Electron: Not getting error messages when npm libraries are not installed

[benbucksch]

Reproduction

• Checkout git commit f5b350684
• yarn install
• yarn start

Actual result

I now run into another error which just says:

transforming (23) ../lib/util/preferences.jsError launching app

(sic, including the missing linebreak) but no more info.

Expected result

• Detailed error message about the actual problem
• Correct stack

Question

How do I get more info about this error? How did you find that info that #18 was caused by node-pre-gyp? My problem is I got no proper stack.

[benbucksch]

Another (similar, but separate) issue seems to be that the build process is not reporting missing imports (undefined symbols) at all, and they hit at runtime. At runtime, we have only the already bundled main.js, so it's impossible to get a stack.

The problem above is slightly different, that the problem does happen at build time, but without proper error message.

[benbucksch]

I'm also seeing that the errors are transitent or racing. I see an "Error launching app" after transforming a certain source code file, I re-run yarn start, and I see the same error after another file.

Then, I if I keep restarting yarn start, eventually the error will while transforming a specific file, like preferences.js.

[benbucksch]

On branch imap-jpc, I am now getting:

transforming (88) ../lib/node_modules/better-sqlite3/lib/sqlite-error.jsError launching app

(I am rebasing imap-jpc after moving fixes to master, so make sure to pull the latest, please.)

[NeilRashbrook]

I got

[vite]: Rollup failed to resolve import "better-sqlite3" from ".../mustang/lib/logic/storage/mail-sql.js".
This is most likely unintended because it can break your application at runtime.
transforming (N) <file>Error launching app

(where the N and file are variable).

Running npm install in the lib directory "fixed" that error for me, but now I just get no error and no window.