Node.js child_process has no access to global modules - node.js

Question

I have installed a npm packages globally in my Kubuntu 19.04
$ npm install -g cordova
/home/username/.npm-global/bin/cordova -> /home/username/.npm-global/lib/node_modules/cordova/bin/cordova
+ cordova#9.0.0
updated 1 package in 7.299s
I can access it from shell
$ cordova -v
9.0.0 (cordova-lib#9.0.1)
But I can't access it from a simple node script with spawn:
const { spawn } = require( 'child_process' );
const cmd = spawn( 'cordova', [ '-v' ] );
cmd.stdout.on( 'data', data => {
console.log( `stdout: ${data}` );
} );
Running it results in the following:
$ node test1.js
events.js:298
throw er; // Unhandled 'error' event
^
Error: spawn cordova ENOENT
at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:267:19)
at onErrorNT (internal/child_process.js:467:16)
at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:84:21)
Emitted 'error' event on ChildProcess instance at:
at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (internal/child_process.js:273:12)
at onErrorNT (internal/child_process.js:467:16)
at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:84:21) {
errno: -2,
code: 'ENOENT',
syscall: 'spawn cordova',
path: 'cordova',
spawnargs: [ '-v' ]
}
But when using absolute path:
const { spawn } = require( 'child_process' );
const cmd = spawn( '/home/username/.npm-global/bin/cordova', [ '-v' ] );
cmd.stdout.on( 'data', data => {
console.log( `stdout: ${data}` );
} );
I get the expected result:
$ node test1.js
stdout: 9.0.0 (cordova-lib#9.0.1)
My script above is just a testcase, since I have problem to add/run cordova specific stuff in vue-cli-plugin-cordova and quasar. I tracked it down, that the global path is the problem.
Update
I think I found the problem, but not sure how to solve it. When setting /bin/bash as shell, it works:
cmd = spawn('cordova', ['-v'], {
shell: '/bin/bash'
});
Not sure, why this is needed and why the packages vue-cli-plugin-cordova and quasar don't do it.

Answer 1

Ok, after hours of research and tryouts, I have uninstalled node, installed nvm and latest node, set
nvm use --delete-prefix v13.7.0 --silent >> /dev/null
and added this to ~/.bashrc
and now everything works

Answer 2

how I solve my error, I changed the environment variable PATH: to C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;{plus program paths}
which is
C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;C:\Program Files\nodejs
in my PATH