[BUG] Install script unable to find Microsoft.Playwright.dll

Context:

Playwright Version: 1.21.0
Operating System: Windows
.NET version: NET 6
Browser: Chromium

Describe the bug

I am unable to run the install script. After adding the Microsoft.Playwright package to my project, I try to run the install script pwsh bin\Debug\net6.0\playwright.ps1 install, but I get the following error.

MethodInvocationException: {MY PROJECT FOLDER}\bin\Debug\net6.0\playwright.ps1:4
Line |
   4 |  [Reflection.Assembly]::LoadFile($PlaywrightFileName) | Out-Null
     |  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     | Exception calling "LoadFile" with "1" argument(s): "Could not load file or assembly
     | '{MY PROJECT FOLDER}\bin\Debug\net6.0\Microsoft.Playwright.dll'. The
     | system cannot find the file specified."

InvalidOperation: {MY PROJECT FOLDER}\bin\Debug\net6.0\playwright.ps1:5
Line |
   5 |  exit [Microsoft.Playwright.Program]::Main($args)
     |       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     | Unable to find type [Microsoft.Playwright.Program].

Microsoft.Playwright.dll does not exist anywhere in my project’s bin folder.

Issue Analytics

State:
Created a year ago
Comments:11 (5 by maintainers)

Top GitHub Comments

7reactions

campersaucommented, Jun 7, 2022

@Ruud2000 that is the “new” behavior of .NET Core / .NET as it no longer copies all the dependency DLLs by default for library projects as it did for .NET Framework, or more generally where <HasRuntimeOutput> is false. See https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/blob/ee0504f6b4b95ff76a505cd236020a86c1f1fc63/src/Tasks/Microsoft.NET.Build.Tasks/targets/Microsoft.NET.Sdk.BeforeCommon.targets#L23-L30 https://github.com/dotnet/sdk/blob/ad1ca90ad286288970a4ae1ec77e85848fef5a24/src/Tasks/Microsoft.NET.Build.Tasks/targets/Microsoft.NET.Sdk.targets#L312-L331

So if you need the DLL in the output directory of a library project, set the property <HasRuntimeOutput>true</HasRuntimeOutput> in the project file or pass the property as argument when building via CLI /p:HasRuntimeOutput=true.

1reaction

DaveNatalieTripArccommented, Jun 7, 2022

@Ruud2000, you are correct, I am installing playwright in a library project. I was not aware of the <HasRuntieOutput> flag that @campersau mentioned.

Thanks for providing a workaround.