AppCode 2018.3 Help

Run/Debug Configuration: NPM

Run | Edit Configurations | Add New Configuration | NPM


In this dialog box, create configurations for running npm and Yarn scripts locally. "Locally" in the current context means that AppCode itself starts Node.js installed on your computer, whereupon initiates script execution.

Before you start

  1. Download and install Node.js. Note that npm is also installed so if you are going to use it you are through with the preliminary steps.

  2. To use Yarn, install it as described on the Yarn official website.

Configuration tab

Item

Description

package.json

In this field, specify the package.json file to run the scripts from. Choose the file from the drop-down list which shows all the package.json files detected in the current project or click browseButton.png and choose the required package.json in the dialog box that opens.

Command

From this drop-down list, choose the npm CLI command to execute, by default run-script is selected. Learn more at npm documentation, under the section CLI Commands.

Scripts

From this drop-down list, choose the script to which the chosen command will be applied. The list contains all the scripts defined within the scripts property in the package.json file.

Arguments

In this field, specify the command line arguments to execute a script with. Learn more from the npm official website.

Node interpreter

In this field, specify the Node.js interpreter to use. If you choose the Project alias, AppCode will automatically use the project default interpreter from the Node interpreter field on the Node.js and NPM page.

In most cases, AppCode detects the project default interpreter and fills in the field itself. You can also choose another configured local interpreter or click browseButton and configure a new one.

Node Options

In this text box, type the Node.js-specific command line options to be passed to the Node.js executable file. The acceptable options are:
  • Use --require coffee-script/register to have CoffeeScript files compiled into JavaScript on the fly during run. This mode requires that the register.js file, which is a part of the coffee-script package, should be located inside the project. Therefore you need to install the coffee-script package on the Node.js page locally, as described in npm and Yarn.

  • Use --inspect parameter when you are using Node.js v7 for Chrome Debugging Protocol support. Otherwise, by default the debug process will use V8 Debugging Protocol.

Package manager

In this field. specify the package manager to use. If you choose the Project alias, AppCode will use the default project package manager from the Node .js page. You can also choose the relevant package alias (npm or yarn) or specify an explicit path to a custom installation of a package manager.

Environment Variables

In this field, specify the environment variables for the Node.js executable file, if applicable. Click Browse browseButton.png to the right of the field and configure a list of variables in the Environment Variables dialog box, that opens:
  • To define a new variable, click Add icons general add svg and specify the variable name and value.

  • To discard a variable definition, select it in the list and click Delete icons general remove svg.

  • Click OK, when ready

The definitions of variables are displayed in the Environment variables read-only field with semicolons as separators. The acceptable variables are:

  • NODE_PATH: A :-separated list of directories prefixed to the module search path.

  • NODE_MODULE_CONTEXTS: Set to 1 to load modules in their own global contexts.

  • NODE_DISABLE_COLORS: Set to 1 to disable colors in the REPL.

Common options

When you edit a run configuration (but not a run configuration template), you can specify the following options for it:

Item

Description

Name

In this text box, specify the name for the run/debug configuration. The name will help you identify the created configuration when you choose to edit it later, or when you invoke it, for example, from the Run popup (⌃⌥R).

Share

Select this checkbox to make the run/debug configuration available to other team members.

The shared run/debug configurations are kept in separate xml files under .idea \runConfigurations folder, while the local run/debug configurations are kept in the .idea\workspace.xml.

Allow running in parallel

When disabled, every time a new run/debug configuration is launched, AppCode checks the presence of the other instances of the same run/debug configuration, and displays a confirmation dialog box. If you click OK in the confirmation dialog box, the first instance of the runner will be stopped, and the next one will take its place.

This makes sense when the usage of certain resources can cause conflicts, or when launching two run/debug configurations of the same type consumes too much of the CPU and memory resources.

If this checkbox is selected, it is possible to launch as many instances of the run/debug configuration as required. So doing, each runner will start in its own tab of the Run Tool Window or Debug Tool Window.

Toolbar

The tree view of run/debug configurations has a toolbar that helps you manage configurations available in your project as well as adjust default configurations templates.

Item

Shortcut

Description

icons general add svg⌘N

Create a run/debug configuration.

icons general remove svg⌘⌦

Delete the selected run/debug configuration. Note that you cannot delete default configurations.

Copy

⌘D

Create a copy of the selected run/debug configuration. Note that you create copies of default configurations.

Edi Templates

Edit Templates

View and edit the default template for the selected run/debug configuration. The templates are used for newly created configurations.

icons actions moveUp svg/icons actions moveDown svg

⌃↑/⌃↓

Move the selected run/debug configuration up and down in the list.

The order of configurations in the list defines the order, in which the configurations appear when you choose a run/debug configuration.

Default templates of run/debug configurations are always sorted alphabetically.

Move into new folder / Create new folder

Move into new folder / Create new folder

You can group run/debug configurations by placing them into folders.

To create a folder, select the configurations within a category, click Folder, and specify the folder name. If only a category is in focus, an empty folder is created.

Then, to move a configuration into a folder, between the folders or out of a folder, use drag-and-drop or Move Up and Move Down buttons.

To remove grouping, select a folder and click Remove Configuration.

Sort configurations

Sort configurations

Click this button to sort configurations in the alphabetical order.

Templates

Under the Templates node in the tree view of run configurations, you can select a run configuration template and edit its default settings. This will not affect the configurations that are already created, but will be used as defaults when creating new configurations of the corresponding type.

When you select the Templates node itself, you will be able to adjust general settings that apply to all run/debug configurations:

Item

Description

Configurations available in Run Dashboard

In this section you can create a list of run configurations available in the Run Dashboard — a tool window that helps you execute and manage multiple run/debug configurations.

Note that the dashboard will only display the configuration types for which you have created one ore more configurations.

Thus, if you add a configuration type for which no configurations exist in the project, this type will not be displayed on the dashboard until you create a configuration of this type.

Confirm rerun with process termination

The behavior of this checkbox depends on whether the Single instance only option is selected for a particular run/debug configuration.
  • If this checkbox is selected, in case of a single instance, launching a new process (for example, by clicking Run on the main toolbar) while another process is still running, results in showing a dialog box prompting to terminate the current process before launching a new one.

  • If this checkbox is not selected (or in case of multiple instances), AppCode starts the new process silently.

Temporary configurations limit

Specify the maximum number of temporary configurations to be stored and shown in the Select Run/Debug Configuration drop-down list.

Before Launch options

In this area you can specify tasks that must be be performed before starting the selected run/debug configuration. The tasks are performed in the order they appear in the list.

Item

Shortcut

Description

icons general add svg⌘N

Click this icon to add one of the following available tasks:

  • Run External tool: select to run an external application. In the dialog that opens, select one or multiple applications you want to run. If it is not defined in AppCode yet, add its definition. For more information, see Configuring Third-Party Tools and External Tools.

  • Run Another Configuration: select to execute another run/debug configuration. In the dialog that opens, select the configuration to be run.

  • Run Grunt task: select this option to run a Grunt task. In the Grunt task dialog box that opens, specify the Gruntfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Grunt tool.

    Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the grunt-cli package.

  • Run Gulp task: select this option to run a Gulp task. In the Gulp task dialog box that opens, specify the Gulpfile.js where the required task is defined, select the task to execute, and specify the arguments to pass to the Gulp tool.

    Specify the location of the Node.js interpreter, the parameters to pass to it, and the path to the gulp package.

  • Run npm Script: select this option to execute an npm script. In the NPM Script dialog box that opens, specify the npm run/debug configuration settings.

  • Compile TypeScript: select to run the built-in TypeScript compiler and thus make sure that all the changes you made to your TypeScript code are reflected in the generated JavaScript files. In the TypeScript Compile Settings dialog that opens, select or clear the Check errors checkbox to configure the behaviour of the compiler in case any errors are detected:
    • If the Check errors checkbox is selected, the compiler will show all the errors and the run configuration will not start.

    • If the Check errors checkbox is cleared, the compiler will show all the detected errors but the run configuration still will be launched.

  • Generate CoffeeScript Source Maps: select this option to generate the source maps for your CoffeeScript sources. In the dialog that opens, specify where your CoffeeScript source files are located.

icons general remove svg⌘⌦

Click this icon to remove the selected task from the list.

Edit

Click this icon to edit the selected task. Make the necessary changes in the dialog that opens.

icons actions moveUp svg/icons actions moveDown svg

⌃↑/⌃↓

Click these icons to move the selected task one line up or down in the list. (The tasks are performed in the order that they appear in the list.)

Show this page

Select this checkbox to show the run/debug configuration settings prior to actually starting the run/debug configuration.

Activate tool window

If this checkbox is selected, which it is by default, the Run or the Debug tool window opens when you start the run/debug configuration.

Otherwise, the tool window isn't shown. However, when the configuration is running, you can open the corresponding tool window for it yourself by pressing ⌘4 or ⌘5.

Last modified: 28 March 2019

See Also