npm-cache-list

This project aims to fill the missing offline cache listing function for npm

Installation

Global:

This will install the package into npm's global path.

• "npm install --global npm-cache-list"

Local:

In case installing global is not possible due to admin rights, you can install is as a dev depencency to any project.

• "npm install npm-cache-list --save-dev"

To continue, you need to add "local_folder_path/node_modules/.bin" to your "PATH" environment, or add the path to your command to run it.

NOTE: if you forget installing it as a dev dependency, you will get "Cannot find module 'cacache'" error.

Use "git clone"

In this case, you can either install the package with npm to some other directory as explained above, or just use "npm install" to get dependencies and "npm start [parameters]" to run the program

Usage

• "npm-cache-list (show this list)"
• "npm-cache-list help (show this list)"
• "npm-cache-list all (show all versioned packages - takes long to complete)"
• "npm-cache-list list <search terms> (search the cache - terms are combined with "or", not "and")"

Versions

• v1.2.x: Fixed broken cache location, importing npm itself
• v1.1.x: Temporary fix about child_process (commented out 2 lines)
• v1.0.x: Initial release and typos

Development Story

I develop mostly in offline environments thus I depend on the cached versions of packages I use.

Most of the time, I forgot which versions I work with, and going back and forth among old projects is exhausting. Nowadays, I learned more and more on writing Javascript code, so I decided to give it a try.

I started coding by patching NPM's own codes, namely "lib/cache.js". This file is the backbone operating on cache files, but it is missing the listing option. I copied parts of "verify" function, and the rest has resolved quikcly.

At first I thought about giving this patch to npm directly. Then I gave up because I am not as much confident as you may think. Maybe later, or maybe by some other contributor. Time will tell. (Also npm seems to have listing ability but somehow lost it somewhere down the road. I need to be sure about that too.)

Then, I decided to make it a global installing package so anyone that has a need for this function can find and install from now on. First time uploading a package on npmjs.com

Contribution

The package depends only on "cacache" external package, and npm itself.

Just clone/fork the repository.

Run "npm install" to get "cacache" and "npm".

Then start coding, fixing, and even make the pavement to your own next npm package.

Licencing

When I initialized the package with "npm init", I didn't changed the given "ISC" licencing name. Because I don't understand types of free licences.

You are free to make changes for this project.

And also please warn me if I somehow violate some other licencing about the code parts I used from "npm" code base.