Cannot find module 'C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp\WebCompiler1.12.394\node_modules\less\bin\lessc'

[Darkicorn]

Installed product versions

Visual Studio 2017
Visual Studio 2019
Web Compiler 1.12.394

Description

Every time I update Visual Studio 2017/2019, the Web Compiler extension stops working.

Steps to recreate

1. Update Visual Studio.

Current behavior

After an update, trying to use "Web Compiler" -> "Recompile file" in Solution Explorer gives an error of:

Severity Code Description Project File Line Suppression State
Error module.js:471
throw err;
^

Error: Cannot find module 'C:\Users\Andrew\AppData\Local\Temp\WebCompiler1.12.394\node_modules\less\bin\lessc'
at Function.Module._resolveFilename (module.js:469:15)
at Function.Module._load (module.js:417:25)
at Module.runMain (module.js:604:10)
at run (bootstrap_node.js:390:7)
at startup (bootstrap_node.js:150:9)
at bootstrap_node.js:505:3 LHRPL E:\inetpub\wwwroot\LHRPL\LHRPL\css\LHRPL.less 0

Expected behavior

There should be no error: Web Compiler should still work.

Temporary remedy

1. Uninstall the Web Compiler extension.
2. Delete* the directory C:\Users\Andrew\AppData\Local\Temp\WebCompiler1.12.394
3. Install the Web Compiler extension.

* Adjust the username as required.

Corroborating evidence

The issue is also reported on Stack Overflow:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/62792048/less-in-web-compiler-for-visual-studio-2019-stopped-to-work

[Airn5475]

I keep getting this issue as well. Same steps work for me to correct it, but it doesn't last.

module.js:471
    throw err;
    ^

Error: Cannot find module 'C:\Users\ABauman\AppData\Local\Temp\WebCompiler1.12.394\node_modules\node-sass\bin\node-sass'
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (module.js:469:15)
    at Function.Module._load (module.js:417:25)
    at Module.runMain (module.js:604:10)
    at run (bootstrap_node.js:390:7)
    at startup (bootstrap_node.js:150:9)
    at bootstrap_node.js:505:3 C:\Repos\....\Content\scss\style.scss		

[mbuonaccorsi]

Has this ever been resolved? I get this problem often. Removing the WebCompiler extension, clearing those folders out of the temp folder and re-installing fixes it but that is just a workaround.

[glittle]

Encountered this. Reinstalling the extension didn't help. What worked was deleting the ....\AppData\Local\Temp\WebCompilerX... folder (while VS2022 is open). As soon as a LESS file was saved, the web compiler files were installed, and worked.

[erictor]

@glittle Worked for me too. In my case I'm using WebCompiler1.14.11 in a Blazor project to compile .scss files to .css. I hadn't updated an .scss file in a while, and when I tried to do it today, I got: Error node:internal/modules/cjs/loader Cannot find module './lib/expand'. After deleting \AppData\Local\Temp\WebCompiler1.14.11 and saving an updated .scss file, the bottom left of Visual Studio reported "Installing latest version of WebCompiler", which turned out to still be version 1.14.11. It works now.