Compiler generates ngfactory for file with no angular metadata

I’m submitting a…

[ ] Regression (a behavior that used to work and stopped working in a new release)
[x] Bug report  
[ ] Feature request
[ ] Documentation issue or request
[ ] Support request => Please do not submit support request here, instead see https://github.com/angular/angular/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#question

Current behavior

Under some circumstances, the AOT compiler can generate a .ngfactory.ts file for a file with no Angular metadata:

• must be using Angular CLI
• must be using AOT compilation
• must be using "module": "commonjs" in tsconfig (the CLI sets it automatically for ng serve, for performance reasons)
• must have a namespace import (like import * as numeral from 'numeral';) in a file without angular decorators

When all these conditions are met, rebuilds will fail with the following stack trace:

ERROR in : TypeError: Cannot read property 'text' of undefined
    at getErrorSpanForNode (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:7880:40)
    at createDiagnosticForNodeInSourceFile (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:7804:20)
    at Object.createDiagnosticForNode (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:7800:16)
    at error (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:24149:22)
    at resolveExternalModule (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:25263:17)
    at resolveExternalModuleNameWorker (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:25253:20)
    at Object.getExternalModuleFileFromDeclaration (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:45763:32)
    at tryGetModuleNameFromDeclaration (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:50792:50)
    at Object.getExternalModuleNameLiteral (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:50756:20)
    at createRequireCall (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:63361:33)
    at visitExportDeclaration (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:63423:45)
    at sourceElementVisitor (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:63151:28)
    at Object.visitNodes (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:51105:48)
    at transformCommonJSModule (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:62890:40)
    at transformSourceFile (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:62863:27)
    at D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:2601:86
    at reduceLeft (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:2274:30)
    at D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:2601:42
    at transformRoot (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:65720:82)
    at Object.map (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:1725:29)
    at Object.transformNodes (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:65708:30)
    at Object.emitFiles (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:68442:28)
    at emitWorker (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:72519:33)
    at D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:72481:66
    at runWithCancellationToken (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:72573:24)
    at Object.emit (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\typescript\lib\typescript.js:72481:20)
    at defaultEmitCallback (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\@angular\compiler-cli\src\transformers\program.js:33:20)
    at D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\@angular\compiler-cli\src\transformers\program.js:231:109
    at Array.map (<anonymous>)
    at AngularCompilerProgram.emit (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\@angular\compiler-cli\src\transformers\program.js:231:63)
    at AngularCompilerPlugin._emit (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\@ngtools\webpack\src\angular_compiler_plugin.js:749:49)
    at Promise.resolve.then.then.then (D:\sandbox\repro-bug-angular-cli\node_modules\@ngtools\webpack\src\angular_compiler_plugin.js:582:54)
    at <anonymous>
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:188:7)

Expected behavior

Compilation succeed.

Minimal reproduction of the problem with instructions

This issue was originally reported and reproduced in https://github.com/angular/angular-cli/issues/9036:

git clone https://github.com/victornoel/repro-bug-angular-cli
cd repro-bug-angular-cli
npm i
npm start -- --aot
# edit a file, e.g. add `console.log(1);` to  `main.ts`

Environment

Angular version: 5.2.2

 
For Tooling issues:
- Node version: 8.9.1
- Platform:  Windows 10
- Angular CLI: 1.6.6

Others:

/cc @chuckjaz

[filipesilva]

@chuckjaz looked at this problem yesterday and had this to say:

I believe this line is wrong https://github.com/angular/angular/blob/master/packages/compiler-cli/src/transformers/compiler_host.ts#L456 and is the genesis of the problem. We try to produce re-exports symbols for metadata that refer to files outside this compilation. The line cause the second file to treat the reference to “localData” in the locale.format.ts file as a reference to an external library.

The problem is only with commonjs in that it avoiding it avoids TypeScript trying to report an invalid import. The problem is still there it is just hiding. It will probably show up elsewhere until we fix the way new programs are created and how isSourceFile is reported in incremental builds.

He also suggested a workaround: type the problematic namespace import as any:

export function getCurrentNumeralLocale(): NumeralJSLocale {
  const result = (numeral as any).localeData() as NumeralJSLocale;
  return result;
}

The next major version of Angular CLI will do away with CommonJS for ng serve so this should also ameliorate the problem. This is not a real fix though, it will only reduce the symptoms.

[kondi]

Are you going to include chuckjaz’s workaround in a release? Would be cool if we don’t have to wait the webpack 4 integration and @angular/cli v6 for the real solution.