Replace a node package with a custom solution

Question

Replace a node package with a custom solution

Within my package.json, I have specified a dependency as "protractor": "2.1.0". This particular package is dependent on another package called "jasminewd2": "0.0.5".

The behavior of the jasminewd2 package is something that I want to modify. So, I decided to download its source code and make the necessary changes. According to Yarn's documentation, it is possible to use a local source for packages:

yarn add file:/path/to/local/folder
will install a package from your local filesystem. This feature comes in handy when you want to experiment with packages that haven't been published to the registry yet.

Upon executing this command,

"jasminewd2": "file:\\CustomNodeModules\\jasminewd2"

is added to my package.json.

This addition is reflected in my yarn.lock file as well:

"file:\\CustomNodeModules\\jasminewd2", <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d1bbb0a2bcb8bfb4a6b5e391e1ffe1ffe4">[email protected]</a>:
  name jasminewd2
  version "0.0.5"
  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/jasminewd2
     /-/jasminewd2-0.0.5.tgz#528609a124dfc688c1e3f434a638e047066cd63e"

Despite these changes, the folder node_modules/jasminewd2 still contains the original version sourced from npm. How can I ensure that Yarn installs my modified version instead?

javascript npm yarnpkg

Answer 1

Answer №1

It seems that the solution provided may not be effective because jasminewd2 is a transitive dependency of protractor, rather than a direct one. Therefore, adding it directly may not have the intended impact.

To address this issue, there are three potential approaches you can consider:

If your changes are temporary and geared towards development or troubleshooting, you could utilize `yarn link` as outlined in the accompanying documentation.
Alternatively, for a more permanent solution, you might choose to fork both the protractor and jasminewd2 packages and specify them in their respective package.json files using the syntax detailed here.
Another option is to leverage the yarn's resolutions feature (or an equivalent in PNPM) by specifying a desired version or URL for the package. More information on this can be found in the Yarn documentation.

Based on my experience, options 2 and 3 come with a caveat related to package manager cache handling. Specifically, the git repository's HEAD is only fetched during the initial installation of the dependency. Subsequent installations rely on the cached version, potentially leading to outdated versions being used. One workaround is to reference a specific commit hash in the dependency declaration like so:

"dependency": "user/repo.git#aef38fb2adc73304ae1ea87b0d607ad7fadc4d0g"

.

Answer 2

It seems that the solution provided may not be effective because jasminewd2 is a transitive dependency of protractor, rather than a direct one. Therefore, adding it directly may not have the intended impact.

To address this issue, there are three potential approaches you can consider:

If your changes are temporary and geared towards development or troubleshooting, you could utilize `yarn link` as outlined in the accompanying documentation.
Alternatively, for a more permanent solution, you might choose to fork both the protractor and jasminewd2 packages and specify them in their respective package.json files using the syntax detailed here.
Another option is to leverage the yarn's resolutions feature (or an equivalent in PNPM) by specifying a desired version or URL for the package. More information on this can be found in the Yarn documentation.

Based on my experience, options 2 and 3 come with a caveat related to package manager cache handling. Specifically, the git repository's HEAD is only fetched during the initial installation of the dependency. Subsequent installations rely on the cached version, potentially leading to outdated versions being used. One workaround is to reference a specific commit hash in the dependency declaration like so:

"dependency": "user/repo.git#aef38fb2adc73304ae1ea87b0d607ad7fadc4d0g"

.

Answer 3

Answer №2

How to Customize a Submodule Using Postinstall and Git

When you want to install a package from a git repository using npm, you usually need a specific commit or version. To override a submodule for testing purposes, I like to create a custom branch and use the postinstall hook of npm.

To customize a package, add a script to the postinstall in your package.json file:

"scripts": {
  "postinstall": "./postinstall.sh",
  "start": "node index.js"
},

In the postinstall.sh bash script, you can remove existing packages and clone them from GitHub:

#!/bin/sh

function override_pkg {
  USER=$1
  REPO=$2
  DEST=$3

  rm -rf node_modules/$DEST

  echo "Overriding $DEST..."

  if [ -d custom_modules/$DEST ]; then
    cd custom_modules/$DEST
    git pull
    cd ../../
  else
    case $REPO in
      *:*)
      REPOBR=(${REPO//:/ })
      git clone -b ${REPOBR[1]} https://github.com/$USER/${REPOBR[0]}.git custom_modules/$DEST
      ;;
      *)
      git clone https://github.com/$USER/$REPO.git custom_modules/$DEST
      ;;
    esac
  fi

  npm install custom_modules/$DEST
}

# func       user    repo   branch dest
override_pkg johndoe myrepo:branch mynpmpackage

This script clones a package into the custom_modules folder and installs it locally using npm. You can also make local changes to override the package as needed.

If you want to test different configurations in multiple environments, you can create separate folders for node_modules:

First, install original modules in a specific folder:

yarn --modules-folder=original-modules

Then, copy or add custom modules to another folder:

cp -r original-modules custom-modules
Or use yarn to add more custom modules:
yarn add <modulename> --no-lockfile --modules-folder=custom-modules

You can switch between environments by setting NODE_PATH before starting your application:

For the normal environment:

NODE_PATH=original-modules npm start

For the custom environment:

NODE_PATH=custom-modules npm start

Make sure the node_modules folder does not exist when switching environments to ensure the override works properly.

Answer 4

How to Customize a Submodule Using Postinstall and Git

When you want to install a package from a git repository using npm, you usually need a specific commit or version. To override a submodule for testing purposes, I like to create a custom branch and use the postinstall hook of npm.

To customize a package, add a script to the postinstall in your package.json file:

"scripts": {
  "postinstall": "./postinstall.sh",
  "start": "node index.js"
},

In the postinstall.sh bash script, you can remove existing packages and clone them from GitHub:

#!/bin/sh

function override_pkg {
  USER=$1
  REPO=$2
  DEST=$3

  rm -rf node_modules/$DEST

  echo "Overriding $DEST..."

  if [ -d custom_modules/$DEST ]; then
    cd custom_modules/$DEST
    git pull
    cd ../../
  else
    case $REPO in
      *:*)
      REPOBR=(${REPO//:/ })
      git clone -b ${REPOBR[1]} https://github.com/$USER/${REPOBR[0]}.git custom_modules/$DEST
      ;;
      *)
      git clone https://github.com/$USER/$REPO.git custom_modules/$DEST
      ;;
    esac
  fi

  npm install custom_modules/$DEST
}

# func       user    repo   branch dest
override_pkg johndoe myrepo:branch mynpmpackage

This script clones a package into the custom_modules folder and installs it locally using npm. You can also make local changes to override the package as needed.

If you want to test different configurations in multiple environments, you can create separate folders for node_modules:

First, install original modules in a specific folder:

yarn --modules-folder=original-modules

Then, copy or add custom modules to another folder:

cp -r original-modules custom-modules
Or use yarn to add more custom modules:
yarn add <modulename> --no-lockfile --modules-folder=custom-modules

You can switch between environments by setting NODE_PATH before starting your application:

For the normal environment:

NODE_PATH=original-modules npm start

For the custom environment:

NODE_PATH=custom-modules npm start

Make sure the node_modules folder does not exist when switching environments to ensure the override works properly.

Replace a node package with a custom solution

Answer №1

Answer №2

How to Customize a Submodule Using Postinstall and Git

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