[🐛 Bug]: BrowserFactory::LaunchEdgeInIEMode always creates temp user-data-dir so we cannot use Default profile

[sohrabtowfighi]

What happened?

I am trying to run IE in Edge using the default user profile as shown in the code below.
It never works.
I realized that the iedriver java code hardcodes that a temporary directory is needed.
This is related to pull request 10006

The relevant code is found in selenium/cpp/iedriver/BrowserFactory.cpp
See the function, void BrowserFactory::LaunchEdgeInIEMode

// create a temporary directory for IEDriver test
std::wstring temp_dir;
if (CreateUniqueTempDir(temp_dir)) {
LOG(TRACE) << L"Using temporary folder " << LOGWSTRING(temp_dir) << ".";
executable_and_url.append(L" --user-data-dir=" + temp_dir);
this->edge_user_data_dir_ = temp_dir;
}

It does not make sense to me why we need to hard code the user-data-dir. It is important that selenium be able to operate using a specified profile. The script below intentionally comments out the path to the msedge.exe file so that an error is raised. In the error output, it is clear that a temporary directory is being used as the user-data-dir

How can we reproduce the issue?

from selenium import webdriver
import os
import sys
ieOptions = webdriver.IeOptions() 
pwd = os.path.dirname(sys.argv[0])
web_driver_path = os.path.join(pwd,'IEDriverServer.exe')    
msedge_user_profile = ('C:/Users/' + os.getlogin() + 
                       '/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Edge/User Data/')
ieOptions.add_additional_option('user-data-dir', msedge_user_profile)
ieOptions.add_additional_option("profile-directory", "Profile 1")
ieOptions.attach_to_edge_chrome = True
#ieOptions.edge_executable_path = (
#             'C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe')

Relevant log output

File "C:\Users\admin\Desktop\pyCC\test.py", line 18, in <module>
    driver = webdriver.Ie(executable_path=web_driver_path, options=ieOptions)
  File "C:\Users\admin\anaconda3\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\ie\webdriv
er.py", line 110, in __init__
    super().__init__(
  File "C:\Users\admin\anaconda3\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\web
driver.py", line 270, in __init__
    self.start_session(capabilities, browser_profile)
  File "C:\Users\admin\anaconda3\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\web
driver.py", line 363, in start_session
    response = self.execute(Command.NEW_SESSION, parameters)
  File "C:\Users\admin\anaconda3\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\web
driver.py", line 428, in execute
    self.error_handler.check_response(response)
  File "C:\Users\admin\anaconda3\lib\site-packages\selenium\webdriver\remote\err
orhandler.py", line 243, in check_response
    raise exception_class(message, screen, stacktrace)
selenium.common.exceptions.SessionNotCreatedException: Message: Unexpected error
 launching Internet Explorer. CreateProcess() failed for edge with the following
 command: msedge.exe --ie-mode-force --internet-explorer-integration=iemode --us
er-data-dir=C:\Users\admin\AppData\Local\Temp\IEDriver-0d804d6b-746b-4dfe-9393-5
d44c3bb0984 --no-first-run --no-service-autorun --disable-sync --disable-feature
s=msImplicitSignin --disable-popup-blocking http://localhost:58342/

Operating System

Windows 10

Selenium version

4.4.3

What are the browser(s) and version(s) where you see this issue?

MS Edge 104.0.1293.63 (Official build) (64-bit)

What are the browser driver(s) and version(s) where you see this issue?

IEDriver 4.3.0.0

Are you using Selenium Grid?

No response

[github-actions]

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

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Thank you!

[github-actions]

Hi, @sohrabtowfighi.
This issue has been determined to require fixes in MSEdgeDriver
or in the IE Mode in Edge.

You can see if the feature is passing in the Web Platform Tests.

If it is something new, please create an Issue with the MSEdgeDriver team.

Feel free to comment the issues that you raise back in this issue. Thank you.

[sohrabtowfighi]

Hi @diemol
The task is not related to MSEdgeDriver.
The task is related to the IEDriverServer.
The relevant code is found in selenium/cpp/iedriver/BrowserFactory.cpp

[diemol]

They are now being kind enough to help us maintain the IEDriver. That is why.

[titusfortner]

It makes sense that it defaults to a temp directory so that it behaves like other drivers. I agree that there should be a way to specify this. A PR to add that feature would be appreciated.

[sohrabtowfighi]

It makes sense that it defaults to a temp directory so that it behaves like other drivers. I agree that there should be a way to specify this. A PR to add that feature would be appreciated.

Please say this here:

MicrosoftEdge/EdgeWebDriver#29

[titusfortner]

Microsoft already knows what they are doing there. I was mostly responding to:

It does not make sense to me why we need to hard code the user-data-dir

[sohrabtowfighi]

As described above, Microsoft agreed to maintain the IE driver. The issue I linked is the specific problem you are mentioning. Please state in the Ms Edge driver issue that I linked that you are looking for a fix for the IE driver. Thanks.

…

On Tue, Aug 23, 2022, 2:55 PM Titus Fortner, ***@***.***> wrote: Microsoft already knows what they are doing there. I was mostly responding to: It does not make sense to me why we need to hard code the user-data-dir — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#10968 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABWK5LXLQZ2HKDPE7IPW5UDV2VCDBANCNFSM57FZWDDQ> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[sohrabtowfighi]

FYI, I figured out a workaround. This was posted here.

I was able to get around this issue with some edits to the browser factory code. I have provided some of the surrounding code so that you can ctrl-f to the relevant section.

// These flags force Edge into a mode where it will only run MSHTML
executable_and_url.append(L" --ie-mode-force");
executable_and_url.append(L" --internet-explorer-integration=iemode");

// THIS IS NEW
// create a temporary directory for IEDriver test if --user-data-dir is not already
// supplied
std::wstring temp_dir;
if (StringUtilities::ToString(browser_command_line_switches_).find("--user-data-dir") == std::string::npos) {
  if (CreateUniqueTempDir(temp_dir)) {
    LOG(TRACE) << L"Using temporary folder " << LOGWSTRING(temp_dir) << ".";
    executable_and_url.append(L" --user-data-dir=" + temp_dir);
    this->edge_user_data_dir_ = temp_dir;
  }
}

executable_and_url.append(L" --no-first-run");
executable_and_url.append(L" --no-service-autorun");
executable_and_url.append(L" --disable-sync");
executable_and_url.append(L" --disable-features=msImplicitSignin");
executable_and_url.append(L" --disable-popup-blocking");

// THIS IS NEW
if (this->browser_command_line_switches_.size() != 0) {
  executable_and_url.append(L" ");
  executable_and_url.append(this->browser_command_line_switches_);
}

executable_and_url.append(L" ");
executable_and_url.append(this->initial_browser_url_);

LOG(TRACE) << "IE starting command line is: '"
           << LOGWSTRING(executable_and_url) << "'.";

I also make sure that when adding arguments in python, I put the variables in double quotes.

ieOptions.add_argument('--user-data-dir="'+msedge_user_profile + '"')
ieOptions.add_argument('--profile-directory="Default"')

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since there has not been any recent activity after it was closed. Please open a new issue for related bugs.