Getting "Module not loaded yet for context" error while implementing NPM modules in Laravel project

[ExcitedGamer85]

I’m working on a Laravel 5 project and trying to integrate an NPM package but running into issues. I don’t have much experience with Node.js and Require.js setup.

I’m attempting to use a movie database package for fetching film information. Here’s what I have implemented:

<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery/3.2.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<script data-main="{{ asset('js/lib/requirejs.js') }}" src="{{ asset('js/lib/requirejs.js') }}"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
    var movieDb = require('movie-database-api');
    var filmData;
    movieDb.search({ title: 'Blade Runner' }, function(error, results) {
        filmData = results;
    });
    console.log(filmData);
</script>

When I run this code, I keep getting this error message in the browser console:

Uncaught Error: Module name “movie-database-api” has not been loaded yet for context: _. Use require()

I’ve installed the package via npm but can’t seem to get it working properly in the browser. What am I missing in my setup? How should I properly configure RequireJS to work with NPM packages in a Laravel environment?

[Bob_Clever]

RequireJS and npm packages work differently. You’re using require() synchronously, but RequireJS needs async loading: require(['module-name'], function(module) {...}). Most npm packages won’t work with RequireJS anyway. Just drop RequireJS and use Laravel Mix with webpack - it’s much easier for npm integration.

[RunningRiver]

NPM packages don’t work in browsers by default. They sit in node_modules, but browsers can’t touch them directly. I hit this same wall moving from server-side to client-side JS in Laravel. The movie-database-api package expects Node.js where require() just works. You’re trying to load it like it’s already browser-ready - it’s not. You need a build step to convert the CommonJS module into browser-friendly code. Laravel Mix does this perfectly. Just import the package in your JS file, run npm run dev, and it bundles everything for the browser. Way easier than messing with RequireJS configs.

[SwiftCoder15]

You’re mixing CommonJS and AMD module systems. NPM packages use CommonJS syntax (require()) but RequireJS expects AMD format. You can’t just use require() in the browser with RequireJS without setting it up properly. I hit this same issue last year with external packages. Best fix? Use a bundler like Webpack or Browserify to compile your NPM dependencies for the browser. Laravel Mix (runs Webpack) does this automatically. You could configure RequireJS with require.config() to handle the module, but it gets messy with complex dependencies. I’d switch to Laravel Mix for NPM integration - saves tons of time debugging module loading.