Is there any way to include spaces in keywords while running "npm init"?

Question

I know I can always just go back and edit the package.json later, but I can't help but be curious: Is there any way to run npm init and enter a phrase with spaces in the "keywords" part of the form? For example, entering "platform api" results in the words '"platform' and 'api"' with the leading and trailing quote escaped.

Answer 1

Short Answer:

No, unfortunately you cannot enter a phrase for a keyword via the npm init command that includes spaces, such as platform api, and expect it to become a single element within the resultant keywords array of the package.json file.

The example below shows your desired valid result in package.json:

{
  ...
  "keywords": [
    "platform api"
  ],
  ...
}

Note: Whilst the keyword example shown above is perfectly valid in package.json, it just cannot be achieved via input from the command-line using the npm init command. I would consider either:

• Like you say, retrospectively entering it into package.json.
• Or, just use a hyphen instead, i.e. enter/type platform-api via the command-line when using npm init command. - Note: that would result in platform-api in package.json and not platform api

---

Long Answer:

Why is it not possible?

Your desired result cannot be achieved via the command-line using the npm init command because of the underlying source code in the init-package-json package that the npm-cli tool utilizes.

Let's look at the pertinent part of code starting at line #210 in the file named default-input.js. Here it is shown below:

Excerpt from default-input.js

if (!package.keywords) {
  exports.keywords = yes ? '' : prompt('keywords', function (s) {
    if (!s) return undefined
    if (Array.isArray(s)) s = s.join(' ')
    if (typeof s !== 'string') return s
    return s.split(/[\s,]+/)             // <---- line #215
  })
}

On line #215, the part that reads;

return s.split(/[\s,]+/)

the string, (i.e. the keyword(s) that you enter via the command-line), are split into an Array using the split() method. Notice the regular expression, i.e. [\s,]+, is used as the separator for the split() method. This essentially splits the string wherever there is a space character(s) and/or comma(s). It's particularly this part that makes your requirement not possible.

How could it be possible?

If line #215 was changed to:

return s.split(/,\s/)

whereby a comma followed by a space was used as the separator for the split() method. Then let's say via the npm init command for keywords you entered:

platform api, foobar, quux

that would result in the following keywords entry in your resultant package.json:

{
  ...
  "keywords": [
    "platform api",
    "foobar",
    "quux"
  ],
  ...
}

_{Caution: Whilst the How could it be possible section describes what changes are necessary to the source code to achieve your desired requirement, I am not implying, nor suggesting, that you change the source code.}