Using a chroot

If you want to run layout tests and you‘re not running Lucid, you’ll get errors due to version differences in libfreetype. To work around this, you can use a chroot.

Basic Instructions

  • Run build/install-chroot.sh. On the prompts, choose to install a 64-bit Lucid chroot and activate all your secondary mount points.
  • sudo edit /etc/schroot/mount-lucid64bit and uncomment /run and /run/shm. Verify that your mount points are correct and uncommented: for example, if you have a second hard drive at /src, you should have an entry like /src /src none rw,bind 0 0.
  • Enter your chroot as root with sudo schroot -c lucid64. Run build /install-build-deps.sh, then exit the rooted chroot.
  • Delete your out/ directory if you had a previous non-chrooted build.
  • To enter your chroot as normal user, run schroot -c lucid64.
  • Now run build/gyp_chromium, compile and run DumpRenderTree within chroot.

Tips and Tricks

NFS home directories

The chroot install will be installed by default in /home/$USER/chroot. If your home directory is inaccessible by root (typically because it is mounted on NFS), then move this directory onto your local disk and change the corresponding entry in /etc/schroot/mount-lucid64bit.

Goma builds

If you get mysterious compile errors (glibconfig.h or dbus header error), make sure that goma is running in the chroot, or don't use goma for builds inside the chroot.

Different color prompt

I use the following code in my .zshrc file to change the color of my prompt in the chroot.

# load colors
autoload colors zsh/terminfo
if [[ "$terminfo[colors]" -ge 8 ]]; then
  colors
fi
for color in RED GREEN YELLOW BLUE MAGENTA CYAN WHITE; do
  eval PR_$color='%{$terminfo[bold]$fg[${(L)color}]%}'
  eval PR_LIGHT_$color='%{$fg[${(L)color}]%}'
done
PR_NO_COLOR="%{$terminfo[sgr0]%}"

# set variable identifying the chroot you work in (used in the prompt below)
if [ -z "$debian_chroot" ] && [ -r /etc/debian_chroot ]; then
  debian_chroot=$(cat /etc/debian_chroot)
fi

if [ "xlucid64" = "x$debian_chroot" ]; then
    PS1="%n@$PR_GREEN% lucid64$PR_NO_COLOR %~ %#"
else
    PS1="%n@$PR_RED%m$PR_NO_COLOR %~ %#"
fi

Running X apps

I also have DISPLAY=:0 in my $debian_chroot section so I can run test_shell or layout tests without manually setting my display every time. Your display number may vary (echo $DISPLAY outside the chroot to see what your display number is).

You can also use Xvfb if you only want to run tests headless.

Having layout test results open in a browser

After running layout tests, you should get a new browser tab or window that opens results.html. If you get an error "Failed to open file:///path/to/results.html, check the following conditions.

  1. Make sure DISPLAY is set. See the Running X apps section above.
  2. Install xdg-utils, which includes xdg-open, a utility for finding the right application to open a file or URL with.
  3. Install Chrome.