<object type="application/pdf" /> and <iframe /> not showing PDF in Chrome headless mode

Test code to reproduce

I have the following code in the app which renders a PDF document using Chrome’s built-in PDF renderer.

<object 
  type="application/pdf"
  data="http://www.africau.edu/images/default/sample.pdf"
  width="100%"
  test-id="embedded-preview"
  style="height: calc(100vh - 120px);"
>
   Document preview
</object>

Current behavior:

When running through the cypress app everything works fine. But, when running using cypress run --browser chrome --headless or cypress run --browser chrome the test fails and later checking the video, I see that the PDF is not rendered. Instead, for the headless mode it shows the alternative text (Document preview string in the above case) and for the headed mode nothing is shown.

Desired behavior:

I want a PDF to be rendered when running the tests using cypress run same as how it gets rendered when using “cypress open”.

Versions

Cypress 4.9.0 Google Chrome, Version 84.0.4147.89 (Official Build) (64-bit) OS: Ubuntu 20.04, 5.4.0-40-generic #44-Ubuntu

[croraf]

@jennifer-shehane I made a minimal example now with Cypress 4.11.0. and I get the same results as you do. (You just made a typo in the caption above first image. The first image is behavior in Chrome headed / Firefox headless and headed as you said above in the text and not Chrome/Electron headed)

Also, a minor (perhaps not important) difference I see now from what I originally reported is the following. In my real project tested with Cypress 4.9.0 the Chrome headed didn’t show anything (nor the PDF nor the alt text). But this might be due to test itself.

[ckxddd0324]

Any updates on this 😦 . It is still happening. Configuration:

• Cypress version 7.5.0.
• Chrome version: Version 91.0.4472.77 (Official Build) (64-bit)
• OS: Ubuntu 5.4.0-45-generic #49-Ubuntu SMP Wed Aug 26 13:38:52 UTC 2020 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

It is also happening with iframe trying to show pdf.

Is the pdf embedded on the page? I am experience something similar as well, the Cypress runner is unable to load the PDF on the page, but if I would open the page with another one it works.