[BUG] npm 7 workspace package script execution

[fabb]

Current Behavior:

Given a package with several workspaces, npm install installs all packages of the root and of the workspace packages to the root node_modules. Unlike yarn, no dependencies of the workspace packages are installed into the respective workspace package node_modules. That means, it is not possible to directly execute scripts when the current working directory is a subpackage.

Also there does not yet seem to exist a npm workspace command to execute scripts from workspace packages (compare to yarn workspace).

Expected Behavior:

This blog post mentioned that the npm workspaces feature should work similar to the one of yarn:

npm v7 will have at least the Workspace feature support of Yarn, and will set the stage for more advanced workspace features in v8.
https://blog.npmjs.org/post/186983646370/npm-cli-roadmap-summer-2019

I would expect to be able to either:

1. Execute npm workspace @me/workspace-package1 my-script to run the my-script script in the workspace package @me/workspace-package1 (e.g. located in packages/package1)
2. cd into a workspace package and directly run a script from there: cd packages/package1 && npm run my-script

Steps To Reproduce:

I have created a workspace playground to experiment with workspace packages and compare yarn and npm7:
https://github.com/fabb/npm7-workspaces

1. In the repo, run npm install (succeeds)
2. In the terminal cd applications/app1 && npm run build
3. The build fails because tsc cannot be found

Now try with yarn:

1. In the repo, run yarn (succeeds)
2. In the terminal cd applications/app1 && yarn run build
3. The build succeeds

Alternatively with yarn:

1. In the repo, run yarn (succeeds)
2. In the terminal yarn workspace @fabb/app1 build
3. The build succeeds

Environment:

• OS: macOS Catalina 10.15.7
• Node: v12.18.0
• npm: 7.0.0-rc.2

Related

RFC for workspaces: https://github.com/npm/rfcs/blob/latest/accepted/0026-workspaces.md

[detj]

Link to the workspaces RFC is https://github.com/npm/rfcs/blob/latest/implemented/0026-workspaces.md

[detj]

I had a question related to the npm7 workspaces feature. If I had to install a package only to a specific workspace, what is the npm command to do that. Yarn and Lerna both support this.

Assume the following workspaces.

{
  "workspaces": ["packages/*"]
}

root
+ -- packages
  + -- package-a
  + -- package-b

Yarn

$ yarn workspace package-a add react

Lerna

lerna add supports lerna's filter options

$ lerna add react --scope=package-a

[detj]

A question. Does npm workspaces, like yarn, also require the root package to have "private": true? The documentation should include information around this.

[virtuoushub]

While not ideal; until this issue is resolved, a workaround is to use the --prefix option (see docs).

For example, using @fabb's steps to reproduce with the repo npm7-workspaces and replacing step 2's command with the following:

npm run --prefix applications/app1 build

The build succeeds:

npm7-workspaces % npm -v
7.0.2

npm7-workspaces % npm run --prefix applications/app1 build

> @fabb/app1@1.0.0 build
> tsc index.ts

npm7-workspaces % echo $?

0

[Ymirke]

A question. Does npm workspaces, like yarn, also require the root package to have "private": true? The documentation should include information around this.

@detj no, as far as I've tested it does not.

[uptonking]

I've tested the repo fabb/npm7-workspaces.
cd applications/app1 && npm run build is building successfully.

[shrinktofit]

I think running unit tests within individual workspace(cd into it) is not possible if workspaces do not have their own node_modules(even with symbol links). 🙁

[ruyadorno]

I bring good news!

Workspaces support for both npm run and npm exec landed today in npm@7.7.0, it adds syntax for running scripts in workspaces from the top-level folder, e.g:

assuming a file structure:

.
├── package.json ->  { "workspaces": ["packages/*"] }
└── packages
    ├── a
    │   ├── index.js
    │   └── package.json
    ├── b
    │   ├── index.js
    │   └── package.json
    └── c
        ├── index.js
        └── package.json

It's now possible to run a script in a given workspace. In order to run one of the scripts available in the workspace a at the location ./packages/a/ you may run from the root, either of the following:

• npm run <script-name> -w a
• npm run <script-name> -w ./packages/a
• npm run <script-name> --workspace=a
• npm run <script-name> --workspace=./packages/a

It also supports test|start|stop|restart top level comands, so if you're using any of these you can just add -w <workspaces-name> and it should work as expected, e.g:

• npm test -w a

In case you want to run a script against all the configured workspaces, there's a workspaces configuration option that enables just that:

• npm test -ws
• npm test --workspaces

Lastly it's also possible to run scripts in a group of workspaces by using the path to their parent folder as the workspace config value. That means running npm test -w ./packages will run tests in all workspaces nested at the ./packages location.

Want to learn more about it?

We updated the docs, see:

• npm run docs: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/commands/npm-run-script#workspaces-support
• npm exec docs: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/commands/npm-exec#workspaces-support
• workspaces docs: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/using-npm/workspaces