xcode was removed, but is required with 8.1.0

[Tallyb]

https://github.com/apache/cordova-lib/pull/611/files#diff-b9cfc7f2cdf78a7f4b91a753d10865a2L44

errors occur when adding platform ios.
Error: Error: Cannot find module 'xcode'

[brody2consult]

Can you please give us some more information:

• result of node --version
• result of npm --version
• command you used to add iOS platform

cordova platform add ios works fine for me in my local clone of https://github.com/brodybits/cordova-dialogs-bootstrap-test

cordova run ios --device (with my own package ID) and cordova emulate ios also work fine for me

[Tallyb]

I have created a repo for the error: https://github.com/Tallyb/cordova-xcode-error (based on your repo)
Node 10.11.0, npm 6.4.1 (latest and greatest...)
I have installed cordova locall (npm i -D cordova). I have multiple version that are not compliant, so I must have cordova installed locally. Installed 8.1.0
The problem was with few plugins, one of them was branch-cordova-sdk.
$(npm bin)/cordova platform add ios
Here is the error:

Failed to install 'branch-cordova-sdk': Error: Cannot find module 'xcode'
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:581:15)
    at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:507:25)
    at Module.require (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:637:17)
    at require (internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js:20:18)
    at Context.requireCordovaModule (/Users/tallyb/Documents/dev/cordova-dialogs-bootstrap-test/node_modules/cordova-lib/src/hooks/Context.js:77:12)
    at getProjectModuleGlob (/Users/tallyb/Documents/dev/cordova-dialogs-bootstrap-test/plugins/branch-cordova-sdk/src/scripts/npm/processConfigXml.js:159:31)
    at getProjectModule (/Users/tallyb/Documents/dev/cordova-dialogs-bootstrap-test/plugins/branch-cordova-sdk/src/scripts/npm/processConfigXml.js:145:16)
    at getBranchPreferences (/Users/tallyb/Documents/dev/cordova-dialogs-bootstrap-test/plugins/branch-cordova-sdk/src/scripts/npm/processConfigXml.js:64:25)
    at Object.read (/Users/tallyb/Documents/dev/cordova-dialogs-bootstrap-test/plugins/branch-cordova-sdk/src/scripts/npm/processConfigXml.js:17:31)
    at run (/Users/tallyb/Documents/dev/cordova-dialogs-bootstrap-test/plugins/branch-cordova-sdk/src/scripts/hooks/beforePrepare.js:15:43)
Cannot find module 'xcode'

npm i -S xcode and redo - error is gone (you get team error, but this is because I put a fake id...). You can switch to valid configuration and retest.

[brody2consult]

I think the explanation is that branch-cordova-sdk uses xcode without explicitly declaring it as a dependency, which happened to work since cordova-lib had the extra xcode dependency. I would be happy to make a workaround solution for Cordova 8.1.x but this extra xcode dependency will definitely not be supported in upcoming Cordova 9. More explanation is coming soon.

[raphinesse]

@brodybits the problem here is that we basically encouraged this kind of thing with Context.requireCordovaModule. At least for Cordova 8, adding the dependency to xcode back would be the right thing to do from a semver perspective. Actually, if we wanted to do it the right way, we would have to restore any other dependency we dropped or changed a version of. These are basically all major semver changes with Context.requireCordovaModule.

Which is why Context.requireCordovaModule is so ridiculously bad and the reason I suggested to deprecate that method a while ago in #689.

[brody2consult]

At least for Cordova 8, adding the dependency to xcode back would be the right thing to do from a semver perspective.

Will do

Actually, if we wanted to do it the right way, we would have to restore any other dependency we dropped or changed a version of. These are basically all major semver changes with Context.requireCordovaModule.

Agreed for any other dependency dropped or major version changed. But for request, while we dropped exact version 2.79.0 I think we should just add request@2 which should not reintroduce any npm audit warnings. Keep in mind that this was a minor release (as opposed to a patch release).

[Tallyb]

I can see the logic.
Since the workaround is pretty straight forward (npm install ) this can be easily overcome with a deprecation message & documentation.
A clear message of library xyz is relying on package abc which is no longer provided by cordova. Run npm install abc yourself could do magic to cordova developers hours of work and sanity...

[brody2consult]

Well said @Tallyb, my deepest apologies for such a bad mess-up. I just raised PR #708 with a hotfix, as needed to follow proper semver etiquette (semver/semver#461).