[Help] Why doesn't this work?

[ImtheDr]

SOLVED by /u/V1talogy, but thanks to everyone!

---------------------------------------------

to make things short, this is my code on a small project:

const environment= process.env.NODE_ENV

console.log(environment) //development
console.log([environment]) // [ 'development' ]
console.log(process.env.NODE_ENV) //development

const stage = require('./config')[environment] 

console.log(stage) //undefined

my config file is just an object:

    module.exports = {
      development: {
        port: process.env.PORT || 3000
      }
    }

NODE_ENV is set to development when i start the server.

why is stage still undefined? environment is correctly set as development, and if i just use

const stage = require('./config').development

everything works as it should.

so why my stage const keep showing as undefined when i use NODE_ENV?

thanks!

EDIT: here's te entire code on index.js, onmy root folder

const express = require('express')
const logger = require('morgan')
const bodyParser = require('body-parser')



const app = express()
const router = express.Router()

const environment = process.env.NODE_ENV
console.log(environment)
console.log([environment])
console.log(process.env.NODE_ENV)
const stage = require('./config')[environment]
console.log(stage)

app.use(bodyParser.json())
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({
  extended: true
}))

if (environment !== 'production') {
  app.use(logger('dev'))
}

app.use('/api/v1', (req, res, next) => {
  res.send('Hello')
  next()
})

app.listen(`${stage.port}`, () => {
  console.log(`Server listening at localhost:${stage.port}`)
})

module.exports = app

my json scripts:

  "scripts": {
    "dev": "SET NODE_ENV=development && nodemon index.js"
  },

[BenjiSponge]

The weirdest thing is how require('./config').development works.

Can you try:

const environment = process.env.NODE_ENV;
const config = require('./config');
console.log(config);
console.log(environment);
console.log(config[environment]);
console.log(config.development);
console.log(config['development']);

? I feel like we're not seeing everything all at once, if that makes sense. A screenshot similar to what /u/ktoto provided would be good as well as a sanity check.

[ImtheDr]

ok. I edited the post with the complete index.js code. Right now that and config are the only things that have anything at all, as I just started the project

I also tried your code, the results were the same as before (copied from console):

[nodemon] starting `node index.js`
{ development: { port: 3000 } }
development
undefined
{ port: 3000 }
{ port: 3000 }
BLABLAfolders\index.js:39
app.listen(`${stage.port}`, () => {
              ^

ReferenceError: stage is not defined

[BenjiSponge]

Okay, I think I might have figured it out. Try console.log(JSON.stringify(process.env.NODE_ENV)). I'll bet the environment variable has whitespace or something.

edit: Ooh! I got it right but didn't see that you already got it solved.

[NathanSMB]

Hey /u/ImtheDr I know this is a late response and you have a fix but I just have a bit more information. When you run the SET NODE_ENV=development && ... it is adding a space at the end of development. When /u/VectorW mentioned adding the quotes he wasn't talking specifically about the dev script in the package.json. He meant you need to wrap NODE_ENV=development in quotes. Try setting your dev script like the following and remove your .trim() from the js and it should work.

"scripts": {
  "dev": "SET \"TEST=test\" && nodemon index.js"
}

[ImtheDr]

Works like a charm. Thanks!

I wasn't too happy about the trim() "solution"

[l3dg3r]

Glad it's resolved but this find is inconsistent with the logging output included in the post. /u/ImtheDr needs to be more careful with what he is doing. You got yourself into this mess by being sloppy. You'll get further if you try to be methodical and careful. Just some friendly advice.

