tests: Speed up `helper.edit()` and `helper.clearPad()`

src/static/js/collab_client.js

@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ const getCollabClient = (ace2editor, serverVars, initialUserInfo, options, _pad)
   let channelState = 'CONNECTING';
   let lastCommitTime = 0;
   let initialStartConnectTime = 0;
+  let commitDelay = 500;
 
   const userId = initialUserInfo.userId;
   // var socket;
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ const getCollabClient = (ace2editor, serverVars, initialUserInfo, options, _pad)
       return;
     }
 
-    const earliestCommit = lastCommitTime + 500;
+    const earliestCommit = lastCommitTime + commitDelay;
     if (now < earliestCommit) {
       setTimeout(handleUserChanges, earliestCommit - now);
       return;
@@ -488,6 +489,8 @@ const getCollabClient = (ace2editor, serverVars, initialUserInfo, options, _pad)
     setChannelState,
     setStateIdle,
     setIsPendingRevision,
+    set commitDelay(ms) { commitDelay = ms; },
+    get commitDelay() { return commitDelay; },
   };
 
   tellAceAboutHistoricalAuthors(serverVars.historicalAuthorData);

src/tests/frontend/helper.js

@@ -127,6 +127,8 @@ const helper = {};
     $('#iframe-container').append($iframe);
     await new Promise((resolve) => $iframe.one('load', resolve));
     helper.padChrome$ = getFrameJQuery($('#iframe-container iframe'));
+    helper.padChrome$.padeditor =
+        helper.padChrome$.window.require('ep_etherpad-lite/static/js/pad_editor').padeditor;
     if (opts.clearCookies) {
       helper.clearPadPrefCookie();
     }
@@ -260,6 +262,22 @@ const helper = {};
     selection.addRange(range);
   };
 
+  // Temporarily reduces minimum time between commits and calls the provided function with a single
+  // argument: a function that immediately incorporates all pad edits (as opposed to waiting for the
+  // idle timer to fire).
+  helper.withFastCommit = async (fn) => {
+    const incorp = () => helper.padChrome$.padeditor.ace.callWithAce(
+        (ace) => ace.ace_inCallStackIfNecessary('helper.edit', () => ace.ace_fastIncorp()));
+    const cc = helper.padChrome$.window.pad.collabClient;
+    const {commitDelay} = cc;
+    cc.commitDelay = 0;
+    try {
+      return await fn(incorp);
+    } finally {
+      cc.commitDelay = commitDelay;
+    }
+  };
+
   const getTextNodeAndOffsetOf = ($targetLine, targetOffsetAtLine) => {
     const $textNodes = $targetLine.find('*').contents().filter(function () {
       return this.nodeType === Node.TEXT_NODE;

src/tests/frontend/helper/methods.js

@@ -32,8 +32,11 @@ helper.spyOnSocketIO = () => {
 helper.edit = async (message, line) => {
   const editsNum = helper.commits.length;
   line = line ? line - 1 : 0;
-  helper.linesDiv()[line].sendkeys(message);
-  return helper.waitForPromise(() => editsNum + 1 === helper.commits.length);
+  await helper.withFastCommit(async (incorp) => {
+    helper.linesDiv()[line].sendkeys(message);
+    incorp();
+    await helper.waitForPromise(() => editsNum + 1 === helper.commits.length);
+  });
 };
 
 /**
@@ -216,7 +219,10 @@ helper.clearPad = async () => {
   await helper.waitForPromise(() => !helper.padInner$.document.getSelection().isCollapsed);
   const e = new helper.padInner$.Event(helper.evtType);
   e.keyCode = 8; // delete key
-  helper.padInner$('#innerdocbody').trigger(e);
-  await helper.waitForPromise(helper.padIsEmpty);
-  await helper.waitForPromise(() => helper.commits.length > commitsBefore);
+  await helper.withFastCommit(async (incorp) => {
+    helper.padInner$('#innerdocbody').trigger(e);
+    incorp();
+    await helper.waitForPromise(helper.padIsEmpty);
+    await helper.waitForPromise(() => helper.commits.length > commitsBefore);
+  });
 };