feat: suggest deno install --entrypoint instead of deno cache

[iuioiua]

Hides deno cache from --help output.

[marvinhagemeister]

Note: We probably should point to the planned --entrypoint flag for the install command in those messages added in this PR once that lands.

[bartlomieju]

Waiting on deno install -e support before landing this one, which @nathanwhit is working on.

[KnorpelSenf]

I don't really understand why --entrypoint tells me “this thing now doesn't install anything but it populates the cache instead.” Seems like very poor naming to me. What am I missing?

Also, why do you think it's a great idea to overload deno install with more and more features? It recently proliferated from doing 1 thing and doing it well to now doing 3 things in less obvious ways, depending on the flags you pass.

I do agree that it's useful to have a single command that both adds and caches a module, but if you break everybody's workflow anyway, why not end up with less ambiguity?

[greentore]

Yeah, I don't get this change at all. The new way is both less ergonomic and less descriptive. install --entrypoint tells me absolutely nothing.

[bartlomieju]

FYI we are still discussing this internally if we should proceed. We are hearing your feedback.

[bartlomieju]

The decision has been made to keep deno cache as is - but it will be hidden from the help output and the error messages will suggest using deno install --entrypoint. In other words - don't worry, your existing workflows will keep working as before.

[uasi]

The decision has been made to keep deno cache as is

Glad to hear that. Still don't get what --entrypoint means - why not --cache-only or --deps or something?

[bartlomieju]

LGTM

[KnorpelSenf]

Is deno cache mod.ts going to be exactly equivalent to deno install --entrypoint mod.ts? Like an alias? I'm still trying to understand what deno install is doing. My current understanding is that

• it can modify the import map in deno.json (but not a separate import map file) in order to provide shorter imports,
• it can create a very short bash script file that makes a Deno application available in the $PATH of the machine, and
• it can cache modules

and sometimes it does various of these things at once. Is that correct? The docs currently only mention the second thing.

[bartlomieju]

Is deno cache mod.ts going to be exactly equivalent to deno install --entrypoint mod.ts? Like an alias?

Yes

it can modify the import map in deno.json (but not a separate import map file) in order to provide shorter imports,

Correct

it can create a very short bash script file that makes a Deno application available in the $PATH of the machine, and

Yes, when you use -g flag

it can cache modules

Pretty much, which is the same as the first point, but instead of relying on deno.json you point it to a file that has the dependencies listed (like a single-file script).

and sometimes it does various of these things at once. Is that correct?

Not really, it's one of the three modes depending if you run deno install, deno install -g or deno install -e.

The docs currently only mention the second thing.

We are currently updating the docs

[nathanwhit]

As a mental model, you can think of deno install as the command for installing dependencies.

So deno install --global <dep> installs a dependency globally, deno install (no arg) installs local dependencies of your project (ones listed in package.json, deno.json, or import map), deno install pkg installs a new dependency to your project (adding it to your config). deno install --entrypoint <file> is installing dependencies required by a file, treating that file as the entrypoint.

[uasi]

deno install --entrypoint <file> is installing dependencies required by a file, treating that file as the entrypoint.

That clears up my question, thank you.