Invalid command line switch for "cmd.exe" System.argumentException: Item has already been added. (PATH vs Path)

[TomzBench]

Hello,

When building my package with Git Bash shell I receive the following error:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\MSBuild\Microsoft\VC\v160\Microsoft.CppCommon.targets(238,5): error MSB6001: Invalid command line switch for "cmd.exe". System.ArgumentException: Item has already been added. Key in dictionary: 'Path'  Key being added: 'PATH' [C:\${snip}\build\ZERO_CHECK.vcxproj]

I think this issue is very closely related to this issue: dotnet/msbuild#5726

The problem is not clear how to fix, though MSBUILD suggests that this is a "wontfix" and that I should work around the issue. But it's not clear what to add to my cmake-js usage to work around this issue. It's seems the workaround is required in cmake-js?

[gentunian]

@TomzBench did you find a workaround for this?

[gentunian]

I tracked the issue down to nodejs/node#35210 so if this could be backported to older versions of nodejs then this issue I think will disappear.

[gentunian]

Going through the code it looks like in master this was addressed as a specific workaround:

cmake-js/lib/processHelpers.js

Line 12 in e311b71

if (process.env.Path && process.env.PATH) delete process.env.Path;

If the sanitize in nodejs could be backported, probably that hardfix could be removed as well.

[gentunian]

Until a new release is out, I'm using the change from that commit as well:

 "cmake-js": "github:cmake-js/cmake-js#e311b71564be3925f35f0861f85817a823d4cff0",

[unbornchikken]

fixed as of 6.2.1

[gentunian]

@unbornchikken I tested 6.2.1 and that fix does not solve the issue, it continues there. I added the line from my PR, and that effictively solves the issue:

if (process.platform === "win32" && process.env.Path !== undefined && process.env.PATH !== undefined) {
   const PATH = process.env.Path;
   delete process.env.PATH;
   process.env.Path = PATH;
}

[gentunian]

to clarify even more...

I did that directly to the source in the "node_modules" folder.

[gentunian]

@unbornchikken current condition won't work because:

if (env.Path && en.PATH && env.Path !== env.PATH)

won't be true when env.Path === env.PATH and you won't delete any. You will still have 2 environament variables, one for Path and other for PATH.

this line:

env.PATH = `$env.Path};${env.PATH}`;

should be in a different inner condition.