Is it necessary to copy all modules from node_modules directory, including devDependencies?

[unlight]

I have this package.json

{
    "nativescript": {
        "id": "org.nativescript.test1",
        "tns-android": {
            "version": "1.4.0"
        }
    },
    "dependencies": {
        "tns-core-modules": "1.4.0"
    },
  "devDependencies": {
    "babel": "^5.8.29",
    "gulp-debug": "^2.1.2"
  }
}

I have some devDependencies modules, and of course, after install, they are placed to node_modules. After build, all of them are copied to platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\tns_modules\. (app-debug.apk contains it too)
I'm using devDependencies modules for building and testing only.

Is it really necessary to copy them all?

[rosen-vladimirov]

Hi @unlight ,

May I ask you for your version of nativescript-cli? By default CLI does not copy devDependencies to tns_modules.
Can you try removing node_modules dir and executing tns build android and see if the devDependencies will be placed under platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\tns_modules (CLI will create node_modules for you)?

[rosen-vladimirov]

Also you can remove platforms dir alongside with node_modules so you'll have clean project :)

[unlight]

My tns version is 1.4.3.

Can you try removing node_modules dir and executing tns build android and see if the
devDependencies will be placed under platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\tns_modules

After I done this, tns build android command hangs.
I done some more experiments, and it looks like

1. items from /node_modules are copying to `platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\tns_modules.
2. items from app/node_modules are copying to platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\node_modules\

And it seems that in both cases, tns ignores settings in package.json

[NathanaelA]

I'm not with Telerik, but The app/node_modules is no longer used. This was depreciated in v1.30, I believe. Any node_modules you are using should be moved out to the main node_modules. the app/node_modules folder is now treated as any other normal folder in the app/ folder and everything will be copied...

[rosen-vladimirov]

Hi @unlight ,
@NathanaelA is absolutely right. Anything inside app directory is included in the application itself. Defining anything in root's package.json as devDependency means that it will not be included in platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\tns_modules
In case you find different behavior, can you send us a sample reproducing the unexpected behavior?

[unlight]

Seems that it is weird if it happens for me. I'll try to dig this.

[unlight]

I tried to reproduced it using clean project. Is not reproduced.

[unlight]

Reopening.
Looks like tns build work as follow:
It copies all node_modules except those which are defined in devDependencies.

But npm3 comes with flatten dependencies.
Event if I install by npm3 as devDependency one module, node_modules can contain dozen of other directories (all of them will be copied to platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\tns_modules)

I think it is an issue, npm3 released a long time ago.

How to repeat:

1. Create project tns create demo1143
2. cd demo1143 & mkdir node_modules\dummy & cd node_modules\dummy
3. Create any js file with package.json (touch 1.js & npm init)
4. tns build android
5. Check platforms\android\src\main\assets\app\tns_modules\. Directory dummy is here. Why? It is not defined as any dependency anywhere.

Workaround: install npm modules by npm2.

[rosen-vladimirov]

Hi @unlight ,

Thanks for sharing the steps to reproduce. In fact there are two different "issues" here. The first one is related to npm3 as you have noticed. It really flattens the dependencies and when we process them, we do not know if they are from dependencies or devDependencies section of any module. The issue occurs whenever you install npm package with npm i (when you are using npm 3). The workaround is to remove node_modules directory and execute your tns command, for example tns build android. One of the first steps that we execute during preparing the project is to ensure all dependencies are installed. In case you do not have node_modules directory, we'll install the dependencies with the npm version that we have in our nativescript-cli (2.14.12 - https://github.com/NativeScript/nativescript-cli/blob/master/package.json#L57). This way all packages will be installed correctly (as we are using npm 2) and we'll prepare them correctly in the native project.
The other issue is one implementation detail in our logic - when we process node_modules we get all directories (and subdirectories and subsubdirectories, etc.) and we filter only the ones that are devDependency of any package. When a package in node_modules is not defined anywhere in any package.json, we do not filter it as it is not defined as devDependency.

Hope this makes sense for you :)

[rosen-vladimirov]

As the question had been answered and currently this is the expected workflow, I'm closing this issue.

[irwansyahwii]

I think this issue must be open again since I found out if we install npm module as a dev dependency then it won't get copied to the tns_modules folder hence it will run error at run time. So the fix is to remove the platform and re-add it again and install the module as a runtime dependency.