how to override default set of chrome command line switches in selenium

Question

By default, chrome will be run with this command line:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"
--disable-hang-monitor
--disable-prompt-on-repost
--dom-automation
--full-memory-crash-report
--no-default-browser-check
--no-first-run
--disable-background-networking
--disable-sync
--disable-translate
--disable-web-resources
--safebrowsing-disable-auto-update
--safebrowsing-disable-download-protection
--disable-client-side-phishing-detection
--disable-component-update
--disable-default-apps
--enable-logging
--log-level=1
--ignore-certificate-errors
--no-default-browser-check
--test-type=ui
--user-data-dir="C:\Users\nik\AppData\Local\Temp\scoped_dir1972_4232"
--testing-channel=ChromeTestingInterface:1972.1
--noerrdialogs
--metrics-recording-only
--enable-logging
--disable-zero-browsers-open-for-tests
--allow-file-access
--allow-file-access-from-files about:blank

I need to override(remove) all commands --disable-*, since there are no equivalent command --enable-*.

In the end, I want to run browser with this command line:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe"    
--dom-automation
--full-memory-crash-report
--no-first-run
--safebrowsing-disable-auto-update
--safebrowsing-disable-download-protection
--enable-logging
--log-level=1
--ignore-certificate-errors
--test-type=ui
--user-data-dir="C:\Users\nik\AppData\Local\Temp\scoped_dir1972_4232"
--testing-channel=ChromeTestingInterface:1972.1
--noerrdialogs
--metrics-recording-only
--enable-logging
--allow-file-access
--allow-file-access-from-files about:blank

For example, I try to run browser with translation Infobar. I found the option --enable-translate.

capabilities = DesiredCapabilities.CHROME.copy()
capabilities['chrome.switches'] = ['--enable-translate']

But this did not help, infobar does not appear. In commandline, there are two commands: --disable-translate and --enable-translate. This is because it is necessary remove the command --disable-default-apps

Answer 1

Assuming you want to do this in Python, you can add a parameter to chromeOptions so that it won't enable these switches (a bit confusing, but ok).

Given that you want to remove the following switches:

--disable-hang-monitor
--disable-prompt-on-repost
--disable-background-networking
--disable-sync
--disable-translate
--disable-web-resources
--disable-client-side-phishing-detection
--disable-component-update
--disable-default-apps
--disable-zero-browsers-open-for-tests

You would set up your Chrome driver like so:

from selenium import webdriver

chromeOptions = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
chromeOptions.add_experimental_option(
    'excludeSwitches',
    ['disable-hang-monitor',
     'disable-prompt-on-repost',
     'disable-background-networking',
     'disable-sync',
     'disable-translate',
     'disable-web-resources',
     'disable-client-side-phishing-detection',
     'disable-component-update',
     'disable-default-apps',
     'disable-zero-browsers-open-for-tests'])

chromeDriver = webdriver.Chrome(chrome_options=chromeOptions)

Answer 2

You should start browser by yourself and then tell selenium, that you already have it launched via passing special channel id. Something like that:

from random import randrange
channel_id = "%032x" % randrange(16**32)

from subprocess import Popen
# HERE YOU PASS ONLY THOSE PARAMETERS YOU WANT (i.e. without --disable-*)
# BUT YOU MAY NEED --dom-automation FOR SOME ROUTINES
chrome = Popen(" ".join([
    PATH_TO_CHROME_EXE,
    "--no-first-run", "--dom-automation",
    ("--testing-channel=\"NamedTestingInterface:%s\"" % channel_id),
]))

try:
    from selenium.webdriver.chrome.service import Service
    chromedriver_server = Service(PATH_TO_CHROMEDRIVER, 0)
    chromedriver_server.start()
    from selenium.webdriver import Remote
    driver = Remote(chromedriver_server.service_url,
        {"chrome.channel": channel_id, "chrome.noWebsiteTestingDefaults": True})

    driver.get(MY_WEBPAGE)
    # DO YOUR WORK

finally:
    chromedriver_server.stop()
    driver.quit()

chrome.kill()
chrome.wait()