Hello folks! I downloaded a React Native project that uses Expo for building a productivity app. I have Node.js and Expo CLI already installed on my computer but I’m having trouble with the command line steps. I need to use the terminal to go to my project directory and install all the required packages with npm install. The command line interface is pretty confusing for me as a beginner.
Can anyone explain these steps clearly:
Which terminal should I use on my operating system
How to navigate using cd command to reach my project location
How to properly execute npm install for dependency installation
I would really appreciate detailed guidance since I’m not experienced with terminal commands. Thanks for helping out!
Select the appropriate terminal according to your operating system: for Windows, use Command Prompt or PowerShell; for Mac or Linux, use the Terminal application. To navigate to your project directory, you can either type cd followed by the path to your folder or simply drag your project folder into the terminal to automatically fill in the path. Once you are in the correct directory, execute npm install to install the required dependencies. If you encounter permission issues, try clearing your npm cache using npm cache clean --force and attempt the installation again. Ensure that your project path does not contain spaces, as this may lead to complications.
I had the same exact struggle starting out with React Native Expo! Here’s what saved me: if you’ve got VS Code, just open your project folder there and hit Terminal > New Terminal. It’ll drop you right into your project directory - no more navigating around. For regular terminals, cd means “change directory” and cd .. moves you back one folder if you go too far. Before running npm install, type ls (Mac/Linux) or dir (Windows) to check if you can see package.json. If it’s there, you’re in the right spot and ready to run the command.