grafana/k6 · error

typing %q in %q: %w

Error message

typing %q in %q: %w

What it means

Frame.Type() wraps the internal type-text action as 'typing "<text>" in "<selector>": <cause>'. The cause is the real error: element wait timeout, actionability failure (hidden/disabled), mid-typing detach, or keyboard event dispatch failing because the frame died.

Source

Thrown at internal/js/modules/k6/browser/common/frame.go:1905

	js := `() => document.title`
	v, err := f.Evaluate(js)
	if err != nil {
		return "", fmt.Errorf("getting frame title: %w", err)
	}
	s, ok := v.(string)
	if !ok {
		return "", fmt.Errorf("getting frame title: expected string, got %T", v)
	}

	return s, nil
}

// Type text on the first element found matches the selector.
func (f *Frame) Type(selector, text string, popts *FrameTypeOptions) error {
	f.log.Debugf("Frame:Type", "fid:%s furl:%q sel:%q text:%q", f.ID(), f.URL(), selector, text)

	if err := f.typ(selector, text, popts); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("typing %q in %q: %w", text, selector, err)
	}

	applySlowMo(f.ctx)

	return nil
}

func (f *Frame) typ(selector, text string, opts *FrameTypeOptions) error {
	typeText := func(apiCtx context.Context, handle *ElementHandle) (any, error) {
		return nil, handle.typ(apiCtx, text, opts.ToKeyboardOptions())
	}
	act := f.newAction(
		selector, DOMElementStateAttached, opts.Strict, typeText,
		[]string{}, false, withRetry, opts.NoWaitAfter, opts.Timeout,
	)
	if _, err := call(f.ctx, act, opts.Timeout); err != nil {
		return errorFromDOMError(err)
	}

View on GitHub (pinned to 93accf6570)

Solutions

1. Wait first: await frame.waitForSelector(sel, { state: 'visible' }) then type().
2. For controlled inputs that re-render, prefer fill() (single set) or type with small delay and verify the final value.
3. Use { timeout: 60_000 } on slow environments and a selector that matches exactly one element.
4. Use { force: true } only if the invisibility is a styling artifact you control.

Example fix

// before
await frame.type('#email', 'a@b.c'); // input hidden by wizard step

// after
await frame.waitForSelector('#email', { state: 'visible' });
await frame.type('#email', 'a@b.c', { timeout: 60_000 });

await frame.waitForSelector(sel, { state: 'visible', timeout: 60_000 });

try { await frame.type(sel, text, { timeout: 60_000 }); }
catch (e) { if (/typing .* in/.test(e.message)) { /* inspect cause: timeout vs re-render vs strict */ } throw e; }

When it happens

Trigger: frame.type(sel, text) where the element never appears within timeout; element not visible/enabled with force=false; element re-rendered mid-typing (React controlled input); strict-mode multi-match; page navigated while typing.

Common situations: Typing into inputs behind overlays; typing into inputs whose value is wiped by framework re-render; wrong selector; slow CI exceeding the default 30s timeout.

Related errors

• pressing %q on %q: %w
• pressing %q on element: %w
• clicking on %q: %w
• checking %q: %w
• double clicking on %q: %w

AI-assisted analysis of grafana/k6@93accf6570 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ee7c47bddd7f4f66. Report an issue: GitHub.