16 July 2024 Leave a comment QA
When running automated tests using Selenium with Chrome, one common issue that testers might encounter is the “Time out receiving message from the renderer” error. This error can be particularly frustrating as it often occurs inconsistently, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause. This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide to addressing this issue based on various tested solutions.
Understanding the Problem
The “Time out receiving message from the renderer” error typically indicates that the browser has taken too long to load a page or execute a script, causing Selenium to lose communication with the browser’s renderer process. This can be caused by various factors such as heavy page load, third-party tags, or specific browser configurations.
Potential Solutions
Below are some solutions that have been found effective in resolving this issue:
Solution 1: Remove Driver Timeout Options
One approach is to remove any timeout options configured for the WebDriver. This can help in situations where the timeout settings are too restrictive.
//driver.manage().timeouts().implicitlyWait(2000, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
//driver.manage().timeouts().pageLoadTimeout(40, TimeUnit.SECONDS);
//driver.manage().timeouts().setScriptTimeout(60, TimeUnit.SECONDS);Solution 2: Block Third-Party Tags
Sometimes, third-party tags such as Google Tag Manager (GTM) can cause delays in page loading. Using a Chrome extension like Ghostery to block these tags, or asking developers to disable tagging in pre-production environments, can mitigate this issue.
DesiredCapabilities capabilitiesChrome = DesiredCapabilities.chrome();
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments("--always-authorize-plugins");
options.addArguments("load-extension=C:/path/to/extension");
options.addArguments("user-data-dir=C:/path/to/user/data");
capabilitiesChrome.setCapability(ChromeOptions.CAPABILITY, options);
WebDriver driver = new RemoteWebDriver(new URL("http://localhost:4444/wd/hub"), capabilitiesChrome);Solution 3: Custom Extension to Stop Page Loading
Creating a custom Chrome extension that stops page loading after a certain timeout can be an effective workaround. This solution involves creating a manifest.json and a content.js file to implement the stop functionality.
{ "manifest_version": 2,
"name": "Custom Extension",
"version": "1.0.0",
"content_scripts": [
{
"all_frames": true,
"matches": ["*://*/*"],
"js": ["content.js"],
"run_at": "document_start"
}
]
}setTimeout(() => {window.stop()}, 10000);
setInterval(() => {window.stop()}, 20000);chromeOpt.addArguments("--load-extension=/path/to/extension");Solution 4: Disable DNS Prefetching
Disabling DNS prefetching can resolve issues related to loading static files from custom domains. This can be done by adding the --dns-prefetch-disable argument to Chrome options.
ChromeOptions options = new ChromeOptions();
options.addArguments("--dns-prefetch-disable");
WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(options);Implementing Efficient Test Automation with Repeato
While the above solutions can help address the “Time out receiving message from the renderer” error, it’s important to have a robust and efficient test automation tool. Repeato is a no-code test automation tool designed for iOS and Android applications. It allows you to create, run, and maintain automated tests quickly and efficiently, leveraging computer vision and AI to enhance test accuracy and reliability. Repeato’s ease of setup and use makes it an excellent choice for quality assurance teams looking to streamline their testing processes.
For more detailed guides and best practices, visit our blog or explore our documentation section.
