Install

• npm

  npm i -D karma-webpack karma-webpack-livereload

• yarn

  yarn add -D karma-webpack karma-webpack-livereload

Usage

Here is the sample karma configuration which uses jasmine and karma-jasmine-html-reporter but any other reporters which works in a browser should work.

karma.conf.js:

module.exports = (config) => {
  config.set({
    frameworks: ['jasmine', 'webpack'], // webpack framework is required
    
    plugins: [
        "karma-jasmine",
        "karma-jasmine-html-reporter", // add some html reporters
        "karma-webpack",  // karma-webpack plugin is required
        "karma-webpack-livereload" // this is our livereload plugin which is also required
    ],

    files: [
      { pattern: 'test/**/*.test.js', watched: false }
    ],

    preprocessors: {
      // webpack and webpack-livereload are required
      // and should be added in this order
      'test/**/*.test.js': [ 'webpack', 'webpack-livereload' ]
    },

    // add some html reporters
    reporters: ['kjhtml'],

    // karma-webpack-livereload plugin will be automatically disabled 
    // if singleRun == true
    // singleRun: true,
    
    webpackLivereload: {
      // forces our karma-webpack-livereload plugin to be enabled/disabled.
      // could be omitted as plugin is enabled by default
      enabled: true, 
      
      // if this property is passed - karma-webpack-livereload plugin will be enabled
      // only if reporters in karma.conf contains any of reporters mentioned in this property
      reporters: ['kjhtml']
    },
    
    webpack: {
      // webpack configuration
    },
  });
}

Since karma-webpack-livereload based on karma-webpack plugin, please also read karma-webpack plugin documentation

How it works

This plugin is a karma preprocessor which works in conjunction with karma-webpak plugin. It enhances the way how karma-webpack utilizes webpack: in addition to the standard webpack compiler creation, this plugin starts webpack-dev-server which has embedded livereload capabilities.

Sample

./sample folder in the source code contains minimal example which demonstrates how this plugin works:

In order to test this sample follow these steps:

• checkout source code: git clone [email protected]:sprilukin/karma-webpack-livereload.git
• execute:

  cd karma-webpack-livereload/sample
  npm install
  npm run test

• open the following url in the browser: http://localhost:9876/
• try to edit karma-webpack-livereload/sample/src/moduleToTest.tests.js and do simple change:

  //expect(moduleToTest(1, 1)).toBe(2);   // <--- original code
  expect(moduleToTest(1, 2)).toBe(2);   // <--- modified code  

• ensure that the browser page refreshed automatically and shows failed test result: