install: add support for package aliases

[zkat]

TODO

• basic implementation
• fix npm i printouts
• fix npm ls display
• fix npm outdated and npm update support
• land https://github.com/iarna/lock-verify/pull/3
• check that cipm works, too
• fix failing tests
  • ignore-install-link.js
  • 404-parent.js
  • 00-verify-ls-ok.js
  • check-install-self.js
  • dedupe-scoped.js
  • do-not-remove-other-bins.js
  • gently-rm-linked-module.js
  • gently-rm-symlinked-global-dir.js
  • install-actions.js
  • install-at-sub-path-locally.js
  • install-contributors-count.js
  • install-into-likenamed-folder.js
  • install-report-just-installed.js
  • install-scoped-already-installed.js
  • legacy-ignore-nested-rm.js
  • legacy-test-package.js
  • link.js
  • ls-l-depth-0.js
  • ls-peer.js
  • ls.js
  • shared-linked.js
  • shrinkwrap-default-dev.js
  • spec-local-specifiers.js
  • symlink-cycle.js
  • test/network/legacy-bundled-git.js
  • uninstall-link-clean.js

[hinell]

Where we can find documentation on this?

[benmonro]

docs or even a comment here with an example would be nice, i'm curious what this feature is all about...

[chee]

hey, @hinell and @benmonro. you can read more about this feature in the RFC for package aliases

https://github.com/npm/rfcs/blob/latest/implemented/0001-package-aliases.md

[hinell]

@chee Thanks for the link.

Looks like this feature doesn't work. When I attempt to use npm i package@npm:express I get error:

Unwrap

    at invalidTagName (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-package-arg\npa.js:87:15)
    at fromRegistry (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-package-arg\npa.js:290:13)
    at Function.resolve (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-package-arg\npa.js:77:12)
    at doesChildVersionMatch (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\deps.js:75:25)
    at exports.earliestInstallable (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\deps.js:800:10)
    at addBundled (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\deps.js:653:20)
    at addBundled (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\fetch-package-metadata.js:90:78)
    at isInstallable (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\deps.js:652:5)
    at checkPlatform (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-install-checks\index.js:53:10)
    at thenWarnEngineIssues (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\validate-args.js:52:5)
    at a (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\node_modules\iferr\iferr.js:3:64)
    at checkEngine (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\node_modules\npm-install-checks\index.js:24:10)
    at module.exports.isInstallable (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\validate-args.js:49:3)
    at resolveWithNewModule (E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\deps.js:650:10)
    at E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\lib\install\deps.js:245:5
    at E:\Programs\NodeJS\node_modules\npm\node_modules\slide\lib\async-map.js:52:35

My platform is Windows 10 x64
npm: 6.7.0
node: v11.14.0

[ljharb]

@hinell the feature is in v6.9 of npm, you have v6.7.

[hinell]

@ljharb Oh thank you!

[mikkorantalainen]

Documentation at https://github.com/npm/rfcs/blob/latest/implemented/0001-package-aliases.md mentions that this implementation

will NOT address ... replacing packages in transitive dependencies that have different names (npm i underscore@npm:lodash will only make it so require('underscore') in your own project loads lodash instead. Your dependencies will receive their own (nested) version of the actual underscore package). This may be covered in the future by an explicit resolutions mechanism, and may be facilitated by this RFC, but is still not part of it.

Are the any current plans for allowing aliasing packages in the transitive dependencies? I have a more specific question about this at https://stackoverflow.com/q/64121161/334451