Test Time-Sensitive UI With The Virtual Clock

Debounced search, trial banners, idle logout, and countdowns all force tests to either sleep (slow, flaky) or never test the timing at all. Install a virtual clock and you control time directly: advance it to the exact millisecond a timer should fire, or freeze it on a fixed date. This recipe drives the live clock example, whose search input debounces for 300 ms.

await browser.clock.install();
await browser.navigateTo('https://dtopuzov.github.io/craftdriver/examples/clock.html');

await browser.fill('#search-input', 'lap');

await browser.clock.tick(299); // just before the debounce threshold
await browser.expect('#search-count').toHaveText('0');

await browser.clock.tick(2); // crosses 300ms — the search fires exactly once
await browser.expect('#search-count').toHaveText('1');

Fixed Dates

For date-dependent UI, freeze the wall clock before navigation so the page renders as if it were that moment:

await browser.clock.setFixedTime('2026-06-15T23:59:00Z');
await browser.navigateTo('https://dtopuzov.github.io/craftdriver/examples/clock.html');

await browser.expect('#trial-banner').toContainText('Trial expires today');

Notes

• install() fakes timers so tick() advances them deterministically; uninstall() restores the real clock.
• setFixedTime() freezes Date.now() and new Date() without touching timers — ideal for date-keyed UI.
• Install the clock before navigation so the page picks up the fake timers on load.

Learn More

• Virtual Clock
• Network Mocking And Request Waiting