Feature: support for local-only CLI

[merkuriy]

Checks before posting an issue

RESULTS

• I have read all the extension's documentation (README and docs/TROUBLESHOOTING)
• My project meets the requirements indicated in README
• I launched ng g component hello in the VS Code Terminal inside my project, and it works
• I looked at the extension's logs ("Angular Schematics" Output channel, second tab left to the Terminal), and tried to fix my project's configuration accordingly
• I understand I am writing to a human being, doing this open source project on his free time
• I will be involved in my own issue, by answering questions and informing if the issue is resolved

Configuration

• Ubuntu: 19.04
• VS Code: 1.46.1
• Angular CLI global (ng version): not installed
• Angular CLI local: 8.3.28
• Node: 12.11.1

Description of the issue

AngularSchematics launch the global Angular CLI, not the local.

Related issues: #26

How to reproduce the issue

AngularSchematics run: ng g service shared/services/menu
Result: Command 'ng' not found, but can be installed with: sudo apt install ng-common

Angular CLI Local is normal working:

./node_modules/.bin/ng g service shared/services/menu
npx ng g service shared/services/menu
yarn ng g service shared/services/menu

[cyrilletuzi]

This is working as intended: @angular/cli should be installed globally too, both as mentioned in the extension requirements and in official Angular documentation.

Note that the global installation is just to have direct access to the ng command in terminals, but then the CLI uses the local version when you run commands.

I'll look later if it is relevant to add back direct use of local CLI.

[cyrilletuzi]

So, there is already history about this.

In a previous version, I introduced the use of the local CLI directly (./node_modules/.bin/ng g), but as this command contains special characters, it resulted in issues in some specific shell installations (#27).

That is why I reverted and got back to the usage of the global CLI (ng g) in version 4.

However, before v4, Node exec function was used to launch commands. Since v4, the VS Code Terminal is used, so maybe the special characters issue would be gone.

But v4 introduced other features that makes such a feature less trivial to reimplement now: advanced workspaces are now supported (for example, .bin/ng could be in a parent directory).

So I think it is not worth it. Again:

• this is the recommandation of the official Angular documentation,
• it is really simple and quick to install the CLI globally,
• doing ng g directly still uses the local CLI.

Do you see a use case where installing the CLI globally is an issue?

If not, I will close this issue as working as intended. Someone can still do a Pull Request, but it should:

• not reintroduce Support custom shells on Windows #27 issue,
• work for all kind of workspaces.

[cyrilletuzi]

Closing this issue for house-keeping as there is no news. Feel free to answer and I will open it back.

[starikovs]

Hey guys!

I also would like to have local ng support. Probably instead of ./node_modules/.bin/ng g the npx ng g can be used, which has the same behavior if you have ng installed locally and don't have it globally.

[cyrilletuzi]

Unfortunately it is not that easy:

• npx seems deprecated in npm v7, in favor of npm exec
• some users don't use npm but yarn instead

[cyrilletuzi]

I'll reopen this issue, but this feature needs a solution working with all configurations to be implemented.

[cyrilletuzi]

Hi @merkuriy, @DDeis, @ElodieC, @trubachoff and @starikovs, just to let you know the latest version (v6) of the extension is not longer tied to the Angular CLI, so generation will work even without the Angular CLI installed globally.