Fix: Windows tsconfig.json resolution. aka: Typescript Project detection

[psyirius]

Finding tsconfig.json is failed due to different path separators.

What does it do?

Normalizes the found tsconfig.json with the platform's own path separator which helps to succeed the later condition.

Why is it needed?

Throws Unknown dialect error when using TS on windows.
it's because due to the following bug it is not detected as a TS project and the ts config files are not loaded.
thus it recieves undefined as dialect.

On windows, the path separator is \ whereas on other platforms it is /.

In the below function:

strapi/packages/utils/typescript/lib/utils/get-config-path.js

Lines 18 to 27 in 288dc33

	module.exports = (dir, { filename = DEFAULT_TS_CONFIG_FILENAME, ancestorsLookup = false } = {}) => {
	const dirAbsolutePath = path.resolve(dir);
	const configFilePath = ts.findConfigFile(dirAbsolutePath, ts.sys.fileExists, filename);
	if (!configFilePath || ancestorsLookup) {
	return configFilePath;
	}
	return configFilePath.startsWith(dirAbsolutePath) ? configFilePath : undefined;
	};

When getting dirAbsolutePath from dir, the path.resolve function normalizes the path with the platform path separator.
But typescript's function ts.findConfigFile normalizes the path with Posix-style path separator.
Unless we normalize both paths dirAbsolutePath and configFilePath to the same style it is never assured to match on all platforms even-though the tsconfig is found by typescript.

How to test it?

Init a project with typescript support and run strapi develop or strapi build && strapi start.
You'll be greeted with the below message...

$ strapi develop
Building your admin UI with development configuration...
Admin UI built successfully
[2022-08-12 10:58:14.772] debug: ⛔️ Server wasn't able to start properly.
[2022-08-12 10:58:14.773]error: Unknown dialect undefined
Error: Unknown dialect undefined
    at getDialectClass (D:\dev\strap\node_modules\@strapi\database\lib\dialects\index.js:12:13)
    at getDialect (D:\dev\strap\node_modules\@strapi\database\lib\dialects\index.js:19:23)
    at new Database (D:\dev\strap\node_modules\@strapi\database\lib\index.js:27:20)
    at Function.Database.init (D:\dev\strap\node_modules\@strapi\database\lib\index.js:77:33)
    at Strapi.bootstrap (D:\dev\strap\node_modules\@strapi\strapi\lib\Strapi.js:392:30)
    at Strapi.load (D:\dev\strap\node_modules\@strapi\strapi\lib\Strapi.js:457:16)
    at async Strapi.start (D:\dev\strap\node_modules\@strapi\strapi\lib\Strapi.js:198:9)

My package.json for reference:

{
  "name": "strap",
  "private": true,
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "description": "A Strapi application",
  "scripts": {
    "develop": "strapi develop",
    "start": "strapi start",
    "build": "strapi build",
    "strapi": "strapi"
  },
  "devDependencies": {},
  "dependencies": {
    "@strapi/strapi": "4.3.4",
    "@strapi/plugin-users-permissions": "4.3.4",
    "@strapi/plugin-i18n": "4.3.4",
    "better-sqlite3": "7.4.6"
  },
  "engines": {
    "node": ">=12.x.x <=16.x.x",
    "npm": ">=6.0.0"
  },
  "license": "MIT"
}

Related issue(s)/PR(s)

Possible Issue: #13237

[strapi-cla]

All committers have signed the CLA.

[Refrezsh]

I encountered the same problem. In 4.3.2 everything worked in both Win and Linux environments, in 4.3.3 - 4.3.4 the same error. When creating db.connection it comes {}.

[psyirius]

I encountered the same problem. In 4.3.2 everything worked in both Win and Linux environments, in 4.3.3 - 4.3.4 the same error. When creating db.connection it comes {}.

It's because your configs (which are in ts) aren't transpiled and loaded cuz the project isn't detected as a TS project.
Not sure what changed from previous versions. Haven't used any previous versions of strapi personally.
My suspect is the typescript lib which might have introduced a breaking change.

[antixrist]

It's also can be fixes by replace node's native path module:

const path = require('path');

to pathe package:

const path = require('pathe');

[florianmrz]

Related issue #14079 and PR #14080

[Convly]

Just one question

[moritzln]

Can somebody please review this? Currently new projects with typescript won't run. This fix worked for me.

[antokhio]

Fiiix pls

[antokhio]

Hi can we finally have this merged? So we can update ts projects without patch-package

[humblearab]

Hello. Any merge updates?

Replacing const path = require('path'); with const path = require('pathe'); fixed the issue for me on Windows 11

[Convly]

Hey @psyirius, could you update your branch with main so that we can move forward with this, please?

[South-Paw]

Wait ... I just looked at the date on this PR. You're telling me new Windows + TypeScript projects have been broken for over a month now with a fix proposed and no one on the Strapi team has moved to merge or fix this themselves yet?

[TheRealFlyingCoder]

Coming here to bump this as it should definitely be a priority, it is essentially blocking every new user on Windows who uses Typescript

Confirming the proposed fix works as well, with a quick little patch-package

[Bassel17]

Thank you a lot for your contribution to this Pr,
we decide to move forward with the fix provided in this pr #14521

[psyirius]

Hey @psyirius, could you update your branch with main so that we can move forward with this, please?

Oopsie, I stopped checking this pr after checking it for may days for update and no progress.
Glad to hear a fix is landed finally! Patching strapi on production was a nightmare on every maintenance.