Cannot start a new React Native CLI project in WebStorm - react-native

Question

The react-native-cli is generating the project fine when I use this command in terminal:
react-native init myapp
But for some reason WebStorm cannot create new React Native project. When I try I get this error:
/home/sagar/.nvm/versions/node/v8.9.1/bin/node
/home/sagar/.nvm/versions/node/v8.9.1/lib/node_modules/react-native-cli/index.js init bookip
/bin/sh: 1: npm: not found
This will walk you through creating a new React Native project in /tmp/1512313270685-0/bookip
Installing react-native...
Consider installing yarn to make this faster: https://yarnpkg.com
{ Error: Command failed: npm install --save --save-exact react-native
at checkExecSyncError (child_process.js:601:13)
at execSync (child_process.js:641:13)
at run (/home/sagar/.nvm/versions/node/v8.9.1/lib/node_modules/react-native-cli/index.js:294:5)
at createProject (/home/sagar/.nvm/versions/node/v8.9.1/lib/node_modules/react-native-cli/index.js:249:3)
at init (/home/sagar/.nvm/versions/node/v8.9.1/lib/node_modules/react-native-cli/index.js:200:5)
at Object.<anonymous> (/home/sagar/.nvm/versions/node/v8.9.1/lib/node_modules/react-native-cli/index.js:153:7)
at Module._compile (module.js:635:30)
at Object.Module._extensions..js (module.js:646:10)
at Module.load (module.js:554:32)
at tryModuleLoad (module.js:497:12)
error: null,
cmd: 'npm install --save --save-exact react-native',
file: '/bin/sh',
args:
[ '/bin/sh',
'-c',
'npm install --save --save-exact react-native' ],
options:
{ stdio: [ [Object], [Object], [Object] ],
shell: true,
file: '/bin/sh',
args:
[ '/bin/sh',
'-c',
'npm install --save --save-exact react-native' ],
envPairs:
[ 'PATH=/home/sagar/bin:/home/sagar/.local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin',
'LC_MEASUREMENT=ne_NP',
'XAUTHORITY=/home/sagar/.Xauthority',
'XMODIFIERS=#im=ibus',
'LC_TELEPHONE=ne_NP',
'XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/ubuntu:/usr/share/gnome:/usr/local/share:/usr/share:/var/lib/snapd/desktop:/var/lib/snapd/desktop',
'GDMSESSION=ubuntu',
'MANDATORY_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/ubuntu.mandatory.path',
'LC_TIME=ne_NP',
'GTK_IM_MODULE=ibus',
'DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-Sq2eReOVZr',
'DEFAULTS_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/ubuntu.default.path',
'XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=Unity',
'LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/sagar/apps/WebStorm-172.3757.55/bin:',
'UPSTART_SESSION=unix:abstract=/com/ubuntu/upstart-session/1000/1240',
'QT4_IM_MODULE=xim',
'LC_PAPER=ne_NP',
'QT_LINUX_ACCESSIBILITY_ALWAYS_ON=1',
'LOGNAME=sagar',
'JOB=unity-settings-daemon',
'PWD=/tmp/1512313270685-0',
'IM_CONFIG_PHASE=1',
'LANGUAGE=en_US',
'SHELL=/bin/bash',
'LC_ADDRESS=ne_NP',
'GIO_LAUNCHED_DESKTOP_FILE=/home/sagar/.local/share/applications/jetbrains-webstorm.desktop',
'GTK2_MODULES=overlay-scrollbar',
'INSTANCE=',
'OLDPWD=/home/sagar/apps/WebStorm-172.3757.55/bin',
'GNOME_DESKTOP_SESSION_ID=this-is-deprecated',
'UPSTART_INSTANCE=',
'GTK_MODULES=gail:atk-bridge:unity-gtk-module',
'CLUTTER_IM_MODULE=xim',
'XDG_SESSION_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Session0',
'COMPIZ_BIN_PATH=/usr/bin/',
'SESSIONTYPE=gnome-session',
'XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=ubuntu',
'SHLVL=0',
'LC_IDENTIFICATION=ne_NP',
'LC_MONETARY=ne_NP',
'COMPIZ_CONFIG_PROFILE=ubuntu',
'QT_IM_MODULE=ibus',
'UPSTART_JOB=unity7',
'JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64',
'XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-ubuntu:/usr/share/upstart/xdg:/etc/xdg',
'LANG=en_US.UTF-8',
'GNOME_KEYRING_CONTROL=',
'XDG_SEAT_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0',
'XDG_SESSION_ID=c2',
'XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11',
'DISPLAY=:0',
'LC_NAME=ne_NP',
'GDM_LANG=en_US',
'XDG_GREETER_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/lightdm-data/sagar',
'UPSTART_EVENTS=xsession started',
'GPG_AGENT_INFO=/home/sagar/.gnupg/S.gpg-agent:0:1',
'DESKTOP_SESSION=ubuntu',
'SESSION=ubuntu',
'USER=sagar',
'XDG_MENU_PREFIX=gnome-',
'GIO_LAUNCHED_DESKTOP_FILE_PID=20103',
'QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1',
