Remove saving platforms/plugins to config.xml #750

dpogue · 2019-03-14T22:16:04Z

Platforms affected

All (via tooling)

Motivation and Context

We've had one major version of cordova-lib that attempted to ensure both config.xml and package.json were kept in sync, and now it's time to push people more strongly towards using package.json.

Description

We will still attempt to read values from config.xml and update them in package.json, but we will no longer reflect changes back to config.xml.
Whatever's saved in package.json should always have priority over what is read from config.xml.

The next phase will be to improve the handling of package.json updates, and then in the next major to completely remove the code that looks at config.xml for platforms/plugins.

Testing

Updated spec and E2E tests.

Checklist

I've run the tests to see all new and existing tests pass

We've had one major version of cordova-lib that attempted to ensure both config.xml and package.json were kept in sync, and now it's time to push people more strongly towards using package.json. We will still attempt to read values from config.xml and update them in package.json, but we will no longer reflect changes back to config.xml. Whatever's saved in package.json should always have priority over what is read from config.xml. The next phase will be to improve the handling of package.json updates, and then in the next major to completely remove the code that looks at config.xml for platforms/plugins.

codecov-io · 2019-03-14T23:06:51Z

Codecov Report

Merging #750 into master will decrease coverage by 0.23%.
The diff coverage is 100%.

@@            Coverage Diff            @@
##           master    #750      +/-   ##
=========================================
- Coverage   86.04%   85.8%   -0.24%     
=========================================
  Files          50      50              
  Lines        2666    2628      -38     
=========================================
- Hits         2294    2255      -39     
- Misses        372     373       +1

Impacted Files	Coverage Δ
src/cordova/plugin/add.js	`98.23% <ø> (-0.05%)`	⬇️
src/cordova/platform/addHelper.js	`95.56% <ø> (-0.75%)`	⬇️
src/cordova/restore-util.js	`94.5% <ø> (-0.76%)`	⬇️
src/cordova/platform/remove.js	`100% <100%> (ø)`	⬆️
src/cordova/plugin/remove.js	`97.33% <100%> (+0.03%)`	⬆️

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raphinesse

LGTM

raphinesse · 2019-03-15T00:03:20Z

src/cordova/platform/remove.js

-                    events.emit('log', 'Removing platform ' + target + ' from config.xml file...');
-                    cfg.removeEngine(platformName);
-                    cfg.write();
+                    if (cfg.getEngines && cfg.getEngines().some(function (e) { return e.name === platformName; })) {


Suggested change

if (cfg.getEngines && cfg.getEngines().some(function (e) { return e.name === platformName; })) {

if (cfg.getEngines().some(e => e.name === platformName)) {

raphinesse · 2019-03-15T00:10:15Z

integration-tests/pkgJson.spec.js

-
-    // No pkg.json included in test file.
-    describe('local path is added to config.xml without pkg.json', function () {
-        beforeEach(() => useProject('basePkgJson13'));


Did you check if the fixture is still used now that this has been deleted? What is the new behavior without a package.json?

I did not really look into the tests beyond trying to make them pass. 😓

My hope is to revisit these when we update the package.json handling.

Well basePkgJson13 refers to a project fixture that might be unused now. I can't check it now though.

erisu

LGTM

Some of the code removed in apacheGH-750 had side effects on the rest of the plugin restoration procedure. Namely, despite wanting to migrate to package.json, we actually relied on config.xml for retrieving the plugin spec and variables. When we stopped syncing changes back to config.xml, those plugins stopped getting restored. I've refactored this significantly to reduce complexity and make it easier to read and understand. It appears to work properly, having been tested in several of my own apps now, but I don't trust that the unit/e2e tests actually validate it, so I encourage futher testing.

Some of the code removed in GH-750 had side effects on the rest of the plugin restoration procedure. Namely, despite wanting to migrate to package.json, we actually relied on config.xml for retrieving the plugin spec and variables. When we stopped syncing changes back to config.xml, those plugins stopped getting restored. I've refactored this significantly to reduce complexity and make it easier to read and understand. The existing tests did neither describe nor test the new behavior sufficiently.

jpike88 · 2019-04-04T05:20:01Z

Should at least put a warning in the CLI! This is a huge change and was throwing me off for an hour while I was figuring out why plugins mysteriously were disappearing from config.xml.

dpogue · 2019-04-04T05:42:03Z

@jpike88 Nothing should be disappearing from config.xml, we're not removing anything from the file. We're just not adding to it anymore, and instead consolidating everything in package.json.

jpike88 · 2019-04-04T05:51:28Z

I think a warning that's detecting existing mentions of plugins/engines in config.xml should be thrown, because tools like cordova-check-plugins rely on a rm/add process through Cordova and it can be disorienting to see things just disappearing from config.xml. Would make more sense to encourage users to clear it out, or just do a full clear out with a message saying why.

tfrijsewijk · 2019-06-20T16:16:58Z

Help me out here.. I started a new cordova project, added some plugins, and now I want to build my project using PhoneGap Build. But PGB wants config.xml..

