[BUG] $npm_package_dependencies_* are no longer set in v7

[dinvlad]

Current Behavior:

Any $npm_package_dependencies_* variables defined in v6, are no longer set in v7.

Expected Behavior:

$npm_package_dependencies_* variables should list the values from package.json

Steps To Reproduce:

1. Define a script to list env variables:

  "scripts": {
    "env": "env"
  },

2. List them:

npm run env | grep -i npm_package | sort

3. Notice that in v7, several npm_package_* variables are present, but not any of npm_package_dependencies_*
4. Notice that in v6, all of them are present.

Environment:

OS: Ubuntu 20.10
Node: v15.12.0
npm: 7.8.0

[ljharb]

This was an intentional change; you’re intended to read the json file in a script instead of relying on the env.

[dinvlad]

@ljharb this is quite inconvenient however - e.g. react-scripts don't enable specifying a dynamic script to read env variables (unlike some others, like vue.config.js). Are there other workarounds for such cases?

Also, the exclusion of _dependencies_* vars doesn't seem to be documented in https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/v7/using-npm/scripts#packagejson-vars - it seems to imply all of them are still present.

[ljharb]

Indeed; seems like the docs need updating.

[dinvlad]

Thanks! For the time being, I found a workaround thanks to your suggestion:

"scripts": {
  "start": "npm run react-cli start",
  "build": "npm run react-cli build",
  "react-cli": "node -r ./scripts/react-env.js node_modules/.bin/react-scripts"
}

// ./scripts/react-env.js
const package = require("./package");
process.env.REACT_APP_FIREBASE_VERSION = package.dependencies.firebase;

[nlf]

keeping open to track updating the documentation to be more clear about this 👍

[superole]

This was an intentional change; you’re intended to read the json file in a script instead of relying on the env.

so when I have a simple npm script that just needs the version string of some dependency (to use as input to a third party script), I am supposed to write a separate nodejs-script to parse package.json (which npm already must have done) and extract that string myself?

That is extremely disappointing ☹️ and poorly documented. I don't even know where to start.

[aljoshare]

This was an intentional change; you’re intended to read the json file in a script instead of relying on the env.

Can you explain why? It was really helpful and npm_package_name is still working but e.g. npm_package_repository_* is missing as well. It took me some time to find this issue and understand why some fields are working and some not.

[aljoshare]

At least for my use case npm pkg get PATH_TO_FIELD solved it.

E.g.: npm pkg get repository.url

#3487