[Bug]: chromium.launch() implicitly invoke '--no-startup-window' to browser

[Fredida]

Version

playwright-core 1.46.1 in node.js

Steps to reproduce

Launch external chromium browser with gui via following:

const browser = await chromium.launch(
        {
            channel: 'chrome',
            chromiumSandbox: true,
            executablePath: 'C:\\xxx\\chrome.exe',
            headless: false,
            args: [
                '--no-default-browser-check',
                '--disable-infobars',
                '--incognito',
            ]
        }
);

Expected behavior

Launch browser with gui(window) as headless has already been set false.

Actual behavior

The chromium browser was launched (process found, user data directory created) but no gui.

Additional context

If launch same chromium executeable with same options but using .launchPersistentContext():

const browser = await chromium.launchPersistentContext(
        'C:\\xxx\\userdata',
        {
            channel: 'chrome',
            chromiumSandbox: true,
            executablePath: 'C:\\xxx\\chrome.exe',
            headless: false,
            args: [
                '--no-default-browser-check',
                '--disable-infobars',
                '--incognito',
            ],
)

Browser window appears properly.

By adding DEBUG=pw:* as verbose:

Using .launch():

 pw:browser <launching> C:\xxx\chrome.exe --disable-field-trial-config --disable-background-networking --disable-background-timer-throttling --disable-backgrounding-occluded-windows --disable-back-forward-cache --disable-breakpad --disable-client-side-phishing-detection --disable-component-extensions-with-background-pages --disable-component-update --no-default-browser-check --disable-default-apps --disable-dev-shm-usage --disable-extensions --disable-features=ImprovedCookieControls,LazyFrameLoading,GlobalMediaControls,DestroyProfileOnBrowserClose,MediaRouter,DialMediaRouteProvider,AcceptCHFrame,AutoExpandDetailsElement,CertificateTransparencyComponentUpdater,AvoidUnnecessaryBeforeUnloadCheckSync,Translate,HttpsUpgrades,PaintHolding,PlzDedicatedWorker --allow-pre-commit-input --disable-hang-monitor --disable-ipc-flooding-protection --disable-popup-blocking --disable-prompt-on-repost --disable-renderer-backgrounding --force-color-profile=srgb --metrics-recording-only --no-first-run --enable-automation --password-store=basic --use-mock-keychain --no-service-autorun --export-tagged-pdf --disable-search-engine-choice-screen --unsafely-disable-devtools-self-xss-warnings --no-default-browser-check --disable-infobars --incognito --user-data-dir=C:\yyy\playwright_chromiumdev_profile-XXXXXX --remote-debugging-pipe --no-startup-window +0ms

Using .launchPersistentContext():

  pw:browser <launching> C:\xxx\chrome.exe --disable-field-trial-config --disable-background-networking --disable-background-timer-throttling --disable-backgrounding-occluded-windows --disable-back-forward-cache --disable-breakpad --disable-client-side-phishing-detection --disable-component-extensions-with-background-pages --disable-component-update --no-default-browser-check --disable-default-apps --disable-dev-shm-usage --disable-extensions --disable-features=ImprovedCookieControls,LazyFrameLoading,GlobalMediaControls,DestroyProfileOnBrowserClose,MediaRouter,DialMediaRouteProvider,AcceptCHFrame,AutoExpandDetailsElement,CertificateTransparencyComponentUpdater,AvoidUnnecessaryBeforeUnloadCheckSync,Translate,HttpsUpgrades,PaintHolding,PlzDedicatedWorker --allow-pre-commit-input --disable-hang-monitor --disable-ipc-flooding-protection --disable-popup-blocking --disable-prompt-on-repost --disable-renderer-backgrounding --force-color-profile=srgb --metrics-recording-only --no-first-run --enable-automation --password-store=basic --use-mock-keychain --no-service-autorun --export-tagged-pdf --disable-search-engine-choice-screen --unsafely-disable-devtools-self-xss-warnings --no-default-browser-check --disable-infobars --incognito --user-data-dir=C:\yyy\userdata --remote-debugging-pipe about:blank +0ms

The differene seems to be --no-startup-window in .launch().

BTW: May I suggest to add a feature that sets chromium user data directory in .lauch()? Althrough .launchPersistentContext() did this the .newContext() not existed in the launch browser. If we head to .launch(), the user data directory is always C:\AppData\Local\Temp\playwright-xxx , which is not easy to cleanup.

Environment

System: Windows 10 19044
Node: v20.12.2

[dgozman]

Fredida This is by design. Launching a browser does not mean automatically opening a page. That's unless you launch a persistent context, where browsers mandate a default page being opened. If don't want a persistent context, you can use a combination of launch() + newPage(). Let me know whether that helps.

[Fredida]

Dmitry Gozman (@dgozman), thanks for the explanation—it makes sense. However, it seems that there's no way to manually set the user data directory with .launch(). While Playwright usually cleans up temporary data, there are instances where it might persist. Could you please consider adding the ability to specify the user data directory in .launch()? Thank you in advance!

[dgozman]

Fredida When you launch(), the browser does not actually persist any data in the userDataDir. Some of the browsers create default files there because that's how they operate. I don't think we'll add the userDataDir to launch() because it contradicts the purpose of the method.

If you have a repro case where the temporary directory persists, please file a separate bug and we'll happily look into it.

[mxschmitt]

Closing as per above.