'tns update 5.0.3' fails with useless error

[NickIliev]

@lonerzzz commented on Thu Nov 22 2018

Environment
Provide version numbers for the following components (information can be retrieved by running tns info in your project folder or by inspecting the package.json of the project):

• CLI: 5.0.1
• Android Runtime: 5.0.0
• iOS Runtime: 5.0.0

Describe the bug
Running 'tns update 5.0.3' fails with the error 'Could not update the project!'. The output should state the cause of the update failure or point to logs that can tell what is happening. As it is, there is no indication of the cause of the error.

Expected behavior
A useful error should be presented to allow user to investigate the cause of the error instead of having to guess.

[NickIliev]

@@lonerzzz can you post the package.json of the project you are trying to update?

Apart from that thank you for your feedback - we will consider making the error output more useful.

[DimitarTachev]

@lonerzzz, the version argument is based on the NativeScript CLI version.

You are getting this error because NativeScript CLI 5.0.3 is not a valid version (it's not released yet). I suggest you use just tns update without specifying a version. In this way, it will install the latest versions of the CLI (5.0.1), the core modules (5.0.3) and the runtimes (5.0.0).

[lonerzzz]

@DimitarTachev I included the 5.0.3 here but my original testing involved 'tns update' which gave the same result so even if there were different reasons, the tooling provides no indication that they are different errors. @NickIliev Please find the package.json below.

{
  "_from": "tns-core-modules@5.0.1",
  "_id": "tns-core-modules@5.0.1",
  "_inBundle": false,
  "_integrity": "sha512-HVT+bkIji1lcVA8r1KCBBAvaRBZ6nb0+3CWZLyDDYz5OA+omIuW35FuuFLdssVAptUus4f37w7+TUkkOk3hZ7Q==",
  "_location": "/tns-core-modules",
  "_phantomChildren": {},
  "_requested": {
    "type": "version",
    "registry": true,
    "raw": "tns-core-modules@5.0.1",
    "name": "tns-core-modules",
    "escapedName": "tns-core-modules",
    "rawSpec": "5.0.1",
    "saveSpec": null,
    "fetchSpec": "5.0.1"
  },
  "_requiredBy": [
    "/"
  ],
  "_resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/tns-core-modules/-/tns-core-modules-5.0.1.tgz",
  "_shasum": "1bfd06dcb202b09f8826131e86e8e033e0dbfee1",
  "_spec": "tns-core-modules@5.0.1",
  "_where": "F:\\Programs\\eclipse\\workspace\\MobileUI\\Pulse",
  "bundleDependencies": false,
  "dependencies": {
    "tns-core-modules-widgets": "5.0.1",
    "tslib": "^1.9.3"
  },
  "deprecated": false,
  "description": "Telerik NativeScript Core Modules",
  "devDependencies": {
    "@types/node": "~7.0.5",
    "tns-platform-declarations": "*"
  },
  "files": [
    "**/*.d.ts",
    "**/*.js",
    "**/platforms/ios/**",
    "**/package.json",
    "!android17.d.ts",
    "!ios.d.ts",
    "!bin/",
    "!apps/",
    "!build/",
    "!node-tests/",
    "!declarations.android.d.ts",
    "!declarations.ios.d.ts",
    "!gruntfile.js",
    "!org.nativescript.widgets.d.ts"
  ],
  "homepage": "https://www.nativescript.org",
  "license": "Apache-2.0",
  "name": "tns-core-modules",
  "nativescript": {
    "platforms": {
      "ios": "4.0.0",
      "android": "4.0.0"
    }
  },
  "repository": {
    "type": "git",
    "url": "https://github.com/NativeScript/NativeScript/commit/f0f0faf84e098546b706d137e1f9d3a2438f4672"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "version": "conventional-changelog -p angular -i ../CHANGELOG.md -s && git add ../CHANGELOG.md"
  },
  "snapshot": {
    "android": {
      "tns-java-classes": {
        "modules": [
          "ui/frame/activity",
          "ui/frame/fragment"
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "typings": "tns-core-modules.d.ts",
  "version": "5.0.1"
}

[DimitarTachev]

Hi @lonerzzz,

For some reason, your app package.json is the NativeScript Code Modules package.json, not a NativeScript app package.json.

I suggest you create a new NativeScript app and copy the package.json content from there. You can achieve that by using tns create <yourAppName> --js/--ts/--ng (based on your app framework).

Also, some stept for reproducing this strange state of your app package.json will be highly appreciated.

[rosen-vladimirov]

Closing this as there's no activity on it for the last several months