microsoft / microsoft/nodejstools

Automatically "npm install" on save of package.json?

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feature
Dominant language
C#
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Forks
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Description

Expected Behavior

When I manually edit package.json to update the requested version number of a package, I'd expect the IDE to automatically run "npm install" in the background to reflect the update, or at a minimum show that the requested version of the package doesn't match the installed version in the UI and provide the ability to right-click on the npm node in solution explorer to kick off an npm install. Sort of like it does when adding a new package through package.json.

Actual Behavior

Saving package.json does nothing. No way to perform an "npm install" command from the UI. Have to open a command prompt and run it manually.

  • NTVS Version: 1.4.209.07.4
  • Visual Studio Version: 15.8.7
  • Node.js Version: 6.9.5

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by tracing how saving package.json is handled and how the npm node appears in Solution Explorer. Compare the existing package-add flow with the requested save or right-click install behavior. Done means the UI detects the changed requested version and provides the agreed npm install behavior without requiring a command prompt.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
node.js
Domain
developer-experience, tooling
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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