Problem with default configuration of gruntfile

[AntonioAsr]

Hello everyone, I keep getting this error with the default config of gruntfile when I run the command grunt serve:dist Npm version is: 2.11.0 Node version: v5.1.0.

Running "newer:copy:styles" (newer) task Warning: Cannot read property 'files' of undefined Use --force to continue.

This is my gruntfile.js file configuration:

// Generated on 2015-11-24 using
// generator-webapp 1.1.0
'use strict';

// # Globbing
// for performance reasons we're only matching one level down:
// 'test/spec/{,*/}*.js'
// If you want to recursively match all subfolders, use:
// 'test/spec/**/*.js'

module.exports = function (grunt) {

  // Time how long tasks take. Can help when optimizing build times
  require('time-grunt')(grunt);

  // Automatically load required grunt tasks
  require('jit-grunt')(grunt, {
    useminPrepare: 'grunt-usemin'
  });

  // Configurable paths
  var config = {
    app: 'app',
    dist: 'dist'
  };

  // Define the configuration for all the tasks
  grunt.initConfig({

    // Project settings
    config: config,

    // Watches files for changes and runs tasks based on the changed files
    serve: {
      options: {
        port: 9000
      }
    },
    watch: {
      bower: {
        files: ['bower.json'],
        tasks: ['wiredep']
      },
      babel: {
        files: ['<%= config.app %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js'],
        tasks: ['babel:dist']
      },
      babelTest: {
        files: ['test/spec/{,*/}*.js'],
        tasks: ['babel:test', 'test:watch']
      },
      gruntfile: {
        files: ['Gruntfile.js']
      },
      sass: {
        files: ['<%= config.app %>/styles/{,*/}*.{scss,sass}'],
        tasks: ['sass', 'postcss']
      },
      styles: {
        files: ['<%= config.app %>/styles/{,*/}*.css'],
        tasks: ['newer:copy:styles', 'postcss']
      }
    },

    browserSync: {
      options: {
        notify: false,
        background: true,
        watchOptions: {
          ignored: ''
        }
      },
      livereload: {
        options: {
          files: [
            '<%= config.app %>/{,*/}*.html',
            '.tmp/styles/{,*/}*.css',
            '<%= config.app %>/images/{,*/}*',
            '.tmp/scripts/{,*/}*.js'
          ],
          port: 9000,
          server: {
            baseDir: ['.tmp', config.app],
            routes: {
              '/bower_components': './bower_components'
            }
          }
        }
      },
      test: {
        options: {
          port: 9001,
          open: false,
          logLevel: 'silent',
          host: 'localhost',
          server: {
            baseDir: ['.tmp', './test', config.app],
            routes: {
              '/bower_components': './bower_components'
            }
          }
        }
      },
      dist: {
        options: {
          background: false,
          server: '<%= config.dist %>'
        }
      }
    },

    // Empties folders to start fresh
    clean: {
      dist: {
        files: [{
          dot: true,
          src: [
            '.tmp',
            '<%= config.dist %>/*',
            '!<%= config.dist %>/.git*'
          ]
        }]
      },
      server: '.tmp'
    },

    // Make sure code styles are up to par and there are no obvious mistakes
    eslint: {
      target: [
        'Gruntfile.js',
        '<%= config.app %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js',
        '!<%= config.app %>/scripts/vendor/*',
        'test/spec/{,*/}*.js'
      ]
    },

    // Mocha testing framework configuration options
    mocha: {
      all: {
        options: {
          run: true,
          urls: ['http://<%= browserSync.test.options.host %>:<%= browserSync.test.options.port %>/index.html']
        }
      }
    },

    // Compiles ES6 with Babel
    babel: {
      options: {
        sourceMap: true
      },
      dist: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          cwd: '<%= config.app %>/scripts',
          src: '{,*/}*.js',
          dest: '.tmp/scripts',
          ext: '.js'
        }]
      },
      test: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          cwd: 'test/spec',
          src: '{,*/}*.js',
          dest: '.tmp/spec',
          ext: '.js'
        }]
      }
    },

