getFileName() returns undefined when called using eval

[weshouman]

What happens:
Bindings fails to get the root dir

Reproduction:
calling bindings through eval
Example: Using webpack and having bindings in a dependency (ie: of zmq)

Analysis:
While getting the file name from the stack trace, getFileName() returns undefined.
As filenames could be stored st[i].getEvalOrigin() not only in st[i].getFileName() based on https://github.com/v8/v8/wiki/Stack-Trace-API

[sumshare]

but webpack st[i].getEvalOrigin() is webpack:///./node_modules/ref/lib/ref.js,it's not a right dir name

[zygzagZ]

It should work if you specify module using node-bindings as external in webpack configuration (webpack docs) eg. externals: ['zmq']. In my case (I use webpack-vue) iit turned out webpack.config.js was not used at all, I needed to add externals in vue.config.js.

[johnnysprinkles]

I'm using Node 12 and ffi-napi module, compiled through Webpack, and I'm also seeing this:

[node] webpack:///./node_modules/bindings/bindings.js?:178
[node]   if (fileName.indexOf(fileSchema) === 0) {
[node]                ^
[node]
[node] TypeError: Cannot read property 'indexOf' of undefined
[node]     at Function.getFileName (webpack:///./node_modules/bindings/bindings.js?:178:16)
[node]     at bindings (webpack:///./node_modules/bindings/bindings.js?:82:48)
[node]     at eval (webpack:///./node_modules/ref-napi/lib/ref.js?:7:102)
[node]     at Object../node_modules/ref-napi/lib/ref.js (/local/home/jsimons/workspace/nodetemplate/src/NodeStarterTemplate/dist/server/main.js:3366:1)
[node]     at __webpack_require__ (/local/home/jsimons/workspace/nodetemplate/src/NodeStarterTemplate/dist/server/main.js:20:30)
[node]     at eval (webpack:///./node_modules/ffi-napi/lib/ffi.js?:7:13)
[node]     at Object../node_modules/ffi-napi/lib/ffi.js (/local/home/jsimons/workspace/nodetemplate/src/NodeStarterTemplate/dist/server/main.js:1951:1)
[node]     at __webpack_require__ (/local/home/jsimons/workspace/nodetemplate/src/NodeStarterTemplate/dist/server/main.js:20:30)

Think the project owners would accept a pull request that just initializes the fileName to empty string instead of undefined?

[zygzagZ]

fileName is changed during the function, just initializing it would not work. This however doesn't help you, because when working with webpack, getting this error means that webpack packed this module, which it should not. You must configure webpack to use this module externally, only then you get the low level bindings to work.

[johnnysprinkles]

Cool, I was running all my serverside files through Webpack so I can have JSX everywhere and use import everywhere. I made it so only my isomorphic React views go through Webpack, everything else runs raw from source. (Still get import statements with the new --experimental-modules flag.)

Still seems like this module could function without caring what file the code is in, but I don't know much about the module. Things are working so I'm happy.

[zygzagZ]

Yo could have still used webpack for all of the source just by configuring it to use ffi-napi externally

[warpdesign]

I am having the same exception, trying to package an Electron app that has a native dependency.

I tried adding the module in the externals array of the webpack configuration but then it crashes because it cannot find the module:

function(e, t) {
e.exports = drivelist
}

Uncaught ReferenceError: drivelist is not defined

That's how I'm importing drivelist:

import * as drivelist from 'drivelist';

Note that I tried to use require instead of import and it leads to the same error.

drivelist is the module I have added to externals. So it did not include it in the webpack build but is expecting me to load it it seems. I'm not sure how to do that.

[ntbosscher]

I've been using this non-idea workaround for my native modules in electron and it works for me:

1. Create <project-root>/build folder for my *.node files
2. Add build/*.node folder to my electron-builder config (in package.json)
3. Symbolically link the *.node files from node_modules (e.g. mklink build/better_sqlite3.node node_modules/better-sqlite3/build/Release/better_sqlite3.node)
4. Monkey patch TooTallNate/node-bindings in my main js file

const bindings = require("bindings");

bindings.getFileName = function getFileName(calling_file) {
    //..
   if(!fileName) return "";
   //..
}

bindings.getRoot = function getRoot(file) {
    return require("electron").remote.app.getAppPath();
}

[ntbosscher]

#61 <- this might be a better solution (haven't tested)

[AnEmortalKid]

As a work around, I ended up using webpack for a specific binding that was missing (in electron) and just copying it into the build/Release

    new CopyPlugin({
      patterns: [
        {
          from: path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules', 'forcefocus', 'bin', 'win32-x64-106'),
          to: path.resolve(__dirname, 'build', 'Release')
        }
      ]
    })

Since I was using electron-forge for my problem, I was also able to get arround it by using electron-forge-externals

Would be nice to have #74

[FrederickThunder]

@ntbosscher @AnEmortalKid This thread is quite old but just want to ask if you had the same issue when running make (electron-forge make) or even with just electron-forge start?
I'm facing issue after packaging and installing .deb in linux machine although electron-forge start works just fine.

[AnEmortalKid]

@FrederickThunder it was probably with make, given that I was using the build/Release folder as a copied pattern.