If I want to add a new package via npm, what is the best place to issue the command from?
For exampleā¦ I open the VSCode workspace and use the menu to open a new terminal and it offers me two paths to openā¦ one in the main project and one in the node modules folder.
I am going to do ānpm install new-packageā from there, but should I be doing something entirely different like adding the package name to one of the config files instead of manually using the npm install command.
Original Post on Discord
by user 563549194137239552
Yes, the main path is right, the engine package is just in the workspace for convenient code search.
Weāre not doing anything fancy there, so you can either
- do
npm install --save new-package or
- add it to
package.json manually
result is the same 
If youāre working in NpmDefs and want to access an extra package from there, itās the same ā NpmDefs are just packages themselves.
- double-click the NpmDef to open its workspace
- do
npm install --save new-package or
- add it to package.json manually
Hereās an example from our samples (the @lookingglass/webxr dependency)
I had an error occur once when i did the --save but i will try again and pay more attention if something doesnāt work right. In any case I can do the install without the --save and then add it package.json manually
by user 563549194137239552
Sounds good - let me know if you have a log of that error. I also usually install things via command line but with --save
I had no problems using vite plugin mkcert via the add to package.json then using the install button from the Export Info component. But I am now trying the same with depthkit.js so I added "depthkit": "^1.0.0", to package.json, used install button, can see it in the node modules folder but in VS Code I want to import it into a ts script like import Depthkit from "depthkit"; and it doesnāt register it when I use some sample code like:
import { Behaviour, GameObject } from "@needle-tools/engine/engine-components/Component";
import * as THREE from "three";
import Depthkit from "depthkit";
export class DepthKitExample extends Behaviour {
start()
{
var depthkit = new DepthKit();
depthkit.load(
"myClip.txt",
"myClip.mp4",
character => {
scene.add(character);
}
);
}
}
https://www.npmjs.com/package/depthkit
by user 103054507105067008
oof, might have needed to do this import Depthkit from "depthkit/src/depthkit.js";, I think I was relying on VS Code autofill finding scripts in the past but it didnāt for this one
by user 103054507105067008
Although shortly after that, on local server run I get this error when using this .ts script in the scene, why does the path of the npm module change so much in the build? I assume it is looking for it at import Depthkit from "depthkit/src/depthkit"; when it is probably at import Depthkit from "node_modules/.vite/deps/depthkit_src_depthkit";
GET https://192.168.50.67:3000/node_modules/.vite/deps/depthkit_src_depthkit.js?v=dd714a5d net::ERR_ABORTED 504 (Gateway Timeout)
by user 103054507105067008
I also get the below error after running in VS Code terminal manually npm install --save depthkit and changing the import to import Depthkit from "depthkit";
Uncaught SyntaxError: The requested module '/node_modules/.vite/deps/depthkit.js?v=893bd4ef' does not provide an export named 'default' (at DepthKitExample.ts:2:8)
by user 103054507105067008
@Marcel_Wiessler1 
Is this the way I should reference an npm module?
import { Depthkit } from "depthkit/src/depthkit";
by user 103054507105067008
It depends on the package. Dont know depthkit unfortunately
Juat wondered if I missed anything obvious, is there anything in the samples I can refer to so I can check I am correctly bringing an npm package in?
by user 103054507105067008
if you installed it as Felix described above using npm install etc thatās all correct and the rest is really package specific
I only used a custom npm package before with mkcert which isnāt something I pull in with scripts at runtime. Just wondering if I can see how another custom npm package imports + runs to cross reference why this depthkit package canāt be found in the vite build
by user 103054507105067008
Iāll give it another shot tomorrow, no worries will post my findings back
by user 103054507105067008
Just odd that the package installs and lives in node_modules but it doesnāt pull through into the local server build
by user 103054507105067008
Is it because I put it it devDependencies and not dependencies in package.json?
by user 103054507105067008
If you put it into devDevependencies it will not be available in a production build, thatās pretty much the definition of it
devDependencies are the āeditor toolingā of node.js 
