[BUG] Playwright requires manual install of browsers

[Keeady]

Context:

• Playwright Version: 0.11.1
• Operating System: Mac

Code Snippet

const { chromium } = require('playwright'); 

chromium.launch().then((browser: any) => {
      console.log("launched")
})
  .catch((e: any) => console.log(e))

Describe the bug
After installing playwright for the first time, I tried to run it and got the error
Error: Chromium revision is not downloaded. Run "npm install"

I am in a yarn exclusive environment so I am unable to run npm install. However, yarn install or yarn add do not resolve the issue.

Only way to solve it was
node node_modules/playwright/install.js

[JoelEinbinder]

I cannot repro this with yarn v1.22.0, playwright v0.11.1

If you create a new project does it still happen? Maybe your node_modules got corrupted somehow.

[Xiphe]

I had the same issue but missed to note the yarn version I was on. Fixed it by installing latest yarn npm i -g yarn@1 (currently v1.22.0) and running yarn install --force in the project

[Xiphe]

After I --force installed, I installed another package using latest yarn. That caused the downloaded browsers to disappear and I needed to --force-install again.

[JoelEinbinder]

After I --force installed, I installed another package using latest yarn. That caused the downloaded browsers to disappear and I needed to --force-install again.

Interesting! That is indeed a major issue. I’ll try to repro tomorrow.

Just to be clear, by latest yarn you mean 1.22, not 2.0 aka berry?

[Xiphe]

Just to be clear, by latest yarn you mean 1.22, not 2.0 aka berry?

Yes that was misleading. I'm on yarn v1.22.0

Quickfix:

Copy the .local-* folders somewhere else and link them after each install.

  ln -s ~/.local-chromium ./node_modules/playwright-core/.local-chromium
  ln -s ~/.local-firefox ./node_modules/playwright-core/.local-firefox
  ln -s ~/.local-webkit ./node_modules/playwright-core/.local-webkit