bower install [package name] should NOT re-install all packages from bower.json

[dotnetCarpenter]

I use GNU Make to update/install third party front end libraries.

My work flow is the following:

1. bower install [package] --save
2. Copy bower list --paths to Makefile as a variable. E.i. LIBRARIES
3. Create a new variable. E.g. LIBRARIES_TARGET := $(patsubst %,app/lib/%, $(notdir $(LIBRARIES)))
4. In my Makefile, I make LIBRARIES_TARGET a target which depend on LIBRARIES. If a library is not present in app/lib/[bower main file(s)], Make will run the following recipe: bower install $(notdir $@) --production. This can evaluate to bower install svg.js --production and bower install svg.draggable.js --production.

This seems to trigger a lot of superfluous work by bower.

bower install should not re-install all packages from bower.json

I hope this is just dependency management but it look like bower is taking an abundant download route. GNU Make will run tasks in parallel. So 2 instances of bower is likely to run at the same time.

My entire Makefile (note, that I have replaced common GNU tools with the nodejs equivalent to support all nodejs platforms):

LIBRARIES := bower_components/svg.js/dist/svg.js bower_components/svg.draggable.js/dist/svg.draggable.js
LIBRARIES_TARGET_FOLDER = app/lib/
LIBRARIES_TARGET := $(patsubst %,$(LIBRARIES_TARGET_FOLDER)%, $(notdir $(LIBRARIES)))

all: $(LIBRARIES_TARGET)

$(LIBRARIES):
    npm run bower -- install $(notdir $@) --production

$(LIBRARIES_TARGET_FOLDER):
    npm run mkdirp -- $(dir $@)

$(LIBRARIES_TARGET): $(LIBRARIES) |$(LIBRARIES_TARGET_FOLDER)
    npm run cp -- $(filter %$(@F),$^) $@

In a clean git clone of my project this triggers:

npm run mkdirp -- app/lib/
npm run bower -- install svg.js --production
npm run bower -- install svg.draggable.js --production
npm run cp -- bower_components/svg.js/dist/svg.js app/lib/svg.js
npm run cp -- bower_components/svg.draggable.js/dist/svg.draggable.js app/lib/svg.draggable.js

This is related to #256

Below is the entire output from bower:

npm run bower -- install svg.js --production
npm run bower -- install svg.draggable.js --production

> virtualcontrol@ bower /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol
> bower "install" "svg.js" "--production"


> virtualcontrol@ bower /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol
> bower "install" "svg.draggable.js" "--production"

bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1   cached https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1 validate 2.2.1 against https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#~2.2.1
bower svg.js#~2.3.5             cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#~2.3.5           validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#~2.3.5
bower svg.js#*                  cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#*                validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#*
bower svg.draggable.js#*        cached https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#*      validate 2.2.1 against https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#*
bower svg.js#~2.3.5             cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#~2.3.5           validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#~2.3.5
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1   cached https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1 validate 2.2.1 against https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#~2.2.1
bower svg.js#^2.0.1             cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#^2.0.1           validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#^2.0.1
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1  install svg.draggable.js#2.2.1
bower svg.js#^2.0.1            install svg.js#2.3.5
bower svg.js#^2.0.1             cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#^2.0.1           validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#^2.0.1

svg.draggable.js#2.2.1 bower_components/svg.draggable.js
└── svg.js#2.3.5

svg.js#2.3.5 bower_components/svg.js
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1  install svg.draggable.js#2.2.1
bower                          skipped svg.draggable.js was not installed because there is already a non-bower directory with that name in the components directory (bower_components/svg.draggable.js). You can force installation with --force.
bower svg.js#^2.0.1            install svg.js#2.3.5
bower                          skipped svg.js was not installed because there is already a non-bower directory with that name in the components directory (bower_components/svg.js). You can force installation with --force.

svg.draggable.js#2.2.1 ../../../.cache/bower/packages/9857026e0b74f4ea1f206c5dc8911402/2.2.1
└── svg.js#2.3.5

svg.js#2.3.5 ../../../.cache/bower/packages/09c33df7193f0be8b28fda1d2550b945/2.3.5
npm run mkdirp -- app/lib/

> virtualcontrol@ mkdirp /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol
> mkdirp "app/lib/"

npm run cp -- bower_components/svg.js/dist/svg.js app/lib/svg.js
npm run cp -- bower_components/svg.draggable.js/dist/svg.draggable.js app/lib/svg.draggable.js

> virtualcontrol@ cp /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol
> cp "bower_components/svg.js/dist/svg.js" "app/lib/svg.js"


