`NODE_PATH` environment variable is ignored

The “node require.resolve() algorithm” should also search in the directories listed in the $NODE_PATH environment variable, if it is set. See docs here: https://nodejs.org/api/modules.html#modules_loading_from_the_global_folders

Currently, the resolve library does not implement this step, but I think it should.

I need this because I am running with my local node_modules directory outside of my project dir, as per this workaround, because my project dir does not support symlinks (a shared folder).

Because resolve ignores the $NODE_PATH environment variable, grunt refuses to run.

[ljharb]

This is a duplicate of #39; see https://github.com/browserify/resolve/issues/39#issuecomment-306223854.

I wouldn’t suggest using NODE_PATH for anything; any workaround using it is worse than other alternatives.

[RichardBradley]

I have found a workaround which I think I can live with for now:

1. Copy the project.json file to a temp folder on a different FS
2. Run npm install there
3. Copy the resulting node_modules directory back into the project dir, using cp -r --dereference to expand symlinks into copies.

Ah, I’m not familiar with HGFS; although NTFS certainly supports symlinks.

It does, but they’re not commonly used. I believe that the Windows installers for npm avoid creating symlinks for that reason. The problem for me is that I am running on Linux and the npm installers all assume that they are free to create symlinks.

Regarding the “file://” urls and “copy-on-install”, I don’t see how that’s relevant to my goal of running npm install on a node project that uses grunt on Linux when my filesystem doesn’t support symlinks, but I suspect we’re talking past each other on that one.

Thanks for your help!