There was an error stating "exports is not defined" in a file created by Typescript that was not caught

Question

There was an error stating "exports is not defined" in a file created by Typescript that was not caught

I've decided to dive into Typescript for my Electron development journey. It was a bit of a struggle at first, especially with setting up typings for node and jQuery, but after some effort, I finally managed to get my .ts file free from errors.

However, a new issue has cropped up - when I try to run my app, I encounter the following error:

index.js:2 Uncaught ReferenceError: exports is not defined

The error seems to be linked to these initial lines in index.js:

"use strict";
Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });

I'm unsure about what that line does, as it was added by Typescript during compilation. Interestingly, my application runs smoothly if I remove it.

Is there a way to resolve this error without compromising the functionality of my app?

Also, here's my tsconfig file for reference:

{
    "compilerOptions": {
        "target": "es6",
        "module": "commonjs",
        "moduleResolution": "node",
        "isolatedModules": false,
        "jsx": "react",
        "experimentalDecorators": true,
        "emitDecoratorMetadata": true,
        "declaration": false,
        "noImplicitAny": false,
        "noImplicitUseStrict": false,
        "removeComments": true,
        "noLib": false,
        "preserveConstEnums": true,
        "suppressImplicitAnyIndexErrors": true
    },
    "exclude": [
        "node_modules",
        "typings/browser",
        "typings/browser.d.ts"
    ],
    "compileOnSave": true,
    "buildOnSave": false,
    "atom": {
        "rewriteTsconfig": false
    }
}

javascript typescript

Answer 1

Answer №1

To resolve the issue, I implemented a workaround within the embedding HTML:

<script> var module = {}; </script>
<script src="index.js"></script>

This essentially provides the necessary global module variable.

As a result, my TypeScript (2.3.2) compiled file (es6) successfully loads.

Answer 2

To resolve the issue, I implemented a workaround within the embedding HTML:

<script> var module = {}; </script>
<script src="index.js"></script>

This essentially provides the necessary global module variable.

As a result, my TypeScript (2.3.2) compiled file (es6) successfully loads.

Answer 3

Answer №2

Dealing with a similar problem, I experimented with various versions of TypeScript to no avail.

However, the breakthrough came when I discovered a

"type": "module"

entry in my package.json.

Once I removed it, everything fell into place and started working smoothly.

Answer 4

Dealing with a similar problem, I experimented with various versions of TypeScript to no avail.

However, the breakthrough came when I discovered a

"type": "module"

entry in my package.json.

Once I removed it, everything fell into place and started working smoothly.

Answer 5

Answer №3

If you're encountering issues with the latest version of TypeScript, 2.2.1, consider switching back to the previous version, 2.1.6. This resolved a similar issue that I faced.

One notable difference is that version 2.2.1 includes the line

Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });

, whereas this is not present in the older 2.1.6 version.

Answer 6

If you're encountering issues with the latest version of TypeScript, 2.2.1, consider switching back to the previous version, 2.1.6. This resolved a similar issue that I faced.

One notable difference is that version 2.2.1 includes the line

Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });

, whereas this is not present in the older 2.1.6 version.

Answer 7

Answer №4

For my solution, I made the following adjustments:

tsconfig.json

{
    "compilerOptions": {
        "target": "ESNext",
        "module": "CommonJS",
        "lib": [
            "DOM",
            "ES5"
        ],
        "esModuleInterop": true
    }
}

Enabled esModuleInterop option

Deleted "type": "module" from the package.json file

Answer 8

For my solution, I made the following adjustments:

tsconfig.json

{
    "compilerOptions": {
        "target": "ESNext",
        "module": "CommonJS",
        "lib": [
            "DOM",
            "ES5"
        ],
        "esModuleInterop": true
    }
}

Enabled esModuleInterop option

Deleted "type": "module" from the package.json file

Answer 9

Answer №5

Encountered a similar issue with a js file produced by the Typescript compiler. The problematic line was:

Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });

This led to the error message:

game.js:2 Uncaught ReferenceError: exports is not defined

The scenario involved defining a Game class in the file. Resolved the problem by including the following at the conclusion of my game.ts file:

export = Game;

As a result, the Typescript compiler substituted:

Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });

with:

module.exports = Game;

Subsequent to this adjustment, the error was successfully rectified.

Answer 10

Encountered a similar issue with a js file produced by the Typescript compiler. The problematic line was:

Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });

This led to the error message:

game.js:2 Uncaught ReferenceError: exports is not defined

The scenario involved defining a Game class in the file. Resolved the problem by including the following at the conclusion of my game.ts file:

export = Game;

As a result, the Typescript compiler substituted:

Object.defineProperty(exports, "__esModule", { value: true });

with:

module.exports = Game;

Subsequent to this adjustment, the error was successfully rectified.

Answer 11

Answer №6

Modify your tsconfig.json by changing the module setting to es2015 and the moduleResolution setting to node.

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "es5",
    "module": "es2015",
    "moduleResolution": "node"
  }
}

Referenced from this source

The use of exports.__esModule and require('lib') occurs when converting from an ES module to commonjs using babel or TypeScript's transpilation process. Learn more about it here.

