npm install installs vows without the -g flag

[vowsjs]

npm install installs vows without the -g flag

[indexzero]

So I've changed the default way that tests are suggested to be run in this commit: ab13aad

Try this:

  cd path/to/api-easy
  npm uninstall vows -g
  npm install
  npm test

The npm test command will use the local copy of vows that is installed via the devDependencies property in the package.json.

[marksweiss]

This doesn't work for me. I want to run my unit tests from my project directory calling the vows command line. The above steps run the api-easy unit tests from the api-easy directory. Am I misunderstanding your direction here? Thanks.

[indexzero]

@markweiss I think I misunderstood you, I thought you were trying to run the unit tests for api-easy itself, not using api-easy in your own project.

@isaacs is there anyway to force a dependency to be installed globally? If not, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do except update the README to install vows globally in addition to installing api-easy.

[marksweiss]

@indexzero. Right ... as usual communication is the hardest part of coding. Thanks for the fast follow up.

[indexzero]

@marksweiss I've created a sample gist of how to use api-easy in a sample project with npm test. In conclusion, it is possible to use api-easy without install vows globally if you use npm test and take api-easy as a dependency in your package.json

Check it out: https://gist.github.com/1039425

[isaacs]

There is no way to force a package to be installed globally, in part because this is almost never necessary. As @indexzero points out, if you run your test script via npm test, then it will be able to access the command-line utilities of packages that are not installed globally. Also, you could put node_modules/.bin in your PATH, in which case you'll see whichever version of the cli utils are installed in that package.

[indexzero]

Thanks @isaacs. Helpful as always

[marksweiss]

Thanks. I prefer the latter. I don't like the 'npm test' approach as much because the command line less clearly says what is being done compared to 'vows ...' With Are there disadvantages to installing a package globally?

[isaacs]

The disadvantage of installing a package globally is that it's a single namespace where things can collide with one another, and can easily lead to situations where dependencies are unnamed, and thus your package doesn't work properly on anther system. Use with caution :)