How can I fix the 'Jest Cannot use import statement outside a module' error when running tests?

Product Support LT Browser
#1

How can I fix the ‘Jest Cannot use import statement outside a module’ error when running tests?

#2

Hello Neha,

Ensure your Babel configuration is set up to handle ES6 module syntax. Add or update your .babelrc or babel.config.js file with the following configuration to enable support for import statements:

{ “presets”: [“@babel/preset-env”, “@babel/preset-react”], “plugins”: [“@babel/plugin-transform-modules-commonjs”] } Make sure babel-jest is installed as well:

npm install --save-dev babel-jest @babel/preset-env @babel/preset-react

#3

Hello Neha,

Modify your Jest configuration (e.g., jest.config.js or package.json) to use babel-jest for transforming ES6 modules. Add or update the transform option:

module.exports = { transform: { “^.+\.(js|jsx)$”: “babel-jest” } } This setup ensures that Jest uses Babel to transpile ES6 syntax, including import statements.

#4

Hey Neha,

Use --transformIgnorePatterns to Handle Node Modules: If your issue involves third-party libraries in node_modules, adjust Jest’s transformIgnorePatterns to ensure those libraries are processed correctly:

module.exports = { transformIgnorePatterns: [“/node_modules/(?!(your-library-name)/)”], };

Replace your-library-name with the specific library that requires transformation. This configuration ensures Jest processes ES6 code within the specified library.