Bug Report - Other: Unable to install extensions duye to missing Vortex files

[VortexFeedback]

Vortex Version: 1.3.10
Memory: 15.95 GB
System: win32 x64 (6.1.7601)
Summary: I am unable to install 4 extensions despite reinstalling Vortex several timmes, including today's update. The Author of one of the extensions ("Vortex Showcase") says that the missing "modules" are all part of the Vortex installation.

Here are the error messages:
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:24 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=game-microsoftflightsimulator, err=Cannot find module 'fs-extra'
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:24 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=game-subnauticabelowzero, err=Cannot find module 'bluebird'
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:24 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=game-subnautica, err=Cannot find module 'bluebird'
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:24 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=Vortex Showcase Extension-145-0-1-1-1600270177, err=Cannot find module 'redux-act'
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:26 GMT - warn: running as administrator
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:29 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=game-microsoftflightsimulator, err=Cannot find module 'fs-extra'
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:29 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=game-subnauticabelowzero, err=Cannot find module 'bluebird'
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:29 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=game-subnautica, err=Cannot find module 'bluebird'
Tue, 29 Sep 2020 19:51:29 GMT - warn: couldn't initialize extension name=Vortex Showcase Extension-145-0-1-1-1600270177, err=Cannot find module 'redux-act'

Reported by: Vyxenne

[TanninOne]

These files are definitively included in Vortex, it wouldn't even be able to start up at all without something like fs-extra.

So what's actually happening here is that the modules can't be loaded when loaded from an extension while they definitively load fine when loaded from the core application.

The only possible explanation is that under the hood the location of the modules get mangled. We've seen this happen if Vortex is installed to a directory that is a junction point (directory symlink) to somewhere else.
Unfortunately that is not something we can fix, the problem happens within node.js or electron and I don't see them fixing it any time soon.
So if your "c:\program files" directory is a junction point, please use the custom vortex installer and install it somewhere that isn't one.
If your "c:\users<username>\appdata\roaming" directory is a junction point, you can go to settings->vortex and change the multi-user mode to "Shared" so the application data is stored in c:\programdata - this will however be a completely fresh instance with none of the settings or mods or profiles or downloads you already had.
If "c:\programdata" is also a junction point then please contact me, there is another option but it requires a bit more explanation.

[Vyxenne]

Thank you, Tannin. Based on your comment, it is, indeed, a junction point issue. However, I just got a new PC with a Terabyte SSD for Games, thereby eliminating ALL of my numerous junction points from the other machine where I had only a 264GB SSD for everything.

I just installed Vortex and as soon as I get my 400GB of games & mods transferred over, I'll try the extension again. Meanwhile, you can close this issue as far as I'm concerned since it's an issue on my end. Thanks.

[TanninOne]

Thank you for getting back to me!

[SettingDust]

So, why can't Vortex detect the symlink? It's a bug?
And it's seems that there isn't a release for custom custom install location on Github

[TanninOne]

@SettingDust it's not Vortex (as in: our own code) that's the problem here, the problem lies with node.js (the development framework we use) so I can only speculate but my assumption is that it has to do with the reverse name lookup being misleading.

Say you have a file called c:\dir1\foo.txt
and a link (any kind of link really) to that file called c:\dir2\bar.txt
Now you open the file c:\dir2\bar.txt and then, at a later time, ask the OS "what's the name of the file I have open here?" windows will reply with "c:\dir1\foo.txt". The fact that this is different from the file you originally opened can confuse an application even if it isn't actively "refusing" to work with links.
I know that node.js keeps track of the modules it has opened based on their file names so that if the same module is being loaded again (like in this case both the core application and the extension load the same library) it doesn't have to reload it and waste memory and processing time. I imagine that at that time it f***s up in the presence of links.

And no, we don't upload the "custom installer" version on github, that is only available on nexusmods.com