Truffle compiler option 'contracts_build_directory' inconsistent behavior

Truffle compiler option contracts_build_directory is described here.

I’m having trouble with Truffle’s inconsistent behavior on that configuration parameter.

I’m setting it as follows:

contracts_build_directory: "../../artifacts"

When I execute truffle compile, all artifacts are created in a folder named “artifacts” which is located two levels above the project’s root directory.

When I execute truffle migrate --network=development, I get the following error message:

Running migration: 1_initial_migration.js
fs.js:904
  return binding.readdir(pathModule._makeLong(path), options.encoding);
                 ^

Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, scandir '<see_below>\artifacts'

Where <see_below> is a full path which ends only one level above the project’s root directory.

I can therefore resolve this problem as follows:

1. Run truffle compile
2. Change contracts_build_directory from "../../artifacts" to "../../../artifacts"
3. Run truffle migrate --network=development

This solution is inappropriate of course.

My project directory structure is as follows:

project folder:
    contracts folder:
        sol files
    migrations folder:
        1_initial_migration.js file
        2_deploy_contracts.js file
    test folder:
        js files
    truffle-config.js file

My truffle configuration (in truffle-config.js) is as follows:

// See <http://truffleframework.com/docs/advanced/configuration>
module.exports = {
    contracts_build_directory: "../../artifacts",
    networks: {
        development: {
            host:       "127.0.0.1",
            network_id: "*",
            port:       8545,
            gas:        4712388,      // Gas limit used for deploys
            gasPrice:   100000000000, // Gas price used for deploys
        },
    },
    mocha: {
        useColors: true,
        bail:      true,   // Abort after first test failure
        reporter:  "list", // See <https://mochajs.org/#reporters>
    },
    solc: {
        optimizer: {
            enabled: true,
            runs:    5000000,
        },
    },
};

To my understanding, the problem stems from the fact that truffle migrate “steps into” the migrations folder and runs from there (hence an additional ..\ is required in the value of the contracts_build_directory parameter).

UPDATE:

If I delete all the artifacts, and then run truffle migrate without preceding it with truffle compile (i.e., letting truffle migrate do the compilation), then it works only when the contracts_build_directory option is NOT specified. Any other way (even setting it to the default value ./build/contracts or to the “trivial” value ./) - the migration fails.

So in short, there seem to be a “collision” between truffle migrate and contracts_build_directory.

[lazyc97]

I got problem at return binding.readdir(pathModule.toNamespacedPath(path), options.encoding) instead. I’m on Linux but toNamespacedPath seems to only work on Windows, might this be a problem with OS detection? I’m using Arch.

I found a workaround:

var path = require('path');
module.exports = {
    contracts_build_directory: path.join(__dirname, /* your output dir */)
}

[archerstar221]

I have get the problem like this. So How to set directory?