Setting an env var above your imports does not run before them, and our integration test works anyway

The largest test file in PubTrivia, containing 543 lines, calls actual server actions, the engine, and the Postgres database against which it operates. This setup has real costs associated with it. The key insight came from the two lines placed above the imports that disable WebSocket notifications before importing modules that read them during execution.

Despite the belief that these lines would run before the imported modules, this is not the case in an ES module environment. Import declarations are hoisted, and all imported modules are fully evaluated before the first statement of the importing module runs. Consequently, the order of assignments and imports does not matter, and the test functions correctly for a different reason.

The code being disabled is an async function that notifies a WebSocket server with session ID, event, and payload. The function checks if the required variables are set before proceeding. However, when the variables are blanked before the imports, the function returns early with a warning, ensuring the test is the only one controlling the closing of a question.

This demonstrates the importance of understanding the evaluation order of modules in ES environments and the impact it can have on test results.