Node Version Manager install - nvm command not found

Question

I am trying to install NVM as per these instructions

I typed in this command in terminal:

$ curl https://raw.github.com/creationix/nvm/master/instal         


        

Answer 1

The nvm install script by default adds initialization code to your $HOME/.profile, which is only loaded by a login shell (in a desktop environment you may never see a login shell).

The nvm command in your login shell is not propagated to sub-shells (like console windows and IDE terminals after you log in). This snippet in your $HOME/.bashrc will only load nvm if it is an interactive shell and has not been loaded already

# if nvm dir is not set and the standard nvm directory exists
if [ -z "$NVM_DIR" -a -d "$HOME/.nvm" ] ; then
# set nvm dir
  export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
fi

# if nvm dir is set and this shell is interactive
if [ -d "$NVM_DIR" -a -n "$PS1" ] ; then
  # if nvm command is not defined
  if ! type -t nvm >/dev/null ; then
    # set it
    source "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"
  fi
fi

Putting this in your $HOME/.bashrc file will fix the missing nvm problem in interactive bash shells, even from a gui, and even if nvm is installed in a non-standard location.