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For an existing Protractor/Jasmine suite, the most predictable way to publish an HTML report with failure images is a two-stage pipeline: capture a PNG when Jasmine marks a spec failed, write XML results, then let an HTML reporter join the XML to those PNG files. Protractor reached end-of-life in August 2023; its project discourages new adoption and recommends migration to another end-to-end framework. Use the procedure below to maintain a legacy suite while you plan that migration.
Choose the reporting architecture first
There are two practical patterns. Do not install several reporters that all attempt to own the same Jasmine lifecycle unless you have verified their interactions.
Pattern A: explicit screenshot hook plus XML-to-HTML rendering
A Jasmine reporter captures a screenshot in specDone only when result.status === 'failed'. A separate XML reporter records test results. After the run, protractor-html-reporter-2 reads the XML and locates the PNG files using the configured browser name and paths. This split is easier to debug because capture and rendering are independent.
Pattern B: a reporter plugin that captures and renders
protractor-beautiful-reporter can be registered from onPrepare and configured with a base directory. Its takeScreenShotsOnlyForFailedSpecs option keeps images for failed specs while still listing passed tests. The project documents Jasmine 2 usage, does not support Jasmine 1, assumes one continuous result collection, and says it needs new maintainers.
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protractor-screenshoter-plugin exposes options including screenshotPath, screenshotOnExpect, screenshotOnSpec, and writeReportFreq. Its documentation says writeReportFreq: 'asap' writes after each expectation but warns of race conditions with concurrent browsers; for CI, its README recommends the default end-of-test behavior. Validate either plugin against your exact dependency versions before standardizing it.
Pattern A: build the pipeline step by step
1. Install and pin compatible packages
Use the versions already compatible with your legacy suite, and commit the lockfile. The XML reporter is one documented way to produce the input consumed by the HTML reporter. Exact compatibility depends on your Protractor, Jasmine, Node.js, browser, driver, and reporter versions.
npm install --save-dev jasmine-reporters protractor-html-reporter-2 fs-extraRecord the runtime versions in CI logs. Protractor’s historical compatibility text should not be treated as a guarantee for current Node.js or browser releases.
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Place the hook in the configuration path that runs before specs. The example below sanitizes the full spec name, creates the directory, and writes the base64 PNG returned by WebDriver. The asynchronous callback is an adaptation for readability, not a guaranteed drop-in for every Jasmine runner; confirm that your installed runner waits for asynchronous reporter methods.
const fs = require('fs-extra');
const path = require('path');
jasmine.getEnv().addReporter({
async specDone(result) {
if (result.status !== 'failed') return;
const caps = await browser.getCapabilities();
const browserName = caps.get('browserName') || 'unknown-browser';
const pngBase64 = await browser.takeScreenshot();
const safeName = result.fullName
.replace(/[^a-z0-9_-]+/gi, '_')
.replace(/^_+|_+$/g, '') || 'unnamed-spec';
const output = path.join(
'reports', 'screenshots', `${browserName}-${safeName}.png`
);
await fs.ensureDir(path.dirname(output));
await fs.writeFile(output, pngBase64, 'base64');
}
});The screenshot is taken when the runner reports the spec as failed. That does not promise a frame captured at the exact assertion instruction: cleanup, retries, or other runner behavior may have changed the page first. Verify the timing in your suite.
3. Configure XML output
Register your chosen Jasmine XML reporter in the same pre-run configuration and write a stable file such as xmlresults.xml. Keep the XML location and report output inside the same artifact workspace so relative paths remain valid in local runs and CI.
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const JasmineReporters = require('jasmine-reporters');
jasmine.getEnv().addReporter(new JasmineReporters.JUnitXmlReporter({
savePath: 'reports',
filePrefix: 'xmlresults',
consolidateAll: true
}));Option names can differ by installed package release. Check the package documentation and inspect the generated XML before connecting the HTML step.
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4. Render the HTML report after Protractor exits
Run the renderer only after XML and PNG writing have completed. The browser identifier and filename convention must match what the renderer expects.
const HTMLReport = require('protractor-html-reporter-2');
const browserName = 'chrome';
const browserVersion = 'configured-in-ci';
new HTMLReport().from('reports/xmlresults.xml', {
reportTitle: 'Protractor Test Execution Report',
outputPath: './reports',
outputFilename: 'ProtractorTestReport',
screenshotPath: './reports/screenshots',
testBrowser: browserName,
browserVersion
});Place screenshots alongside the report output as shown. If your capture hook uses a different directory or filename, change both sides together; the reporter does not discover arbitrary images automatically.
5. Publish the artifact
Configure CI to retain the entire reports directory, not only the HTML file. The HTML usually references PNGs by relative path, so uploading just the document produces broken images. Use a unique workspace per run or include a run ID in the directory when jobs can overlap.
