child_process.spawn fails on Windows given a space in both the command and an argument

[s100]

• Version: 4.4.4, 4.4.7, 5.10.1, 6.2.2
• Platform: Windows 7, 64-bit
• Subsystem: child_process

Reproduction of the error: https://gist.github.com/smrq/f028b22bc748af9e68a7

On Windows, child_process.spawn handles the command incorrectly when both it and one of its arguments contains a space. So, this works fine:

var spawn = require('child_process').spawn;

spawn('nospaces.cmd', ['arg with spaces']);
spawn('command with spaces.cmd', ['nospaces']);

But this yields 'command' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.:

spawn('command with spaces.cmd', ['arg with spaces']);

(This is node-v0.x-archive #25895, still extant in higher Node.js versions.)

[mscdex]

/cc @nodejs/platform-windows

[bzoz]

I can reproduce, working on a fix.

[mcdonnelldean]

I've had success using nodejs/node-v0.x-archive#25895 (comment) from the linked issue as a work around.

[cjihrig]

Is this an issue with exec() too?

[bzoz]

They are related, exec internally calls spawn.

The problem is in how shell commands are executed under Windows. I have a fix almost ready, I'll publish it probably tomorrow.

[mcollina]

Does this not happen on v4?

[cjihrig]

exec internally calls spawn.

I get that. I was asking if exec() was affected as well, since it does some manipulation before passing to spawn.

[s100]

@mcollina Problem exists on v4.4.4 as well.

[MylesBorins]

@s100 can you check on v4.4.7

[mcdonnelldean]

LTS is affected for sure thats what I'm using.

[mcdonnelldean]

Im my case we are only using spawn but given its at the point of exec I assume its affected too.

[s100]

@thealphanerd still present on v4.4.7. Any others?

[bzoz]

Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a fix that would not also break a lot of other use cases. But there is luckily easy work around for this issue - you need to quote script filename and add shell:true to options:

spawn('"with spaces.cmd"', ['arg with spaces'], { shell: true });