No colors in GitLab CI job output by default

[MurzNN]

Description of the bug/issue

When I run Nightwatch.js in GitLab CI, the colored output disappears. But it works when I run the same tests locally.

Steps to reproduce

1. Run a Nightwatch test in GitLab CI.
2. See no colors.

Nightwatch.js Version

3.12.1

Node Version

22.0

Browser

GitLab CI

Operating System

Linux

Additional Information

Found a working workaround by setting the FORCE_COLOR=1 environment variable. But it's better to make this work by default.

[fjgarlin]

I can confirm that the fix works.

• Without the fix: https://git.drupalcode.org/project/decoupled_pages/-/jobs/4808320
• With the fix: https://git.drupalcode.org/project/gitlab_templates_downstream/-/jobs/4846197

The only change was to add that variable to our CI job: https://git.drupalcode.org/project/gitlab_templates/-/merge_requests/342/diffs

[garg3133]

We use the chalk package for providing colours, which internally detects whether a terminal supports colours or not.

So, it seems that the tool used by chalk to detect colour support (supports-color) does not have support for GitLab CI.

Edit: It actually checks for CI and GITLAB_CI in env variables to decide whether to enable colors or not: https://github.com/chrispat/supports-color/blob/416db16110d450eb5b5d559840468a67821594a1/index.js#L84

[fjgarlin]

The above projects do have both CI and GITLAB_CI env variables and they are set to true.
https://git.drupalcode.org/project/gitlab_templates_downstream/-/jobs/4846185#L52 and
https://git.drupalcode.org/project/gitlab_templates_downstream/-/jobs/4846185#L249