The mail listener sometimes encounters authentication issues

Question

The mail listener sometimes encounters authentication issues

The Issue:

We are facing a challenge with multiple tests that require the verification of the test user's email as part of the testing process. This is especially crucial for scenarios involving two-factor authentication and email notifications.

Currently, we rely on a solution found here, which leverages the mail-listener2 node package. Below is the configuration we are using:

email: {
    username: "insert user email",
    password: "insert user password",
    host: "insert SMTP server address",
    port: 993,
    tls: true,
    mailbox: "Inbox",
    markSeen: true
},

We initiate the mail listener in the Protractor config within the onPrepare() function:

var MailListener = require("mail-listener2");
var mailListener = new MailListener(config.email);

mailListener.start();

mailListener.on("server:connected", function(){
    console.log("Mail listener initialized");
});

global.mailListener = mailListener;

The issue arises when, approximately 10% of the time, the mail listener encounters the following error message:

Timed out while authenticating with server

The Query:

What could be causing this problem and how can we troubleshoot to ensure consistent functionality of the mail listener? Additionally, is it viable to implement an automatic retry mechanism for authentication failures?

javascript email selenium protractor email-client

Answer 1

Answer №1

A challenge arises with asynchronous problems, particularly when your mail listener is attempting to verify the occurrence of "server:connected". Since this process is inherently non-blocking, there is no guarantee that it will occur in a timely manner. One solution is to encase this procedure within a promise and resolve it upon detecting the event "server:connected".

onPrepare: {
  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    var MailListener = require("mail-listener2");
    var mailListener = new MailListener(config.email);

    mailListener.start();

    mailListener.on("server:connected", function(){
      console.log("Mail listener initialized");
      resolve();
    });

    // In case an error occurs while connecting to the server,
    // consider rejecting the promise at this point.
    mailListener.on("error", (err) => {
      reject(err);
    });

    global.mailListener = mailListener;
  });
}

Answer 2

A challenge arises with asynchronous problems, particularly when your mail listener is attempting to verify the occurrence of "server:connected". Since this process is inherently non-blocking, there is no guarantee that it will occur in a timely manner. One solution is to encase this procedure within a promise and resolve it upon detecting the event "server:connected".

onPrepare: {
  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    var MailListener = require("mail-listener2");
    var mailListener = new MailListener(config.email);

    mailListener.start();

    mailListener.on("server:connected", function(){
      console.log("Mail listener initialized");
      resolve();
    });

    // In case an error occurs while connecting to the server,
    // consider rejecting the promise at this point.
    mailListener.on("error", (err) => {
      reject(err);
    });

    global.mailListener = mailListener;
  });
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

@cnishina's assistance was invaluable. Building on that, we have enhanced the solution by incorporating a "retry" feature to attempt retrying the mail listener N times in case of failure:

this.configureMailListener = function (mailListener, maxRetries, deferred) {
    var self = this;

    if (!deferred) {
        deferred = protractor.promise.defer();
    }

    mailListener.start();

    mailListener.on("server:connected", function() {
        console.log("Mail listener initialized.");
        deferred.fulfill();
    });

    mailListener.on("error", function (err) {
        if (maxRetries > 0) {
            console.log("Mail listener failed to initialize. Retrying...");

            setTimeout(function () {
                mailListener.removeAllListeners();
                mailListener.stop();

                self.configureMailListener(mailListener, maxRetries - 1, deferred);
            }, 1000);
        } else {
            console.log("Mail listener failed to initialize.");
            deferred.reject(err);
        }
    });
    return deferred.promise;
};

To utilize this feature, add the following code snippet to onPrepare():

onPrepare: function () {
    // configure email listener
    var MailListener = require("mail-listener2");
    var config = require("../config/config");
    var mailListener = new MailListener(config.email);

    global.mailListener = mailListener;

    return helpers.configureMailListener(mailListener, 5);  // attempt to initialize mail-listener 5 times
},

Answer 4

@cnishina's assistance was invaluable. Building on that, we have enhanced the solution by incorporating a "retry" feature to attempt retrying the mail listener N times in case of failure:

this.configureMailListener = function (mailListener, maxRetries, deferred) {
    var self = this;

    if (!deferred) {
        deferred = protractor.promise.defer();
    }

    mailListener.start();

    mailListener.on("server:connected", function() {
        console.log("Mail listener initialized.");
        deferred.fulfill();
    });

    mailListener.on("error", function (err) {
        if (maxRetries > 0) {
            console.log("Mail listener failed to initialize. Retrying...");

            setTimeout(function () {
                mailListener.removeAllListeners();
                mailListener.stop();

                self.configureMailListener(mailListener, maxRetries - 1, deferred);
            }, 1000);
        } else {
            console.log("Mail listener failed to initialize.");
            deferred.reject(err);
        }
    });
    return deferred.promise;
};

To utilize this feature, add the following code snippet to onPrepare():

onPrepare: function () {
    // configure email listener
    var MailListener = require("mail-listener2");
    var config = require("../config/config");
    var mailListener = new MailListener(config.email);

    global.mailListener = mailListener;

    return helpers.configureMailListener(mailListener, 5);  // attempt to initialize mail-listener 5 times
},

The mail listener sometimes encounters authentication issues

Answer №1

Answer №2

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