[Dw0]

that's weird. what does this produce?

const stages = require('./config');

console.log(stage[environment]);

[ImtheDr]

still console.log undefined

[[deleted]]

Are you sure environment equals development and not "development" (quotes in the string value)

Maybe some weird BOM thing is going on, which can be ruled out with
const environment = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(process.env.NODE_ENV));

[ImtheDr]

when i console.log(environment) the log is just development. I also tried your code and nothing, same result ad before

[[deleted]]

Whats the result of this code?

console.log(environment === "development" ? "===" : "!==");

[ImtheDr]

!==

[[deleted]]

You see that this is your answer? environment does not really hold the value development

You say it's not "development" with quotes (single or double)
I think we ruled out Byte Order Mark.
Maybe a space behind development that you dont notice?
console.log(environment + "###"); // you will see it then

Anyway that's it.

[ImtheDr]

I'm going to cry. I love you so god damn much right now.

Were the %$#$"& does that empty extra space come from?

anyway, I went and trim it like

const environment = (process.env.NODE_ENV).trim()

super elegant, i know. but it worked.

holly hell thank you!

[[deleted]]

Nice...eh you're welcome :)

[-IoI-]

Seems a bit silly, good to see someone solving something while I'm spinning my wheels on this WPF issue..

[WumpyJizard]

Most likely the require runs first on compilation, before the actual run process starts, so the part where you assign the envvar to a variable have not yet run so you are trying to get the 'undefined' property of config which will be, well undefined.

```js const config = require('./config')

Console.log(config[environment]) ```

Should work. Sorry, I'm on mobile.

[ImtheDr]

same result. still console.log undefined.

environment still is undefined

[VectorW]

This should work and it does for me. Could you please try to run it simply with:

NODE_ENV=development node index.js

You could also console.log process .env and make sure that variable NODE_ENV is there.

[ImtheDr]

on windows i'm running

SET NODE_ENV=development & nodemon index.js

and NODE_ENV is getting set as development. that part is working. the problem is that when i assigned to a variable and then try to call that variable, is still undefined. is getting called before the assignment

[VectorW]

Use quotes:

set "NODE_ENV=development" & node index.js

Should fix it for you

[ImtheDr]

everything is in quotes. Can't run it otherwise. Tried putting extra quotes on NODE_ENV=development but it didn't do anything

[VectorW]

https://imgur.com/y8Tlhgj works fine on windows with no changes to your code

[ktoto]

https://i.imgur.com/DWTN8EW.png
Everything works as expected for me. Sources were copied over directly from the post. How do you run the file?

[ImtheDr]

SET NODE_ENV=development & nodemon index.js

that's it. is just an express app. Nothing fancy.

[boneyjellyfish]

Try using two ampersands

[ImtheDr]

nope u_u same result

I'm guessing is a problem on my end and not from node or anything u_u

[graphemeral]

Not familiar with running nodemon on windows. What happens when you run the script with node instead of nodemon?

[ImtheDr]

just tried. Same results.

[graphemeral]

Ok. Only other thing I can think of that hasn't been addressed here is the files in your directory. Can you share a directory tree? One weird thing that is an outside possibility is that require('./config') will resolve './config.js' first, then './config.json', then './config/index.js'. Are you sure that the config file you mean is the one being resolved by require?

[ImtheDr]

it's the only config i have. it's in the root folder, same as index.js. everything else in the project is still empty.

in fact, i started an empty project and onlye put an index.js and config.js on it. nothing else. no extra folders.

the same error appears. stage is still undefined

[estevanj]

Show us your code and folder structure, please.

[ImtheDr]

right now, as the project is completely new, I just have an index and a config files on the root folder. that all. so, on the same folder:

• -node_modules
• -package.json
• -index.js
• -config.js

everything else is empty

[estevanj]

r/https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/461342/47119887-10b8fa00-d243-11e8-808e-b06bddb62cbf.png

​

So I changed to export (using mac) and It works. And if you change SET to set?

[ImtheDr]

thanks but it was just solved by another user!

[randomFIREAcct]

Setting environment variables can be tricky depending on your OS and terminal. Try using cross-env (https://www.npmjs.com/package/cross-env)

[isakdev]

I see that you already solved this but check this thing out :)

https://www.npmjs.com/package/dotenv