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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?

Ole
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  • does this help? https://stackoverflow.com/questions/8817423/node-dirname-not-defined – Andrew Lohr May 02 '18 at 15:52
  • 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 May 02 '18 at 16:05

1 Answers1

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From this What is the difference between __dirname and ./ in node.js? written by d512

In Node.js, __dirname is always the directory in which the currently executing script resides (see this). So if you typed __dirname into /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.

KurzGedanke
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