Use local flow-bin package

[lednhatkhanh]

Hello, I'm trying to install flow locally inside my project and I also have enable the flow.useNPMPackagedFlow but vscode keeps saying that I still need to install flow-bin globally. I'm I doing something wrong? Thank you.

[orta]

I'd recommend downloading and running the extension locally with the debugger attatched to determine why it is not finding the flow binary, this is working for me and everyone on my team.

[JPanneel]

Hello, I am seeing the same behaviour as @lednhatkhanh. I ran the extension locally, attached the debugger to find out what was going on.

My configuration:

• Windows
• flow.useNPMPackagedFlow = true
• node_modules\.bin\ is not in the Path environment variable
• in cmd where where returns C:\Windows\System32\where.exe

When flow.useNPMPackagedFlow === true this extension spawns where <possible_flow_path> to determine whether or not flow is installed at that location. However, the possible_flow_path is an absolute path, including drive letter. where returns an error if I try this:

C:\Users\jensp>where C:\Users\jensp\development\Project\node_module\.bin\flow.cmd 
ERROR: Invalid pattern is specified in "path:pattern".

I see two reasons why there are Windows users for whom flow.useNPMPackagedFlow = true works:

• Either the local node_modules\.bin folder is in the Path environment variable. ( This works because the extention defaults to 'flow' as the possible_flow_path if everything else fails and where flow is a valid command.)
• Or the first where command on there Path is not C:\Windows\System32\where.exe but rather an executable that has the same behaviour as the unix which command. ( Possibly by including the bin folder bundled with git for windows ? )

I think we should not have to have the local node_modules\.bin folder on the path, nor should we depend on the presence of a non standard executable. Rather the extension should always use the where command included by Windows and use the format for that tool. For example this works:

C:\Users\jensp>where /r C:\Users\jensp\development\Project\node_modules\.bin flow.cmd
C:\Users\jensp\development\Project\node_modules\.bin\flow.cmd

I will give it a shot: Pull Request incoming...

[MoOx]

With some colleagues we are having the same issue on Windows. Impossible to have this package to actually work.
#70 seems to be the way to go.

[orta]

@MoOx can you confirm the PR works? We don't have any windows machines to test on, and it's only the author's "works on my machine" right now

[MoOx]

Sorry I don't have a windows machine around (and I am too lazy to try this PR in a VM as I don't have one yet) and my colleagues on Windows are even more lazy... :)

[gabelevi]

Just tested #70 on Windows and it worked for me! Merged it and will publish shortly. Closing this issue out for now. Thanks @JPanneel for the fix and sorry for the delay in merging!

[bchenSyd]

I'd recommend downloading and running the extension locally with the debugger attatched

Can you please elaborate on this? Just did a googling around and the instruction is not clear. Thanks!
@orta @JPanneel

[orta]

Details are in the contributing document: https://github.com/flowtype/flow-for-vscode/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#instructions-for-developers