mojadev/wsl-path

Node library for resolving WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) filepaths to windows paths and vice versa

wsl-path

A small node utility for converting file paths from POSIX paths in wsl (Windows Subsystem for Linux) to their counterparts in the Windows Filesystem and vice versa.

How it works

This utility requires the wslpath CLI tool to be installed on the running machine and a wsl environment. Only the base drive letter (Windows) / mount folder (POSIX) is being translated into the windows world, the rest of the path is then appended in the correct form. Base path resolutions are cached, so only the first resolution causes wslpath to be called, while subsequent paths in the same drive/mount folder are resolved by the cache.

The utility checks the mount points for the WSL environment in order to determine cachable paths.

Usage

The following examples are taken from the unit tests:

windowsToWsl(path, options?)

Converts a windows path to a WSL (POSIX) path.

const correctPath = "C:\\Users";

const result = await windowsToWsl(correctPath);

expect(result).toEqual("/mnt/c/Users");

wslToWindows(path, options?)

Converts a WSL (POSIX) Path to a windows path.

const mountedPath = "/mnt/c/Users";

const result = await wslToWindows(mountedPath);

expect(result).toEqual("C:\\Users");

windowsToWslSync(path, options?)

Converts a windows path to a WSL (POSIX) path in a synchronous call.

const correctPath = "C:\\Users";

const result =  windowsToWslSync(correctPath);

expect(result).toEqual("/mnt/c/Users");

wslToWindowsSync(path, options?)

Converts a WSL (POSIX) Path to a windows path in a synchronous call.

const mountedPath = "/mnt/c/Users";

const result = wslToWindowsSync(mountedPath);

expect(result).toEqual("C:\\Users");

Resolving without wslpath

If you want to resolve without having wslpath (or without wanting to spawn a process calling it) you can provide your own cache in the options containing the base path resolution:

const windowsPath = "C:\\Users";

const result1 = await windowsToWsl(windowsPath, {
   basePathCache: { "C:\\": "/mnt/x" }
});

expect(result1).toEqual("/mnt/x/Users");

Using different wsl environments than the default

If you have multiple wsl environments installed, you can use the wslCommand option for setting up the shell that should be used:

const result1 = await windowsToWsl(windowsPath, {
   wslCommand: 'ubuntu run'
});

Building and testing

Install packages: npm install

Build: npm run build

Test: npm run test or npm run test -- --watch

Integration Test, which does not mock wslpath: CALL_WSL_PROCESS=1 npm run test

wsl-path's Issues

typescript types is not bundled

check here: https://npmview.vercel.app/wsl-path

windowsToWslSync returns incorrect path after second call

On my system, I have C:\ mounted at /mnt/c in WSL. Let's say I pass the path C:\Users\jamai\Documents\idris\tcs4\src\SmallStep.idr to windowsToWslSync. Then I get the result I expected: /mnt/c/Users/jamai/Documents/idris/tcs4/src/SmallStep.idr. But then when the function is called again with the same path and cache, windowsToWslSync returns /mnt/c/Users/jamai/Documents/idris/tcs4/src/Users/jamai/Documents/idris/tcs4/src/SmallStep.idr. This is the resolution cache after the calls:

{
	"basePathCache": {"wsl:C:\\": "/mnt/c/Users/jamai/Documents/idris/tcs4/src", "wsl:/mnt/c/Users/jamai/Documents/idris/tcs4/src": "C:\\"},
	"mountPoints": [],
	"wslCommand": "wsl"
}

I'm not sure how the resolution cache is supposed to work, but I'd think it should associate "C:" with "/mnt/c".

If I always pass a new empty cache to windowsToWslSync, the function works.

Handle re-configured mount roots

Many users re-configure the mount root, e.g. setting /etc/wsl.conf to:

[automount]
root = /

e.g. https://nickjanetakis.com/blog/setting-up-docker-for-windows-and-wsl-to-work-flawlessly

The wslpath utility handles this correctly, but wslToWindows will complain Linux path must reside in /mnt/.