What to do? How will PGB know which plugins to restore if it doesn't know what to do with package.json?

janpio · 2019-06-26T10:26:35Z

That sounds like a problem with Phonegap Build @tfrijsewijk, not with cordova-lib. Please talk to the Phonegap Build people on how to solve this problem.

tfrijsewijk · 2019-06-26T12:58:25Z

You are right! But have you ever been to the Adobe Community forums? :-)

This is a pretty breaking change (hence the major increment). I came here through Google -> Stackoverflow (1st hit) -> Second answer and I can imagine I'm not the only one.

So - pretty please - can you give me a hint on how to get this going for PhoneGap Build? I mean, PhoneGap Build uses cordova right? Is this is a matter of patience and PGB will support plugins from package.json ?

janpio · 2019-06-26T14:25:41Z

I literally have no idea, as I have never used Phonegap Build and don't know how it works. I think they use a forked version of Cordova behind the scenes, but usually lag behind. From rereading your comments here, I would try to manually add the plugins to config.xml (which is still valid for Cordova CLI, just not the default and main way) and see if this fixes stuff for PGB.

(If you want to keep discussing this, better open a new issue here instead of commenting on a merged pull request. We usually don't like support requests like this, but abusing an old PR is even worse and more confusing)

ryanmtaylor · 2019-07-11T16:57:52Z

I'd love to see the fact that config.xml plugins don't really affect anything (and hence aren't being added) documented literally anywhere – eg. https://cordova.apache.org/docs/en/latest/config_ref/#plugin

This is the only place I could find really any documentation of this fact.

janpio · 2019-07-11T17:02:47Z

(Same for the fact that plugins come from package.json probably)

janpio · 2019-07-11T17:03:17Z

Best open a new issue for this @ryanmtaylor - otherwise it will get lost here in this closed PR. cordova-lib is probably an ok location, as the change was done here.

raphinesse · 2019-07-11T17:18:23Z

I'd argue that PRs and issues that aim to improve the documentation should be created in cordova-docs.

ryanmtaylor · 2019-07-11T17:30:37Z

@janpio @raphinesse thank you created the feature request here: apache/cordova-docs#1004

pjc2007 · 2019-11-26T03:53:32Z

As per mention above (linked issue), I had to manually add the cordova-plugin-file plugin into config.xml for it to work. This stumped me for a very long time (as I never thought to try this)

dpogue requested review from raphinesse and erisu March 14, 2019 22:16

project-bot bot added this to 🐣 New PR / Untriaged in Apache Cordova: Tooling Pull Requests Mar 14, 2019

Apache Cordova: Tooling Pull Requests automation moved this from 🐣 New PR / Untriaged to ✅ Approved, waiting for Merge Mar 15, 2019

raphinesse approved these changes Mar 15, 2019

View reviewed changes

erisu approved these changes Mar 15, 2019

View reviewed changes

erisu merged commit 8371d7c into apache:master Mar 15, 2019

Apache Cordova: Tooling Pull Requests automation moved this from ✅ Approved, waiting for Merge to 🏆 Merged, waiting for Release Mar 15, 2019

dpogue mentioned this pull request Mar 22, 2019

Fix restoring plugins from package.json #752

Merged

2 tasks

dpogue deleted the configxml-saving branch April 4, 2019 05:42

This was referenced May 20, 2019

New plugins not showing in config.xml ionic-team/ionic-cli#3979

Closed

Migrate Cordova config platform/plugin logic to using package.json ionic-team/ionic-cli#3984

Closed

abarisain mentioned this pull request Jun 19, 2019

Cordova 9: Parse variables from package.json BatchLabs/Batch-Cordova-Plugin#15

Closed

ryanmtaylor mentioned this pull request Jul 11, 2019

Cordova v9.0.0 no longer uses plugins in the config.xml – not reflected in docs apache/cordova-docs#1004

Closed

pjc2007 mentioned this pull request Nov 26, 2019

File.listDir no longer works for ms-appdata:///local on Windows danielsogl/awesome-cordova-plugins#3199

Closed

This was referenced Dec 31, 2019

Read configuration from package.json instead of config.xml j3k0/cordova-plugin-openwith#83

Open

Read configuration from package.json instead of config.xml mauron85/cordova-plugin-background-geolocation#665

Closed

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Remove saving platforms/plugins to config.xml #750

Remove saving platforms/plugins to config.xml #750

dpogue commented Mar 14, 2019

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pjc2007 commented Nov 26, 2019

	if (cfg.getEngines && cfg.getEngines().some(function (e) { return e.name === platformName; })) {
	if (cfg.getEngines().some(e => e.name === platformName)) {

Remove saving platforms/plugins to config.xml #750

Remove saving platforms/plugins to config.xml #750

Conversation

dpogue commented Mar 14, 2019

Platforms affected

Motivation and Context

Description

Testing

Checklist

codecov-io commented Mar 14, 2019 • edited Loading

Codecov Report

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