IT:AD:npm:HowTo:Define the Local Root Folder [Notes]

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# IT:AD:npm:HowTo:Define the Local Root Folder #

* [[./|(UP)]]


<panel title="Summary">

Packages can be installed *locally* or *globally*. 

If you want:
* to use it as a command line tool, then you want to install it globally. 
    * eg: grunt CLI, tidyhtml
* to depend on the package from your own module using something like Node's require, then you want to install locally.
    * eg: ...

If you don't add a `-g` global flag, NPM installs packages to locally, to the *local root folder*.

The *local root folder* is discovered by NPM recursing upwards from the current directory, until it finds a folder with `package.json` in it.

If there is no parent directory that has a `packages.json` file in it, it will choose the current directory (this, and the warning given below is why it is recommended that `npm init` is invoked earlier than diving in unprepared).

<callout icon="true" type="warning">
Note that even if it chooses the current directory, it won't create a `package.json` in the current directory - so if a later project makes a `package.json` in a parent directory (by mistake, by intent, whatever the reason) you may find new packages not being downloaded to the directory you intended (they'll be installed in the parent directory where the other project's `package.json` exists.

Hence why you should create a package.json file *first*:
* [[IT/AD:NPM/HowTo/Create a Package.json File]]
</callout>

<file txt create a package.json file first>
npm init
</file>

Once the app knows where to install 
<file txt install something.txt>
npm install gulp
</file>


</panel>


## Process 

In case you want to check via a [[IT/AD/CLI/]] where the root folder is:

<file txt where is the root.txt>
npm root
</file>