no supported workflow for installing from npm

[dckc]

Describe the bug

We don't have a supported workflow of building dapps by installing packages such as @agoric/zoe from npm. Only building from source is adequately supported.

For example, the agoric cli is installed using yarn link-cli, unlike other npm tools that are installed using npm install -g or the like.

To Reproduce

If you run agoric install from inside an agoric-sdk, you're in a world of hurt.

If you then make a new agoric-sdk clone, forgetting to yarn link-cli leads to difficult-to-diagnose version skew (this cost @dtribble a bunch of time today).

npx agoric init demo doesn't work:

$ npx agoric init demo
npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall chmod
npm ERR! path /home/gitpod/.npm/_npx/1639/lib/node_modules/agoric/bin/agoric
npm ERR! errno -2
npm ERR! enoent ENOENT: no such file or directory, chmod '/home/gitpod/.npm/_npx/1639/lib/node_modules/agoric/bin/agoric'

running agoric with a pre-ESM version gives a pretty bad diagnostic:

$ agoric
/home/connolly/projects/agoric/agoric-sdk/packages/agoric-cli/lib/entrypoint.js:6
import 'esm';
^^^^^^

SyntaxError: Cannot use import statement outside a module
    at Module._compile (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:895:18)

Expected behavior

like other dev tools in the npm world

cc @mhofman @katelynsills @warner @michaelfig

[michaelfig]

The agoric cli is installed using yarn link-cli, unlike other npm tools that are installed using npm install -g or the like.

We can certainly make npm install -g agoric and yarn global add agoric work (again), but that can only use the latest published NPM version of the SDK, and hence is inappropriate for rapid development.

Be aware that if you want to use an existing checkout of agoric-sdk and have it immediately use any of your changes, there will always need to be a special case for that, whether:

a. Use yarn link-cli
b. Set some environment variable to point to the SDK
c. Install the SDK in a conventional location
d. Explicitly run .../agoric-sdk/packages/agoric-cli/bin/agoric or some other entrypoint within the SDK
e. Something else?

Pick your poison.

[mhofman]

The agoric cli is installed using yarn link-cli, unlike other npm tools that are installed using npm install -g or the like.

We can certainly make npm install -g agoric and yarn global add agoric work (again), but that can only use the latest published NPM version of the SDK, and hence is inappropriate for rapid development.

The usual workflow for this is yarn link. Maybe a possible flow for an agoric-cli package globally installed would be:

• (optional, in agoric-sdk) yarn link-cli: setup global link for the agoric-cli from this sdk location.
• agoric use-sdk [sdk-path] (in dapp): sets up yarn links for this project, using the sdk path the agoric-cli is coming from if above step was done and no specific path was provided. It'd replace agoric install, and would be use once (TBD: I'm not sure what a yarn install does after a yarn link)
• other agoric commands defer to the agoric-cli of the local project (equivalent to npx agoric)

Be aware that if you want to use an existing checkout of agoric-sdk and have it immediately use any of your changes, there will always need to be a special case for that, whether:

a. Use yarn link-cli
b. Set some environment variable to point to the SDK
c. Install the SDK in a conventional location
d. Explicitly run .../agoric-sdk/packages/agoric-cli/bin/agoric or some other entrypoint within the SDK
e. Something else?

Pick your poison.

npx agoric will pick ./node_modules/.bin/agoric if agoric-cli is installed as a dependency, either from registry or from yarn link.

[dckc]

@mhofman reports that we're not quite there yet: #4129 (comment)

[dckc]

I ran into another person trying to do npm i @agoric/zoe like it says on https://www.npmjs.com/package/@agoric/zoe and it doesn't work.

[mhofman]

We disabled the CI test that uses local-npm, so paint me not surprised.

[dckc]

I'm not surprised either; https://docs.agoric.com/guides/getting-started/ is the only currently supported path. This open issue is just an acknowledgement that we're behind market norms in this respect.

[dckc]

I tried using the SDK as normal npm packages in the context of some recent work on a smart-wallet style app starter, but I hit:

Cannot find module '.../simple-game/contract/node_modules/@agoric/swingset-liveslots/tools/fakeVirtualSupport.js'

looks like @agoric/swingset-liveslots doesn't include it in its npm package.

So I went back to agoric install style links :-/

p.s. my WIP: dc-test-contract agoric-labs/dapp-join-game@1a653c0

[mhofman]

Known issue tracked in #8380 and which will be solved by #8390

[dckc]

recent progress:

• feat(create-dapp): npm create @agoric/dapp ... uses agoric init #8530

[dckc]

We now have a supported workflow based on yarn create ... from #8530 that works for at least one dapp . There are likely rough edges, but let's address those in other issues.

https://docs.agoric.com/guides/getting-started/ documents it as of 1cf164c