[🐛 Bug]: [C#] AddUserProfilePreference incorrectly parses dot-separated keys into nested JSON structures

[lovezouyiyi]

Description

Environment
Selenium Version: 4.31.0
Browser: Chrome

Browser Version: 136.0.7103.49
Language Bindings: C#

OS: Windows 10

code：

var prefs = new Dictionary<string, object>
{
["devtools.preferences.closeable-tabs"] = "{"security":true,"freestyler":true,"chrome-recorder":true}",
["devtools.preferences.console.sidebar-selected-filter"] = ""message"",
["devtools.preferences.console.sidebar.width"] = "{"vertical":{"size":0,"showMode":"OnlyMain"}}",
["devtools.preferences.currentDockState"] = ""right"",
["devtools.preferences.drawer-view-selected-tab"] = ""elements"",
["devtools.preferences.drawer-view-tab-order"] = "{"console-view":10,"freestyler":20,"elements":30}",
["devtools.preferences.elements.styles.sidebar.width"] = "{"vertical":{"size":0,"showMode":"OnlyMain"}}",
["devtools.preferences.inspector-view.split-view-state"] = "{"vertical":{"size":0}}",
["devtools.preferences.inspector.drawer-split-view-state"] = "{"horizontal":{"size":0,"showMode":"Both"}}",
["devtools.preferences.inspectorVersion"] = "38",
//["devtools.preferences.network-log"] = "{ "preserve-log": "true" }", //"network-log": { "preserve-log": "true" },
["devtools.preferences.network-log.preserve-log"] = "true", // "network-log.preserve-log": "true",

 ["devtools.preferences.network-log.preserve-logqaq"] = "{\"horizontal\":{\"size\":0,\"showMode\":\"Both\"}}",

 ["devtools.preferences.network-panel-sidebar-state"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0,\"showMode\":\"OnlyMain\"}}",
 ["devtools.preferences.network-panel-split-view-state"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0}}",
 ["devtools.preferences.network-panel-split-view-waterfall"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0}}",
 ["devtools.preferences.panel-selected-tab"] = "\"network\"",
 ["devtools.preferences.panel-tab-order"] = "{\"network\":10,\"sources\":20,\"console\":30,\"timeline\":40,\"heap-profiler\":50,\"resources\":60,\"security\":70,\"lighthouse\":80,\"chrome-recorder\":90}",
 ["devtools.preferences.releaseNoteVersionSeen"] = "76",
 ["devtools.preferences.styles-pane-sidebar-tab-order"] = "{\"styles\":10,\"computed\":20}",
 ["devtools.preferences.views-location-override"] = "{\"elements\":\"drawer-view\"}"

};

foreach (var pref in prefs)
{
options.AddUserProfilePreference(pref.Key, pref.Value);
}

• I used this code to add the chrome startup configuration
• As expected, it opens devtools and preserve log.Like this：

• But it only opens devtools and not preserve log.

The reason is
In the Preferences file under C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default, the line “network-log.preserve-log”: “true”, was converted to an incorrect form that
“network-log": {
“preserve-log": ‘true’, ‘preserve-logqaq’.
}

I have implemented this operation using python language and it is fine.
Is it possible to change what is written to the actual file to “network-log.preserve-log”: “true”

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Reproducible Code

code：
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.AddArgument("--start-maximized"); // 
options.AddArgument("--auto-open-devtools-for-tabs");
 var prefs = new Dictionary<string, object>
 {
     ["devtools.preferences.closeable-tabs"] = "{\"security\":true,\"freestyler\":true,\"chrome-recorder\":true}",
     ["devtools.preferences.console.sidebar-selected-filter"] = "\"message\"",
     ["devtools.preferences.console.sidebar.width"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0,\"showMode\":\"OnlyMain\"}}",
     ["devtools.preferences.currentDockState"] = "\"right\"",
     ["devtools.preferences.drawer-view-selected-tab"] = "\"elements\"",
     ["devtools.preferences.drawer-view-tab-order"] = "{\"console-view\":10,\"freestyler\":20,\"elements\":30}",
     ["devtools.preferences.elements.styles.sidebar.width"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0,\"showMode\":\"OnlyMain\"}}",
     ["devtools.preferences.inspector-view.split-view-state"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0}}",
     ["devtools.preferences.inspector.drawer-split-view-state"] = "{\"horizontal\":{\"size\":0,\"showMode\":\"Both\"}}",
     ["devtools.preferences.inspectorVersion"] = "38",
     //["devtools.preferences.network-log"] = "{ \"preserve-log\": \"true\" }",  //"network-log": { "preserve-log": "true" },
     ["devtools.preferences.network-log.preserve-log"] = "true",  //  "network-log.preserve-log": "true",

