanted

Description

I'm using AVA to test a program that interacts with a Postgres database and has timing-related tests (code here).

I'm analyzing the stdout from a child process to verify it's producing the expected results. Results can sometimes come in unexpected orders, so I need close control over how long to wait for each, and timers run in parallel, so t.timeout() isn't really a good fit.

It's easy enough to manage the timers myself, but one inconvenience is that I need to manually disable them when debugging the tests. (AVA logs ⚠ The timeout option has been disabled to help with debugging. which is perfect, but my timers still interfere with debugging.)

Also, my tests can't inspect whether or not the inspector is active for some reason (probably something about them being in separate processes?) so I can't use the same code as AVA here:

https://github.com/avajs/ava/blob/639b9050a6860f83861ba00e27099f3bec7915bf/lib/cli.js#L122-L133

It would be very helpful if AVA somehow exposed this boolean to my tests so I can have them deliberately behave differently in debug mode. Maybe by adding it to test.meta? E.g.:

if(test.meta.debugMode) {
  // code to run if AVA is in debugging mode
}

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascriptnodejs
Domain
testingdeveloper experience
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
fresh
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Familiarity with AVA test runnerUnderstanding of Node.js child processesBasic knowledge of JavaScript
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
85
Research direction
To implement this feature, first review how AVA detects debug mode in lib/cli.js (lines 122-133 in the linked code). Then, add a `debugMode` property to the `test.meta` object, setting it to `true` when the inspector is active. Update the type definitions if using TypeScript. Finally, add tests for the new property and update documentation to mention `test.meta.debugMode`. The existing issue (#3152) and comments provide context; no open PRs are linked.