I'm getting closer to npm to manage the javascript of my project.
Looking at stackoverflow I saw this documentation: https://docs.npmjs.com/using-npm-packages-in-your-projects
but honestly I understood little and nothing...
I would like to install this package: npm install lightgallery lg-thumbnail lg-autoplay lg-video lg-fullscreen lg-pager lg-zoom lg-hash lg-share
running it he will put the package in node_modules.
always looking at the documentation I found: npm install <folder>, so I tried an told path to the directory at the end of npm install, but the install it inside the node_modules folder...
I'm using Laravel, and if I want to install something from npm to public/inc/plugins, which is the correct procedure? is it possible to indicate this in the packages.json file? If it is recommended to use the installation in the main node, how can I then use the js? with a reconstruction with webpack mix?
You shouldn't do that, because this is standard, and other developers may feel uncomfortable if you change this behavior.
In documentation, you can find:
Install the package in the directory as a symlink in the current project. Its dependencies will be installed before it’s linked. If folder sits inside the root of your project, its dependencies may be hoisted to the toplevel node_modules as they would for other types of dependencies.
Here you can find an answer on StackOverflow
Related
I am just starting with node/npm and I have a lot of trouble with
the path to install the package
loading the package in node
I would like to have a package folder (no matter its path) with only the packages needed for my current project (I don't use a package.json just the normal npm install...). So instead of installing the package in the folder given by npm root, I thought I would install all the packages in a local folder with npm install --prefix ./node_modules pck_name.
If I install the packages globally, I am able to load the packages in Node with require('pck-nam'), but when I install in the local folder, I am unable to load the package in Node even by adding the folder path to node_path or with the full path of the packages in require:
const pck = require('C:/Users/Me/myproject/my_modules/node_modules/pck-name');
The error is Cannot find module 'pck-name'
Because I was stuck on this for a long time without finding a solution, I though of renaming the folder given by npm root and then doing a global install : because the folder is will be recreated from scratch, then I will just have the packages for my project. But after the install, I did npm list, and all my previous package are listed, including the one for current project.
I have read many questions/answers and many tuto but I am still unable to use npm/node the way I would like (I am used to python and I regularly use import for global/local modules so I may be thinking too much in a python way).
I can at least partially answer my question as I understand know why the previous package where still there after I renamed the folder. Although I didn't install from a package.json, npm install do create a package.json, or in my case a package-lock.json. And apparently when running a npm install package-name it will check package-lock.json re-install all the missing packages.
So it's not enough to rename the folder indicated by npm root, I also add to rename the package-lock.json. Now I am clear. I still think that I haven't found the best way to go but at least I have what I need.
I am a total Javascript newbie aiming to configure my Mac nicely for development.
NPM is installed.
I notice that folder node_modules exists in my Users/MyName directory.
I think this is a result of having either installed Node/NPM or specifically run npm install airtable the other day, which I did at the time in Users/MyName.
When I npm uninstall airtable, it removes airtable and its dependency folders from nodule_modules, leaving the following: #types and package-lock.json (hidden).
If I cd to new project-specific directory Users/MyName/Projects/Code/myusername/airtable-test and run npm install airtable from there, I expected the packages may get installed in that folder. However, again, they get installed up at Users/MyName/node_modules.
In both cases, .package-lock.json (non-hidden) and package.json are in Users/MyName, which seems messy to me. (I haven't done anything non-standard in install).
Is this the way things should be?
Attempts to solve:
I seem to read, including from questions on Stackoverflow, that storing modules at Users/MyName/node_modules is effectively storing them globally, accessible to any app, and such that projects don't have to get committed to server with all dependencies in tow - the idea being that, after you deploy your app, you then run npm install whilst in its folder, prompting it to install all dependencies.
Is this right? Should I be looking at storing all dependency modules in a project folder, or above and outside of it?
(If the answer to this question is opinion-based, I wasn't aware of that).
Here is what I believe is happening. You have your package.json in folder Users/MyName and you are running npm install in Users/MyName/Projects/Code/myusername/airtable-test. But the problem is you do not have package.json file in the folder Users/MyName/Projects/Code/myusername/airtable-test. So npm goes up in the directory to find the package.json and it found it in Users/MyName so it is installing the package there.
This is happening because the way npm identifies a project is by looking for package.json. If it does not find it in current directory than it assumes that you must be inside some sub directory of the project and start searching upwards in the folder hierarchy to find the package.json.
solution
Do npm init in the folder Users/MyName/Projects/Code/myusername/airtable-test. This will initialize the folder as a npm package (by creating package.json).
Node.js newbie here, Windows 10. I npm install-ed some packages (without -g) while inside a directory that didn't have package.json. npm placed the packages in C:\Users\{MyName}\node_modules\.
Now I'm seeing some weird behavior:
When I'm in my project directory (has package.json but no node_modules/ yet), npm list and npm list -g both show an empty list
When I'm in a non-project directory (no package.json)...
npm list -g still shows an empty list
However, npm list shows everything in C:\Users\{MyName}\node_modules\
Question 1. What is going on here? Apparently, npm's default global path should be C:\Users\{MyName}\AppData\Roaming\npm\. If so, why is it using C:\Users\{MyName}\node_modules\?