Pattern B: configure a bundled reporter
When you prefer one package to collect results and create the report, register its Jasmine 2 adapter from onPrepare:
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exports.config = {
onPrepare() {
jasmine.getEnv().addReporter(
new HtmlReporter({
baseDirectory: 'tmp/screenshots',
takeScreenShotsOnlyForFailedSpecs: true
}).getJasmine2Reporter()
);
}
};Confirm the package’s output layout and whether your runner performs retries or sharding; its documented result model assumes one continuous run. If you need per-expectation images, evaluate the screenshoter plugin, but avoid ASAP report writes in concurrent multi-browser jobs unless you have demonstrated that its race behavior is acceptable.
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File naming, paths, and parallel execution
Make names deterministic and unique
Include browser, spec, and—when applicable—worker or shard identifiers. A sanitized full name prevents slashes, spaces, and punctuation from becoming directories or invalid filenames. Add a run ID when two CI jobs can write to a shared volume.
Resolve paths from the process working directory
Relative paths are interpreted from the directory that starts Protractor, which may differ between a developer shell and CI. Prefer an absolute artifact root derived from process.cwd(), or print the resolved paths at startup. Ensure directories exist before the browser session ends.
Control concurrency
Parallel browsers should never write the same PNG or XML file. Use separate output directories per shard, then merge artifacts in a later CI step if your report tool supports it. Avoid a plugin’s ASAP mode when simultaneous workers can update one report.
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Capture errors must not hide the test failure
Wrap screenshot capture in error handling appropriate to your policy. If a browser has already crashed, preserve the original failed result and log the capture error; do not turn a useful assertion failure into an opaque reporter exception. Decide whether a missing screenshot should fail the job separately.
Retries and late screenshots
If your runner retries a spec, use an attempt number in the filename or retain only the final attempt deliberately. Otherwise, one attempt can overwrite another and the HTML may point to an unexpected image.
Disk and retention costs
Failure-only capture sharply reduces storage compared with taking an image after every passing spec. Set CI retention according to debugging needs, and compress or expire old run directories outside the test process.
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Troubleshooting checklist
The PNG exists but the HTML shows no image
- Check that
screenshotPathpoints to the directory actually archived. - Confirm the report’s relative location and the screenshot location are consistent.
- Match
testBrowserto the browser prefix in the filename. - Compare your filename with the exact convention expected by the installed HTML reporter.
Images are written to the wrong directory
Print process.cwd() and resolve both report and screenshot paths from a known artifact root. Create directories before capture rather than assuming CI has them.
The reporter crashes or omits metadata
Check the Jasmine major version and use the package’s Jasmine 2 compatibility adapter where required. Pin Protractor, Jasmine, Node.js, browser, driver, and reporter versions as one tested set.
Parallel runs overwrite artifacts
Give every shard and browser its own directory or filename prefix. Do not use shared XML filenames, and avoid ASAP report writing where the plugin documentation warns about concurrent races.
CI fails while local runs pass
Compare working directories, environment variables, browser headless flags, driver versions, and dependency lockfiles. Exercise the complete reporting lifecycle in the same CI mode used for production runs.
The screenshot shows a later state
specDone timing is runner-dependent and is not documented as an exact assertion-time capture. Add logging around teardown and verify the visual state in your own suite before relying on the image for pixel-level diagnosis.
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- Create one deliberately failing spec and verify that a PNG and XML entry appear.
- Open the HTML locally with its screenshots directory beside it.
- Run a passing-only batch and confirm the report remains valid without failure images.
- Run two browsers and two shards concurrently to check for collisions.
- Delete the output directory before each run so stale images cannot make a broken configuration look healthy.
- Archive the exact report directory and inspect it on a clean machine or CI artifact viewer.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to capture a page outside the Protractor run—for example, a deployment preview or a diagnostic URL—ScreenshotNeo provides a single HTTP request. It accepts consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf to Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
Use the API documentation at https://screenshotneo.com/docs/ for authentication and options. A minimal call is:
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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpPython:
import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot failed: ${res.status}`);
const fs = await import('node:fs/promises');
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use this setup for a new Protractor project?
No. Protractor is end-of-life, so this workflow is intended for maintaining an existing suite while you migrate to a supported end-to-end tool.
Why does the HTML reporter need the browser name?
The documented XML-to-HTML flow uses the browser identifier to match report entries with previously captured screenshot filenames.
Should I capture screenshots after every expectation?
Only if the additional artifacts and concurrency risk are justified. Failure-only capture is smaller; ASAP writing can race when browsers run concurrently.
What should be archived in CI?
Archive the HTML report, its screenshot directory, and the XML results together so relative image references remain valid.
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