Nvm: `nvm install` fails from a bash script

[veganstraightedge]

• Operating system and version:

macOS Mojave 10.14.5

• nvm debug output:
  

  
  

  nvm --version: v0.33.1
  $SHELL: /bin/bash
  $HOME: /Users/shanebecker
  $NVM_DIR: '$HOME/.nvm'
  $PREFIX: ''
  $NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX: ''
  $NVM_NODEJS_ORG_MIRROR: 'https://nodejs.org/dist'
  $NVM_IOJS_ORG_MIRROR: 'https://iojs.org/dist'
  nvm current: system
  which node: /usr/local/bin/node
  which iojs: 
  which npm: /usr/local/bin/npm
  npm config get prefix: /usr/local
  npm root -g: /usr/local/lib/node_modules
  

• nvm ls output:
  

  
  

        v9.11.2
  ->       system
  default -> v9.11 (-> v9.11.2)
  node -> stable (-> v9.11.2) (default)
  stable -> 9.11 (-> v9.11.2) (default)
  iojs -> N/A (default)
  lts/* -> lts/dubnium (-> N/A)
  lts/argon -> v4.9.1 (-> N/A)
  lts/boron -> v6.17.1 (-> N/A)
  lts/carbon -> v8.16.0 (-> N/A)
  lts/dubnium -> v10.16.0 (-> N/A)
  

• How did you install nvm? (e.g. install script in readme, Homebrew):

install script

• What steps did you perform?

In a shell script, I installed nvm via the install script. Then I called the nvm shell script in ~/.nvm like this sh ~/.nvm/nvm.sh install 8.16.0 also from within the same shell scrip that I installed nvm from.

• What happened?

Nothing. It quietly fails. It doesn't install the node that I specify. It also doesn't exit with a non-zero.

• What did you expect to happen?

I expect it to install node 8.16.0

• Is there anything in any of your profile files (.bashrc, .bash_profile, .zshrc, etc) that modifies the PATH?

• If you are having installation issues, or getting "N/A", what does curl -I --compressed -v https://nodejs.org/dist/ print out?
  
  
  

```sh
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # This loads nvm

# nvm node version auto-switching - inserted by @hoverinc
if [[ -f .nvmrc && -r .nvmrc ]]; then nvm use; fi
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" # This loads nvm bash_completion
```

---

When I do this whole dance manually from the command line, I'm able to install nvm, then export and resource the suggested nvm bits, then install/use a node that I want. That's not my problem. What I'm trying to accomplish is to put this into a dev setup script with all of all other dev setup stuff. Help?!

[ljharb]

Can you share your dev setup script? note that running this script probably isn't invoking it in a login shell, which means it wouldn't be evaluating your bashrc.

[veganstraightedge]

@ljharb Oops. Sorry. Forgot to paste that part.

echo "==> Installing nvm…"
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.34.0/install.sh | bash
# This works as expected

echo "==> Installing Node 8.16.0 with path to script"
sh ~/.nvm/nvm.sh install 8.16.0
# This quietly fails, ie doesn't install 8.16.0 and exits 0


echo "==> Installing Node 8.16.0 with path to script"
nvm install 8.16.0
# This fails as expected: line 8: nvm: command not found

[ljharb]

sh ~/.nvm/nvm.sh install 8.16.0 this shouldn't ever work because nvm.sh must be sourced, not ran. you'd need:

. ~/.nvm/nvm.sh
nvm install 8.16.0

[veganstraightedge]

Great! That was my misunderstanding. (And I feel like I remember sourcing mid-shell script would stop its execution.)

Now my last hurdle is getting the nvm use 8.16.0 to still be set after the script exits.

---

nvm current #=> v9.11.2

---

echo "==> Installing nvm…"
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.34.0/install.sh | bash
# This works as expected

# This works as expected, now
. ~/.nvm/nvm.sh
nvm install 8.16.0

nvm use 8.16.0
echo `nvm current` #=> v8.16.0

---

nvm current #=> v9.11.2

[ljharb]

That's not possible, since nvm operates in the current shell session - it has to be sourced and nvm used directly by the user in their own shell.

The first install will set the default; so the next time the user opens their shell, that will be used (also, install auto-uses, so install + use is redundant)

[veganstraightedge]

Ok. Bummer.

Is the the state of the current nvm saved in a file somewhere that I could read/write to?

[ljharb]

There is no state - it's all in the current shell session's $PATH. nvm is per-user per-shell, so there's nothing to reify or serialize from one shell/script to another.

[veganstraightedge]

Dang. Oh well.

Thanks for your super quick replies. We can call this closed. 👋🏻