If I write a script like containing console.log(__dirname); logs the value of __dirname. But if I try the same for the Node REPL like this happens:
> console.log(__dirname)
ReferenceError: __dirname is not defined
Thoughts?
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does this help? stackoverflow.com/questions/8817423/node-dirname-not-definedAndrew L– Andrew L2018-05-02 15:52:15 +00:00Commented May 2, 2018 at 15:52
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That's essentially what I always do, since the REPL always seems like it does not quite do what I want it to do, so I've just given up on it essentially, but I figured it's been a while and maybe it's gotten better ...Ole– Ole2018-05-02 16:05:38 +00:00Commented May 2, 2018 at 16:05
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1 Answer
From this What is the difference between __dirname and ./ in node.js? written by d512
In Node.js,
__dirnameis always the directory in which the currently executing script resides (see this). So if you typed__dirnameinto /d1/d2/myscript.js, the value would be /d1/d2.
The documentation says that __dirname is equal to path.dirname. If you type path.dirname into the repel it tells you this:
> console.log(path.dirname)
[Function: dirname]
undefined
Now my guess is: Since it is a repl, you don't have a file which is stored somewhere on the disk. It simply reads the command, evaluates it and prints it to the console.
Someone with more experiences on REPLSs might give a longer and detailed answer, but I think this laid out the concept.