Question 2. How do I get out of this mess? Node.js has no problem importing packages from C:\Users\{MyName}\node_modules\, but I want npm to list them properly. How can I delete the semi-global packages, reinstall them correctly, and ensure that this doesn't happen again?
Welp, turns out I've been mistakenly npm install-ing packages without package.json. The first time I did this, I was in my home directory(C:\Users\{MyName}\). This caused npm to create node_modules/ and package-lock.json in the home directory. Further (mistaken) attempts to install packages in my projects--which were still missing package.json--caused npm to traverse upwards, until it found the initial node_modules/ dir, and install everything there. Because my home directory is among the places Node.js looks for modules, I didn't notice my mistake until now. :P
Not sure why it’s doing it, but the way to avoid it is to initialize your project directory using:
npm init
or if you don’t want to answer the questions:
npm init -y
That will setup the directory with the package.json and node_modules will be put there.
Ok, a couple of tips then...
when you install a package that you are going to use in production then add --save, e.g.
npm install --save some-package
this will automatically add the dependency to your package.json. If you are installing a package for use purely in development, e.g. chai, then use--save-devand it will add it to the development dependencies.
Also, git is your friend, even if you are only messing :)
Happy noding :)
For me the solution here was:
Go to c:\users[me]\AppData\Roaming\npm and delete the node_modules folder completely
Make sure I had the package.json file for the project
Delete the project package-lock.json file
Run npm init
Run npm install
Project then worked, not sure why the node_modules got to be in the folder above, ain't got time to find out.
I'm having a problem with npm.
When I install packages they will go to the node_modules folder, but instead of the package assets being in one folder it puts them outside of that folder.
In the express folder, all of the folders in that are supposed to be inside, but instead, they are outside of it. This also happens with other packages I try to install. I have tried creating a test project, but the same thing happened,
And I also tried uninstalling node and npm, and it is still happening.
You sure it's not dependencies?
NPM will install additional packages if you need them, and place them in root of the node_modules folder so that other modules later can use the same if they need them.
After running (edit: npm init first to get package.json in the root of the project) npm install express --save on empty project, I end up with
PS. Apologies if I misused terms, I'm still quiet new to node and npm
I found out what happened it was because of node v5.1.1 that the package folders were saving outside of the express folder once I went back to node v4.2.3 it made a node_modules folder inside the express folder.
Thanks again for everyones help
I'm not regular node user, so my apologies if this is a stupid newbie question, but I haven't been able to find any clear documentation on this, and my feeble newbie node skills don't let me dig into myself.
I'm following along with these instructions for installing the Ghost blogging system, (a system built with NodeJS).
After telling me to open a terminal window in the just downloaded package folder, yhe instructions include the following line
In the new terminal tab type npm install --production
This confuses me. My understanding of npm is it's a package manager that, like perl's CPAN
Fetches packages from The Internet
Installs them into my local node system
That's clearly not what's happening above, but I don't know what is happening when I run that command, and since I don't run with a NodeJS crowd I don't know who to ask.
I'd like to know what NPM is doing. Specific questions
When I run npm install, it looks like it's downloading a number of packages (lots of npm http GET in the console). How does NPM know what to download?
Where is it downloading these module files to? How does npm know where to download the files?
What effect does the --production flag have on NPM's behavior?
Happy to have specific answers, or a meta-answer that points out where I can learn how npm works with (what appears to be) a application installs (vs. a system install, which is how I normally think of it)
npm has a few different installation modes. From within a module (with a package.json file) npm install installs the dependencies listed in the dependencies and devDependencies fields of the package.json file. Installation means that files the modules are downloaded, placed in the node_modules folder, then npm installed themselves, (but only their dependencies) placing modules their own node_modules folders. This continues until everything needed is installed. Use npm ls to see the tree of installed packages.
Most of the time this is what you want, because running npm install from within a module is what you would do when developing on it, and you'll want to run tests etc. (which is what devDependencies is for).
Occasionally though, you'll be coding a service that consumes modules, but should not necessarily be treated like one (not intended to be require'd). Ghost is such a case. In these cases, you need npm install --production, which only installs the dependencies, leaving the devDependencies.
When I run npm install, it looks like it's downloading a number of
packages (lots of npm http GET in the console). How does NPM know what
to download?
It reads the package.json configuration file in the current directory.
Where is it downloading these module files to? How does npm know where to download the files?
It will create and populate a node_modules directory within the current directory. The file structure is designed in to npm/node and is (mostly) intentionally not configurable.
What effect does the --production flag have on NPM's behavior?
Install just the dependencies without the devDependencies from package.json, meaning "give me what I need to run this app, but I don't intend do do development on this app so I don't need dev-only stuff".
npmjs.org has some docs, FAQ, and man pages, which are pretty good although they are mostly lacking basic introductory material.