import with tilde for node_modules package

I’m looking the simpliest way to import less files with the ~alias from a node_modules like less loader in webpack.

FileError: '~@folder/composant/file.less' wasn't found

It seems that less can’t understand this. Since I don’t need webpack here, is there any solution here?

Just made a test in the: FileManager.prototype.loadFile and added a dirty filename = filename.remplace('~', ''); . Then added include-path=node_modules in my CLI and it worked.

What would be the best way to improve this? I could make the pull-request.

[matthew-dean]

When compiling in a Node environment, just write @import "folder/composant/file.less"; with folder being the name of the module.

[kevinramharak]

@rjgotten The problem is that for my use case i have no control over the node environment nor less executable. My team uses a visual studio extension named web compiler. This compiler uses a local install of less and uses the executable lessc inside that installation. The shell command executed by the extension looks like the following

$ # the enviroment state
$ pwd
/my/project/
$ tree
- .
  - less
     - style.less
  - css
     - style.css
  - node_modules/
    - bootstrap
       - less
         - bootstrap.less

$ # the command executed by the extension
$ /visualstudio/extensions/webcompiler/lessc /my/project/less/style.less /my/project/css/style.css

an @import 'bootstrap/less/bootstrap.less' inside ./less/style.less will not resolve to /my/project/node_modules/bootstrap/less/bootstrap.less (or any parent directory with a node_modules folder). I would expect lessc to resolve npm imports regardless of its install path. It is not

I cannot do a relative import because of npm flattening dependencies I cannot guarantee its path.