> virtualcontrol@ cp /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol
> cp "bower_components/svg.draggable.js/dist/svg.draggable.js" "app/lib/svg.draggable.js"

bower install is racy. Sometimes the install fails:

npm run bower -- install svg.js --production
npm run bower -- install svg.draggable.js --production

> virtualcontrol@ bower /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol
> bower "install" "svg.js" "--production"


> virtualcontrol@ bower /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol
> bower "install" "svg.draggable.js" "--production"

bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1   cached https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1   cached https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1 validate 2.2.1 against https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#~2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1 validate 2.2.1 against https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#~2.2.1
bower svg.js#~2.3.5             cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#~2.3.5           validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#~2.3.5
bower svg.js#~2.3.5             cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#~2.3.5           validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#~2.3.5
bower svg.js#*                  cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#*                validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#*
bower svg.draggable.js#*        cached https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#*      validate 2.2.1 against https://github.com/wout/svg.draggable.js.git#*
bower svg.js#^2.0.1             cached https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#2.3.5
bower svg.js#^2.0.1           validate 2.3.5 against https://github.com/wout/svg.js.git#^2.0.1
bower svg.js#~2.3.5            install svg.js#2.3.5
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1  install svg.draggable.js#2.2.1
bower svg.draggable.js#~2.2.1  install svg.draggable.js#2.2.1
bower svg.js#^2.0.1            install svg.js#2.3.5
bower                           ENOENT ENOENT: no such file or directory, lstat '/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/bower_components/svg.js/.bower.json'

Stack trace:
/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/node_modules/fstream/lib/writer.js:285:28
FSReqWrap.oncomplete (fs.js:123:15)

Console trace:
Error
    at StandardRenderer.error (/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/renderers/StandardRenderer.js:81:37)
    at Logger.<anonymous> (/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/bin/bower.js:110:26)
    at emitOne (events.js:96:13)
    at Logger.emit (events.js:188:7)
    at Logger.emit (/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/node_modules/bower-logger/lib/Logger.js:29:39)
    at /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/commands/index.js:48:20
    at _rejected (/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/node_modules/q/q.js:844:24)
    at /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/node_modules/q/q.js:870:30
    at Promise.when (/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/node_modules/q/q.js:1122:31)
    at Promise.promise.promiseDispatch (/home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/node_modules/bower/lib/node_modules/q/q.js:788:41)
System info:
Bower version: 1.7.9
Node version: 6.7.0
OS: Linux 4.4.0-42-generic x64

npm ERR! Linux 4.4.0-42-generic
npm ERR! argv "/home/dotnet/.nvm/versions/node/v6.7.0/bin/node" "/home/dotnet/.nvm/versions/node/v6.7.0/bin/npm" "run" "bower" "--" "install" "svg.draggable.js" "--production"
npm ERR! node v6.7.0
npm ERR! npm  v3.10.8
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! virtualcontrol@ bower: `bower "install" "svg.draggable.js" "--production"`
npm ERR! Exit status 1
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! Failed at the virtualcontrol@ bower script 'bower "install" "svg.draggable.js" "--production"'.
npm ERR! Make sure you have the latest version of node.js and npm installed.
npm ERR! If you do, this is most likely a problem with the virtualcontrol package,
npm ERR! not with npm itself.
npm ERR! Tell the author that this fails on your system:
npm ERR!     bower "install" "svg.draggable.js" "--production"
npm ERR! You can get information on how to open an issue for this project with:
npm ERR!     npm bugs virtualcontrol
npm ERR! Or if that isn't available, you can get their info via:
npm ERR!     npm owner ls virtualcontrol
npm ERR! There is likely additional logging output above.

npm ERR! Please include the following file with any support request:
npm ERR!     /home/dotnet/projects/playground/virtualcontrol/npm-debug.log
Makefile:22: recipe for target 'bower_components/svg.draggable.js/dist/svg.draggable.js' failed
make: *** [bower_components/svg.draggable.js/dist/svg.draggable.js] Error 1
make: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....

svg.draggable.js#2.2.1 bower_components/svg.draggable.js
└── svg.js#2.3.5

svg.js#2.3.5 bower_components/svg.js

My bower.json file:

{
  "name": "virtualcontrol",
  "dependencies": {
    "svg.draggable.js": "~2.2.1",
    "svg.js": "~2.3.5"
  }
}

[sheerun]

This is not something we have resources to fix. Attempt was made to fix #256 but reverted becuase of #2097. I'm closing it as duplicate of #256

If you feel you can fix remaining link issue, please do it.

[dotnetCarpenter]

I would take a look but it's discouraging that you have 30 open PR's where most of them are a year old or older. I get a feeling that my hard work will never be merged.