'LC_NUMERIC=ne_NP',
'SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/run/user/1000/keyring/ssh',
'XDG_SEAT=seat0',
'QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME=appmenu-qt5',
'XDG_VTNR=7',
'XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000',
'HOME=/home/sagar',
'GNOME_KEYRING_PID=' ],
killSignal: undefined },
envPairs:
[ 'PATH=/home/sagar/bin:/home/sagar/.local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin',
'LC_MEASUREMENT=ne_NP',
'XAUTHORITY=/home/sagar/.Xauthority',
'XMODIFIERS=#im=ibus',
'LC_TELEPHONE=ne_NP',
'XDG_DATA_DIRS=/usr/share/ubuntu:/usr/share/gnome:/usr/local/share:/usr/share:/var/lib/snapd/desktop:/var/lib/snapd/desktop',
'GDMSESSION=ubuntu',
'MANDATORY_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/ubuntu.mandatory.path',
'LC_TIME=ne_NP',
'GTK_IM_MODULE=ibus',
'DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-Sq2eReOVZr',
'DEFAULTS_PATH=/usr/share/gconf/ubuntu.default.path',
'XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=Unity',
'LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/sagar/apps/WebStorm-172.3757.55/bin:',
'UPSTART_SESSION=unix:abstract=/com/ubuntu/upstart-session/1000/1240',
'QT4_IM_MODULE=xim',
'LC_PAPER=ne_NP',
'QT_LINUX_ACCESSIBILITY_ALWAYS_ON=1',
'LOGNAME=sagar',
'JOB=unity-settings-daemon',
'PWD=/tmp/1512313270685-0',
'IM_CONFIG_PHASE=1',
'LANGUAGE=en_US',
'SHELL=/bin/bash',
'LC_ADDRESS=ne_NP',
'GIO_LAUNCHED_DESKTOP_FILE=/home/sagar/.local/share/applications/jetbrains-webstorm.desktop',
'GTK2_MODULES=overlay-scrollbar',
'INSTANCE=',
'OLDPWD=/home/sagar/apps/WebStorm-172.3757.55/bin',
'GNOME_DESKTOP_SESSION_ID=this-is-deprecated',
'UPSTART_INSTANCE=',
'GTK_MODULES=gail:atk-bridge:unity-gtk-module',
'CLUTTER_IM_MODULE=xim',
'XDG_SESSION_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Session0',
'COMPIZ_BIN_PATH=/usr/bin/',
'SESSIONTYPE=gnome-session',
'XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=ubuntu',
'SHLVL=0',
'LC_IDENTIFICATION=ne_NP',
'LC_MONETARY=ne_NP',
'COMPIZ_CONFIG_PROFILE=ubuntu',
'QT_IM_MODULE=ibus',
'UPSTART_JOB=unity7',
'JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64',
'XDG_CONFIG_DIRS=/etc/xdg/xdg-ubuntu:/usr/share/upstart/xdg:/etc/xdg',
'LANG=en_US.UTF-8',
'GNOME_KEYRING_CONTROL=',
'XDG_SEAT_PATH=/org/freedesktop/DisplayManager/Seat0',
'XDG_SESSION_ID=c2',
'XDG_SESSION_TYPE=x11',
'DISPLAY=:0',
'LC_NAME=ne_NP',
'GDM_LANG=en_US',
'XDG_GREETER_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/lightdm-data/sagar',
'UPSTART_EVENTS=xsession started',
'GPG_AGENT_INFO=/home/sagar/.gnupg/S.gpg-agent:0:1',
'DESKTOP_SESSION=ubuntu',
'SESSION=ubuntu',
'USER=sagar',
'XDG_MENU_PREFIX=gnome-',
'GIO_LAUNCHED_DESKTOP_FILE_PID=20103',
'QT_ACCESSIBILITY=1',
'LC_NUMERIC=ne_NP',
'SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/run/user/1000/keyring/ssh',
'XDG_SEAT=seat0',
'QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME=appmenu-qt5',
'XDG_VTNR=7',
'XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000',
'HOME=/home/sagar',
'GNOME_KEYRING_PID=' ],
stderr: null,
stdout: null,
pid: 20527,
output: [ null, null, null ],
signal: null,
status: 127 }
Command `npm install --save --save-exact react-native` failed.
Done
It says npm not found when I know it is there.
I have Node 8.9.1 & npm 5.5.1

Answer 1

Looks like npm is not on your $PATH. Do you launch WebStorm from terminal, or from desktop/System menu? In the latter case, WebStorm only sees environment variables configured in .profile (login shell), but not in interactive shell configuration files (like ~/.bashrc). Plus, NVM alters interactive shell configuration files only during installation phase (https://github.com/creationix/nvm/blob/v0.28.0/install.sh#L126)
Possible workarounds:
Workaround 1: make required variables available in a login shell (i.e. for Bash, move them from .bashrc to .bash_profile or .profile).
Workaround 2: run IDE from a terminal
Workaround 3: edit WebStorm desktop launcher and set command to /bin/bash -l -i -c "/path/to/webstorm.sh" (for bash)

Answer 2

Try pointing to your usr/local/bin/node folder. These are my settings with WebStorm 2017.3 and it worked for me.

Answer 3

Consider installing yarn to make this faster: https://yarnpkg.com
After yarn was installed error is gone.