How to add a third party library when using angular-cli?

Question

I wanted to try out creating an Angular 2 app with angular-cli (https://github.com/angular/angular-cli) and then use ng2-material (https://github.com/justindujardin/ng2-material) for UI components. But I just don't understand how / where I have to include the ng2-material library in order to use it.

I created a project with ng new myproject then I started the server with ng serve and opened the webpage which just worked out fine. Next step, I installed ng2-material with npm install ng2-material --save. Then I added MATERIAL_PROVIDERS to angular's bootstrap as is shown here https://github.com/AngularShowcase/angular2-seed-ng2-material/blob/master/app/bootstrap.ts.

This results in an error message GET http://localhost:4200/ng2-material/all 404 (Not Found) in the web browser, and I just can't figure out how to get rid of it.

angular-cli seems to be doing something to create a dist-folder where some of the node modules that are used in the index.html end up in, but I don't see where or how that's configured.

Solution 1

[EDIT 29/09/2016] Now that angular-cli is using webpack iso system.js, this answer doesn't make a lot of sense anymore. Check the pages '3d party lib installation' and 'global lib installation' on the angular-cli wiki.

[EDIT 10/05/2016] This is now described in full detail on the angular cli wiki.

This worked for me:

In the ember-cli-build.js, you add the dependency to the vendorNpmFiles, e.g.

module.exports = function (defaults) {
  var app = new Angular2App(defaults, {
      vendorNpmFiles: [
          'a2-in-memory-web-api/web-api.js'
      ]
  });
  return app.toTree();
}

(where a2-in-memory-web-api/web-api.js is a file in my node_modules folder)

In the index.html you add the following line:

<script src="vendor/a2-in-memory-web-api/web-api.js"></script>

Finally you restart your server.

Haven't tested it with angular material but you get the idea.

Solution 2

Try configuring SystemJS in the index.html like this:

System.config({
    packages: {
        app: {
            format: 'register',
            defaultExtension: 'js'
        },
        'node_modules/ng2-material': {
            format: 'register',
            defaultExtension: 'js'
        }
    },
    paths: {
        'ng2-material/all': 'node_modules/ng2-material/all'
    }
});

Comments

[zabbarob]

thanks, but it doesn't work: angular2-polyfills.js:1243 Error: XHR error (404 Not Found) loading http://localhost:4200/node_modules/ng2-material/all.js(…)Zon‌​e.run @ angular2-polyfills.js:1243 Problem is, when starting the dev server with ng serve files are not served from the project's root but from a generated dist folder. However, the data is somehow cached. Adding or removing files from dist doesn't change anything, and I don't know how to tell angular-cli to copy the ng2-material files.

[zabbarob]

PS: a workaround for this is copying the node_module-files to the src-folder "cp -r node_modules/ng2-material src/node_modules/ng2-material", which makes angular-cli copy the files as part of the project's source. however then the error message "Uncaught ReferenceError: require is not defined" appears when SystemJS loads the ng2-material module.

[zabbarob]

PPS: the "Uncaught ReferenceError: require is not defined" can be prevented by changing format: 'register' to format: 'cjs' in System.config's 'node_module/ng2-material' section. but then angular2-polyfills.js starts spitting out the error Cannot read property 'getOptional' of undefined

[zabbarob]

after stopping the server and restarting it (ng serve) it now works! though, it's still not clear how to correctly configure angular-cli so that node_modules/ng2-material doesn't have to be copied to src/node_modules/ng2-material

[zabbarob]

The new description in the Angular CLI wiki worked for me. Thanks for adding the link.

[A.W.]

I spent a long time installing angular2-localstorage in a angular-cli generated project. Have no luck so far, getting 404. Tried the wiki link for adding 3rd party libs. It contains ts files, no js. I will try this work around of copying file from node_modules folder to the src folder.

[tt_Gantz]

How do you know what files to include in vendorNpmFiles? Some packages have lots of js files in their module

[David Bulté]

You can use wildcards to include them all

[Sam Finnigan]

Is the wiki link broken? I just end up on the wiki start page.

[David Bulté]

Now that angular-cli has adopted webpack iso system.js, this answer doesn't make a lot of sense anymore.

[Saiyaff Farouk]

After I follow the guidelines in the third party library installation - github.com/angular/angular-cli#3rd-party-library-installatio‌​n I had that error saying: Uncaught TypeError: WEBPACK_IMPORTED_MODULE_1_angular2_notifications.method is not a function(…) @DavidBulté

[David Bulté]

Sorry, I have no idea - maybe something with the latest version of anguar2 notifications?

[user2061057]

That documentation doesn't exist anymore.

[David Bulté]

Updated the links