Webpack error on windows

[Ronolibert]

I'm not sure if this can be fixed, but if you create-react-app from the desktop path instead of Desktop path webpack will break and give a child compilation error

[gaearon]

What does desktop path mean exactly?
Can you give an exact path that causes the error?

[Ronolibert]

For example, if I npm start from C:\Users\Username\desktop\react-app instead of C:\Users\Username\Desktop\react-app webpack will throw a child compilation error

[gaearon]

Can you post the complete error message?

[Ronolibert]

  Error: Child compilation failed:
  Entry module not found: Error: [CaseSensitivePathsPlugin] `C:\Users\Ro  n\desktop\this\index.html` does not match the corresponding path on di  sk `Desktop`.:
  Error: [CaseSensitivePathsPlugin] `C:\Users\Ron\desktop\this\index.htm  l` does not match the corresponding path on disk `Desktop`.

- compiler.js:76 
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[html-webpack-plugin]/lib/compiler.js:76:16

  - Compiler.js:214 Compiler.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:214:10

  - Compiler.js:403 
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:403:12

  - Tapable.js:67 Compiler.next
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:67:11

  - CachePlugin.js:40 Compiler.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/CachePlugin.js:40:4

  - Tapable.js:71 Compiler.applyPluginsAsync
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:71:13

  - Compiler.js:400 Compiler.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:400:9

  - Compilation.js:577 Compilation.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compilation.js:577:13

  - Tapable.js:60 Compilation.applyPluginsAsync
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:60:69

  - Compilation.js:572 Compilation.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compilation.js:572:10

  - Tapable.js:60 Compilation.applyPluginsAsync
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:60:69

  - Compilation.js:567 Compilation.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compilation.js:567:9

  - Tapable.js:60 Compilation.applyPluginsAsync
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:60:69

  - Compilation.js:563 Compilation.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compilation.js:563:8

  - Tapable.js:60 Compilation.applyPluginsAsync
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:60:69

  - Compilation.js:525 Compilation.seal
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compilation.js:525:7

  - From previous event:

  - compiler.js:69 Object.compileTemplate
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[html-webpack-plugin]/lib/compiler.js:69:10

  - index.js:47 Compiler.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[html-webpack-plugin]/index.js:47:40

  - Tapable.js:107 Compiler.applyPluginsParallel
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:107:14

  - Compiler.js:394 Compiler.compile
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:394:7

  - Compiler.js:46 Watching.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:46:17

  - Tapable.js:67 Compiler.next
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:67:11

  - middleware.js:80 Compiler.invalidAsyncPlugin
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack-dev-middleware]/middleware.js:80:3

  - Tapable.js:71 Compiler.applyPluginsAsync
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[tapable]/lib/Tapable.js:71:13

  - Compiler.js:44 Watching._go
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:44:16

  - Compiler.js:36 Watching.
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:36:8

  - Compiler.js:302 Compiler.readRecords
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:302:10

  - Compiler.js:33 new Watching
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:33:16

  - Compiler.js:161 Compiler.watch
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack]/lib/Compiler.js:161:17

  - middleware.js:105 module.exports
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack-dev-middleware]/middleware.js:105:27  
  - Server.js:54 new Server
    [this]/[react-scripts]/[webpack-dev-server]/lib/Server.js:54:20

  - start.js:154 runDevServer
    [this]/[react-scripts]/scripts/start.js:154:3

  - start.js:176 run
    [this]/[react-scripts]/scripts/start.js:176:3

  - start.js:192 prompt.then.shouldChangePort
    [this]/[react-scripts]/scripts/start.js:192:7

  - next_tick.js:103 process._tickCallback
    internal/process/next_tick.js:103:7

[gaearon]

I think this is somewhat intentional and prevents other issues.
That plugin is checking if the file path is consistent with the way OS presents it.

Since Desktop is a special folder on Windows and Windows is a case-insensitive system, I think OS still treats it as Desktop internally. However this may trip up Webpack watcher because it gets confused by case insensitive file paths. So, to prevent weird watching issues, we just report an error straight away in such cases.