    // Compiles Sass to CSS and generates necessary files if requested
    sass: {
      options: {
        sourceMap: true,
        sourceMapEmbed: true,
        sourceMapContents: true,
        includePaths: ['.']
      },
      dist: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          cwd: '<%= config.app %>/styles',
          src: ['*.{scss,sass}'],
          dest: '.tmp/styles',
          ext: '.css'
        }]
      }
    },

    postcss: {
      options: {
        map: true,
        processors: [
          // Add vendor prefixed styles
          require('autoprefixer')({
            browsers: ['> 1%', 'last 2 versions', 'Firefox ESR']
          })
        ]
      },
      dist: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          cwd: '.tmp/styles/',
          src: '{,*/}*.css',
          dest: '.tmp/styles/'
        }]
      }
    },

    // Automatically inject Bower components into the HTML file
    wiredep: {
      app: {
        src: ['<%= config.app %>/index.html'],
        exclude: ['bootstrap.js'],
        ignorePath: /^(\.\.\/)*\.\./
      },
      sass: {
        src: ['<%= config.app %>/styles/{,*/}*.{scss,sass}'],
        ignorePath: /^(\.\.\/)+/
      }
    },

    // Renames files for browser caching purposes
    filerev: {
      dist: {
        src: [
          '<%= config.dist %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js',
          '<%= config.dist %>/styles/{,*/}*.css',
          '<%= config.dist %>/images/{,*/}*.*',
          '<%= config.dist %>/styles/fonts/{,*/}*.*',
          '<%= config.dist %>/*.{ico,png}'
        ]
      }
    },

    // Reads HTML for usemin blocks to enable smart builds that automatically
    // concat, minify and revision files. Creates configurations in memory so
    // additional tasks can operate on them
    useminPrepare: {
      options: {
        dest: '<%= config.dist %>'
      },
      html: '<%= config.app %>/index.html'
    },

    // Performs rewrites based on rev and the useminPrepare configuration
    usemin: {
      options: {
        assetsDirs: [
          '<%= config.dist %>',
          '<%= config.dist %>/images',
          '<%= config.dist %>/styles'
        ]
      },
      html: ['<%= config.dist %>/{,*/}*.html'],
      css: ['<%= config.dist %>/styles/{,*/}*.css']
    },

    // The following *-min tasks produce minified files in the dist folder
    imagemin: {
      dist: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          cwd: '<%= config.app %>/images',
          src: '{,*/}*.{gif,jpeg,jpg,png}',
          dest: '<%= config.dist %>/images'
        }]
      }
    },

    svgmin: {
      dist: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          cwd: '<%= config.app %>/images',
          src: '{,*/}*.svg',
          dest: '<%= config.dist %>/images'
        }]
      }
    },

    htmlmin: {
      dist: {
        options: {
          collapseBooleanAttributes: true,
          collapseWhitespace: true,
          conservativeCollapse: true,
          removeAttributeQuotes: true,
          removeCommentsFromCDATA: true,
          removeEmptyAttributes: true,
          removeOptionalTags: true,
          // true would impact styles with attribute selectors
          removeRedundantAttributes: false,
          useShortDoctype: true
        },
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          cwd: '<%= config.dist %>',
          src: '{,*/}*.html',
          dest: '<%= config.dist %>'
        }]
      }
    },

    // By default, your `index.html`'s <!-- Usemin block --> will take care
    // of minification. These next options are pre-configured if you do not
    // wish to use the Usemin blocks.
    // cssmin: {
    //   dist: {
    //     files: {
    //       '<%= config.dist %>/styles/main.css': [
    //         '.tmp/styles/{,*/}*.css',
    //         '<%= config.app %>/styles/{,*/}*.css'
    //       ]
    //     }
    //   }
    // },
    // uglify: {
    //   dist: {
    //     files: {
    //       '<%= config.dist %>/scripts/scripts.js': [
    //         '<%= config.dist %>/scripts/scripts.js'
    //       ]
    //     }
    //   }
    // },
    // concat: {
    //   dist: {}
    // },

