JUPYTER_PACKAGING_SKIP_NPM environment variable versus --skip-npm option

[videlec]

tried with: jupyter-jsmol version 2022.1.0 and jupyter-packaging 0.12.2
downstream issue: https://trac.sagemath.org/ticket/34421

When setting JUPYTER_PACKAGING_SKIP_NPM=1 in the shell and launching pip install --no-binary ':all:' jupyter-jsmol, the setup process correctly ignores npm install. However, it ends up with

  Skipping npm install as requested.
  Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "[...]/python3.10/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 363, in <module>
      main()
    File "[...]/python3.10/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 345, in main
      json_out['return_val'] = hook(**hook_input['kwargs'])
    File "[...]/python3.10/site-packages/pip/_vendor/pep517/in_process/_in_process.py", line 164, in prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
      return hook(metadata_directory, config_settings)
    File "[...]/python3.10/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 188, in prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel
      self.run_setup()
    File "[...]/python3.10/site-packages/setuptools/build_meta.py", line 174, in run_setup
      exec(code, locals())
    File "<string>", line 8, in <module>
    File "[...]/python3.10/site-packages/jupyter_packaging/__init__.py", line 6, in <module>
      from .setupbase import *  # noqa
    File "[...]/python3.10/site-packages/jupyter_packaging/setupbase.py", line 77, in <module>
      sys.argv.remove("--skip-npm")
  ValueError: list.remove(x): x not in list

[blink1073]

Hi @videlec, would you like to submit a PR to add a check around the removal?

[videlec]

Hi @videlec, would you like to submit a PR to add a check around the removal?

sure.