Cypress: Running Test using custom TZ value in Windows - node.js

Question

I had my tests designed to be run in an environment which assumed to be in UTC.
I used cy.clock() to set a date-time in UTC format. The Web App to test will display current browser date-time in UTC format.
I had TZ=UTC in my environment variables and I run my test in Cypress Runner in Linux machine using TZ=UTC npx cypress open. The date and the time display on the web app is same as the date time I set using cy.clock()
However, the same method seems doesn't work in Windows. I couldn't use TZ=UTC npx cypress open in Windows. Instead I used npx cypress open. The time is correct but the date differs by one day. If I change my windows pc timezone to UTC, the both date and time is as expected.
Is there any other way other than change the computer timezone in Windows ? I do not need to do so in Linux
My tests runs fine in CI without the need for TZ before the script. Setting it in environment variable in cypress.json is sufficient.
Can someone please enlightened me on this please ?
My cypress.json
{
"projectId": "blahblahbah",
"baseUrl": "http://localhost:4200",
"numTestsKeptInMemory": 10,
"chromeWebSecurity": false,
"TZ": "UTC",
"env": {
"BASE_URL": "http://localhost:4200",
"TZ": "UTC",
},
"integrationFolder": "cypress/tests/",
"retries": {
"runMode": 2,
"openMode": 0
},
"reporter": "cypress-mochawesome-reporter",
"reporterOptions": {
"charts": true,
"reportPageTitle": "XXXX Test",
"embeddedScreenshots": true,
"inlineAssets": true,
"reportDir": "cypress/reports/",
"timestamp": "mmddyyyy_HHMMss"
},
"video": false
}

Answer 1

I think the Windows equiv to TZ=UTC npx cypress open is set TZ=UTC && npx cypress open.
There's also cross-env, allows a single script to work across different OS.
// package.json
{
"scripts": {
"cy:open": "cross-env TZ=UTC npx cypress open"
}
}
But it seems to be fussy about the shell
Windows Issues
Please note that npm uses cmd by default and that doesn't support command substitution, so if you want to leverage that, then you need to update your .npmrc to set the script-shell to powershell.
Another option is run-script-os
See Run different NPM scripts depending on the platform
// package.json
{
"scripts": {
"test": "run-script-os",
"test:win32": "set TZ=UTC && npx cypress open",
"test:darwin:linux": "TZ=UTC npx cypress open",
}
}

Answer 2

I found a workaround in Windows other than setting your computer clock.
You can use WSL2 to run Linux command in Windows 11. If you do not have Windows 11, update it. If your computer cannot support Windows 11, buy a new one.
Make sure you are in Windows 11 Build 22000
Install Docker. Followed the instruction to get Docker running successfully. That also includes setting up WSL2. In this step you will be directed to Microsoft guide to install WSL 2 and install a Linux distro from Microsoft Store. Make sure you did RESTART
Install driver for vGPU
Intel GPU driver for WSL
AMD GPU driver for WSL
NVIDIA GPU driver for WSL
Links can be obtained here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/gui-apps
After that Open Powershell as Admin
wsl --update followed by wsl --shutdown
RESTART COMPUTER
Follow the below sub-steps if you wish to try to luck or increase chances of success.
Can do this for non Windows 11 PC
a. Install VcXsrv
(Multiple windows and Start no client is recommended)
On the page that lets you enable extra settings, disable access control
b. In VSCode, open project folder and a new terminal using dropdown. (There is a + button) Look for Ubuntu (WSL). Here you have access to the bash shell.
c. Type the following command in sequence
set DISPLAY variable to the IP automatically assigned to WSL2
export DISPLAY=$(cat /etc/resolv.conf | grep nameserver | awk '{print $2; exit;}'):0.0
echo $DISPLAY
# expect something like 192.168.64.1:0.0
sudo /etc/init.d/dbus start &> /dev/null
sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/dbus
After this command, an editor will launch. Add the following line with your distro username.
<your_username> ALL = (root) NOPASSWD: /etc/init.d/dbus
Remember to set permission in firewall to allow VcXsrv on domain, private and public network.
RESTART COMPUTER
In VSCode, open project folder and a new terminal using dropdown. (There is a + button) Look for Ubuntu (WSL). Here you have access to the bash shell.
Install cypress dependencies by using
sudo apt-get install libgtk2.0-0 libgtk-3-0 libgbm-dev libnotify-dev libgconf-2-4 libnss3 libxss1 libasound2 libxtst6 xauth xvfb
Install npm and nodejs by using
'''
sudo apt-get install npm nodejs
'''
Note: Prior to 3 and . It is assumed that you have already done apt-get update
npm i
Open another New Terminal ( Ubuntu WSL) to run npm serve
You can attempt to
npx cypress open
to see if it works well.
Remember npm serve, npm i and npx cypress open need to be in bash ( Ubuntu WSL)
If you are using Windows 11 Build 22000 and above, you can try to exit VcXsrv, and do npx cypress open again. I tried and it still work.
Reference:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/tutorials/gui-apps
https://shouv.medium.com/how-to-run-cypress-on-wsl2-989b83795fb6
ANOTHER KISS SOLUTION: USE GIT BASH
Just launch Git Bash from VSCODE followed by TZ=UTC npx cypress open