    // Copies remaining files to places other tasks can use
    copy: {
      dist: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          dot: true,
          cwd: '<%= config.app %>',
          dest: '<%= config.dist %>',
          src: [
            '*.{ico,png,txt}',
            'images/{,*/}*.webp',
            '{,*/}*.html',
            'styles/fonts/{,*/}*.*'
          ]
        }, {
          expand: true,
          dot: true,
          cwd: '.',
          src: 'bower_components/bootstrap-sass/assets/fonts/bootstrap/*',
          dest: '<%= config.dist %>'
        }]
      }
    },

    // Generates a custom Modernizr build that includes only the tests you
    // reference in your app
    modernizr: {
      dist: {
        devFile: 'bower_components/modernizr/modernizr.js',
        outputFile: '<%= config.dist %>/scripts/vendor/modernizr.js',
        files: {
          src: [
            '<%= config.dist %>/scripts/{,*/}*.js',
            '<%= config.dist %>/styles/{,*/}*.css',
            '!<%= config.dist %>/scripts/vendor/*'
          ]
        },
        uglify: true
      }
    },

    // Run some tasks in parallel to speed up build process
    concurrent: {
      server: [
        'babel:dist',
        'sass'
      ],
      test: [
        'babel'
      ],
      dist: [
        'babel',
        'sass',
        'imagemin',
        'svgmin'
      ]
    }
  });

  grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-wiredep');
  grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-serve');

  grunt.registerTask('serve', 'start the server and preview your app', function (target) {

    if (target === 'dist') {
      return grunt.task.run(['build', 'browserSync:dist']);
    }

    grunt.task.run([
      'clean:server',
      'wiredep',
      'concurrent:server',
      'postcss',
      'browserSync:livereload',
      'watch'
    ]);
  });

  grunt.registerTask('server', function (target) {
    grunt.log.warn('The `server` task has been deprecated. Use `grunt serve` to start a server.');
    grunt.task.run([target ? ('serve:' + target) : 'serve']);
  });

  grunt.registerTask('test', function (target) {
    if (target !== 'watch') {
      grunt.task.run([
        'clean:server',
        'concurrent:test',
        'postcss'
      ]);
    }

    grunt.task.run([
      'browserSync:test',
      'mocha'
    ]);
  });

  grunt.registerTask('build', [
    'clean:dist',
    'wiredep',
    'useminPrepare',
    'concurrent:dist',
    'postcss',
    'concat',
    'cssmin',
    'uglify',
    'copy:dist',
    'modernizr',
    'filerev',
    'usemin',
    'htmlmin',
    'serve'
  ]);

  grunt.registerTask('default', [
    'newer:eslint',
    'test',
    'build'
  ]);
};

Thank you!

[adrinux]

Just had the same error: It looks fairly simple – the copy:styles target no longer exists! Here's a snippet showing the copy task from a much old webapp generated gruntfile, compare it with yours and note how the styles target has been removed from copy task:

    // Copies remaining files to places other tasks can use
    copy: {
      dist: {
        files: [{
          expand: true,
          dot: true,
          cwd: '<%= config.app %>',
          dest: '<%= config.dist %>',
          src: [
            '*.{ico,png,txt}',
            'images/{,*/}*.webp',
            '{,*/}*.html',
            'styles/fonts/{,*/}*.*',
            'styles/icons/{,*/}*.*',
            'files/{,*/}*.*'
          ]
        }, {
          expand: true,
          dot: true,
          cwd: '.',
          src: 'bower_components/bootstrap-sass-official/assets/fonts/bootstrap/*',
          dest: '<%= config.dist %>'
        }]
      },
      styles: {
        expand: true,
        dot: true,
        cwd: '<%= config.app %>/styles',
        dest: '.tmp/styles/',
        src: '{,*/}*.css'
      }
    },

The styles task is only added if you choose NOT to install SASS, I suppose the assumption would be that if you're using SASS then you'll have .scss files not .css in app. So this bug only appears if you add .css files. And it only occurs in the watch task (so the bug doesn't appear unless you modify the css files). The simple workaround is to rename any .css files to .scss.

Perhaps the watch:styles target needs to be removed if SASS is installed at generate time, I don't see where else that's used.

[sindresorhus]

Closing as this repo is deprecated.