.\" generated with Ronn/v0.4.1
.\" http://github.com/rtomayko/ronn/
.
.TH "NPM\-SCRIPTS" "1" "April 2010" "" ""
.
.SH "NAME"
\fBnpm\-scripts\fR \-\- How npm handles the "scripts" field
.
.SH "DESCRIPTION"
npm supports the "scripts" member of the package.json script, for the
following scripts:
.
.TP
preinstall
Run BEFORE the package is installed
.
.TP
install
Run AFTER the package is installed.
.
.TP
preactivate
Run BEFORE the package is activated.
.
.TP
activate
Run AFTER the package has been activated.
.
.TP
deactivate
Run BEFORE the package is deactivated.
.
.TP
postdeactivate
Run AFTER the package is deactivated.
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.TP
uninstall
Run BEFORE the package is uninstalled.
.
.TP
postuninstall
Run AFTER the package is uninstalled.
.
.SH "Package Lifecycle Env Vars"
Package scripts are run in an environment where the package.json fields have
been tacked onto the \fBnpm_package_\fR prefix. So, for instance, if you had \fB{"name":"foo", "version":"1.2.5"}\fR in your package.json file, then in your
various lifecycle scripts, this would be true:
.
.IP "" 4
.
.nf
process.env.npm_package_name === "foo"
process.env.npm_package_version === "1.2.5"
.
.fi
.
.IP "" 0
.
.P
Objects are flattened following this format, so if you had\fB{"scripts":{"install":"foo.js"}}\fR in your package.json, then you'd see this
in the script:
.
.IP "" 4
.
.nf
process.env.npm_package_scripts_install = "foo.js"
.
.fi
.
.IP "" 0
.
.P
Last but not least, the \fBnpm_lifecycle_event\fR environment variable is set to
whichever stage of the cycle is being executed. So, you could have a single
script used for different parts of the process which switches based on what's
currently happening.
.
.P
If the script exits with a code other than 0, then this will abort the
process.
.
.P
Note that these script files don't have to be nodejs or even javascript
programs. They just have to be some kind of executable file.
.
.P
For example, if your package.json contains this:
.
.IP "" 4
.
.nf
{ "scripts" :
  { "install" : "scripts/install.js"
  , "postinstall" : "scripts/install.js"
  , "activate" : "scripts/install.js"
  , "uninstall" : "scripts/uninstall.js"
  }
}
.
.fi
.
.IP "" 0
.
.P
then the \fBscripts/install.js\fR will be called for the install, post\-install,
and activate stages of the lifecycle, and the \fBscripts/uninstall.js\fR would be
called when the package is uninstalled.  Since \fBscripts/install.js\fR is running
for three different phases, it would be wise in this case to look at the \fBnpm_lifecycle_event\fR environment variable.
.
.P
If you want to run a make command, you can do so.  This works just fine:
.
.IP "" 4
.
.nf
{ "scripts" :
  { "preinstall" : "./configure"
  , "install" : "make"
  , "test" : "make test"
  }
}
.
.fi
.
.IP "" 0
.
.P
However, the script line is not simply a command line, so \fBmake && make install\fR
would try to execute the \fBmake\fR command with the arguments \fB&&\fR, \fBmake\fR, and \fBinstall\fR.  If you have a lot of stuff to run in a command, put it in a script
file.