     ["devtools.preferences.network-log.preserve-logqaq"] = "{\"horizontal\":{\"size\":0,\"showMode\":\"Both\"}}",

     ["devtools.preferences.network-panel-sidebar-state"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0,\"showMode\":\"OnlyMain\"}}",
     ["devtools.preferences.network-panel-split-view-state"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0}}",
     ["devtools.preferences.network-panel-split-view-waterfall"] = "{\"vertical\":{\"size\":0}}",
     ["devtools.preferences.panel-selected-tab"] = "\"network\"",
     ["devtools.preferences.panel-tab-order"] = "{\"network\":10,\"sources\":20,\"console\":30,\"timeline\":40,\"heap-profiler\":50,\"resources\":60,\"security\":70,\"lighthouse\":80,\"chrome-recorder\":90}",
     ["devtools.preferences.releaseNoteVersionSeen"] = "76",
     ["devtools.preferences.styles-pane-sidebar-tab-order"] = "{\"styles\":10,\"computed\":20}",
     ["devtools.preferences.views-location-override"] = "{\"elements\":\"drawer-view\"}"
 };


 foreach (var pref in prefs)
 {
     options.AddUserProfilePreference(pref.Key, pref.Value);
 }
IWebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);

[selenium-ci]

@lovezouyiyi, thank you for creating this issue. We will troubleshoot it as soon as we can.

Selenium Triage Team: remember to follow the Triage Guide

[nvborisenko]

@lovezouyiyi please help us to minimize your code to reproduce the issue. Please remove unnecessary devtools options and leave a minimum to see the issue. It will help significantly to start an investigation. Thanks.

[Sekhar098]

Minimal (C#)

using System.Collections.Generic;
using OpenQA.Selenium;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
        options.AddArgument("--auto-open-devtools-for-tabs");

        var prefs = new Dictionary<string, object>
        {
            ["devtools.preferences.network-log.preserve-log"] = "true"
        };

        foreach (var pref in prefs)
        {
            options.AddUserProfilePreference(pref.Key, pref.Value);
        }

        using IWebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);
        driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("https://example.com");
    }
}

Steps to reproduce:

1. Run this code with Selenium 4.3.1.0, Chrome 136.0.7103.49 on Windows 10.

2. After Chrome closes, open:
   C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Preferences

3. Search for "network-log".

4. Instead of:
   "network-log.preserve-log": "true"

   you will see:
   "network-log": { "preserve-log": "true" }

[nvborisenko]

I have implemented this operation using python language and it is fine.

I reproduced the same behavior in Python, it doesn't work. Seems this issue on chromedriver side, please post your finding there.

[nvborisenko]

Figured it out!

This is correct list of known preferences: https://source.chromium.org/chromium/chromium/src/+/main:chrome/common/pref_names.h

So correct C# code to set devtools preferences:

var devToolsPrefs = new Dictionary<string, object>
{
    { "network-log.preserve-log", "true" }
};

options.AddUserProfilePreference("devtools.preferences", devToolsPrefs);

Which is transformed to json payload:

{
    "capabilities": {
        "firstMatch": [
            {
                "browserName": "chrome",
                "goog:chromeOptions": {
                    "args": [
                        "--auto-open-devtools-for-tabs"
                    ],
                    "binary": "C:\\Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome.exe",
                    "prefs": {
                        "devtools.preferences": {
                            "network-log.preserve-log": "true"
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        ]
    }
}

[nvborisenko]

@Sekhar098 please try, closing it as resolved.

[github-actions]

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