Answer 12

Modify your tsconfig.json by changing the module setting to es2015 and the moduleResolution setting to node.

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "es5",
    "module": "es2015",
    "moduleResolution": "node"
  }
}

Referenced from this source

The use of exports.__esModule and require('lib') occurs when converting from an ES module to commonjs using babel or TypeScript's transpilation process. Learn more about it here.

Answer 13

Answer №7

Solution

Configuration Files

"module": "ESNext",

"target": "ESNext",

Main HTML File

<script type="module" src="app.js"></script>

Answer 14

Solution

Configuration Files

"module": "ESNext",

"target": "ESNext",

Main HTML File

<script type="module" src="app.js"></script>

Answer 15

Answer №8

In the case that your code does not necessitate export and is not causing an application crash:

Consider incorporating a global variable into your code:

window.exports = {};

Answer 16

In the case that your code does not necessitate export and is not causing an application crash:

Consider incorporating a global variable into your code:

window.exports = {};

Answer 17

Answer №9

After encountering the same issue, I decided to make adjustments to the systemjs.config.js file as outlined below

'npm:': '/node_modules/' -- // The original value was simply 'node_modules/' so I added a '/' at the beginning

'app': '/src/app' -- // The initial value was just 'app' but since my app folder path was different, I made the necessary changes

loader: '/src/systemjs-angular-loader.js' -- // The default value was 'systemjs-angular-loader.js' but because its location differed in my project, I updated it to the accurate path

Answer 18

After encountering the same issue, I decided to make adjustments to the systemjs.config.js file as outlined below

'npm:': '/node_modules/' -- // The original value was simply 'node_modules/' so I added a '/' at the beginning

'app': '/src/app' -- // The initial value was just 'app' but since my app folder path was different, I made the necessary changes

loader: '/src/systemjs-angular-loader.js' -- // The default value was 'systemjs-angular-loader.js' but because its location differed in my project, I updated it to the accurate path

Answer 19

Answer №10

Not all solutions work for everyone, and I learned the hard way in my ES module when I mistakenly referenced the import with a .ts extension.

In ES modules, it is crucial to import local modules as follows:

import { Car } from "../models/car.js";

However, in TypeScript, my decision was different:

import { Car } from "../models/car.ts";

This small change caused my code to completely malfunction.

Therefore, always ensure that the correct import statement is:

import { Car } from "../models/car";

If issues persist, double-check your package.json file and confirm that it does not contain:

"type": "module"

at the root level. Remove the "type": "module" entry from your package.json

Next, in my tsconfig.json, verify that your targets and modules are configured as below:

"target" : "es6"
"module" : "CommonJS"

Summary: The crux of the issue lied within my import statement, but if problems persist, ensure your package.json has no mention of module type and that your tsconfig.json specifies es6 target and CommonJS module settings accordingly.

If anyone wishes to provide additional insights on why the import should be structured this way, please feel free to contribute.

Answer 20

Not all solutions work for everyone, and I learned the hard way in my ES module when I mistakenly referenced the import with a .ts extension.

In ES modules, it is crucial to import local modules as follows:

import { Car } from "../models/car.js";

However, in TypeScript, my decision was different:

import { Car } from "../models/car.ts";

This small change caused my code to completely malfunction.

Therefore, always ensure that the correct import statement is:

import { Car } from "../models/car";

If issues persist, double-check your package.json file and confirm that it does not contain:

"type": "module"

at the root level. Remove the "type": "module" entry from your package.json

Next, in my tsconfig.json, verify that your targets and modules are configured as below:

"target" : "es6"
"module" : "CommonJS"

Summary: The crux of the issue lied within my import statement, but if problems persist, ensure your package.json has no mention of module type and that your tsconfig.json specifies es6 target and CommonJS module settings accordingly.

If anyone wishes to provide additional insights on why the import should be structured this way, please feel free to contribute.

Answer 21

Answer №11

It took me nearly sixty minutes to figure this out: I had mistakenly included this import line at the top of my typescript file: import { request } from "express";

I didn't actually use it, and it was the only import present. Once I removed that line, the error disappeared. As an additional detail, my package.json does not contain a 'type' line: "type": "module"

Answer 22

It took me nearly sixty minutes to figure this out: I had mistakenly included this import line at the top of my typescript file: import { request } from "express";

I didn't actually use it, and it was the only import present. Once I removed that line, the error disappeared. As an additional detail, my package.json does not contain a 'type' line: "type": "module"

Answer 23

Answer №12

Simple Solution

To resolve the issue, update the line from "target": "es6" to "target": "es5" within your tsconfig.json file.

Answer 24

Simple Solution

To resolve the issue, update the line from "target": "es6" to "target": "es5" within your tsconfig.json file.

There was an error stating "exports is not defined" in a file created by Typescript that was not caught

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

Answer №6

Answer №7

Answer №8

Answer №9

Answer №10

Answer №11

Answer №12

Simple Solution

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