Error: "use fs.watch api instead" using the --watch flag on Windows, Node 0.6.6

[jpoehls]

I'm on Windows 7 32bit. Node 0.6.6. Up 0.1.7.

When I run my app with up server.js it works fine, but when I add the --watch flag (i.e. up server.js --watch) it fails with the error:

node.js:201
        throw e; // process.nextTick error, or 'error' event on first tick
              ^
Error: use fs.watch api instead
    at Object.watchFile (fs.js:734:11)
    at C:\Users\jpoehls\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\up\bin\up:237:10
    at Array.forEach (native)
    at watch (C:\Users\jpoehls\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\up\bin\up:236:11)
    at Object.<anonymous> (C:\Users\jpoehls\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\up\bin\up:249:3)
    at Module._compile (module.js:432:26)
    at Object..js (module.js:450:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:351:31)
    at Function._load (module.js:310:12)
    at Array.0 (module.js:470:10)

[rauchg]

Can you upgrade to Node 0.6.12?

[jpoehls]

I upgraded to Node 0.6.12 and then tried again, same error. Here's the error, the stack trace changed slightly with the node upgrade.

  up-cli starting cluster with 2 workers on port 3000
  up-cli `kill -s SIGUSR2 3052` or ctrl + r to load new code
  up spawning 2 workers from master 3052
  up worker 4624 created
  up worker 1136 created
  up-cli watching "C:\hg\canary" for changes

node.js:201
        throw e; // process.nextTick error, or 'error' event on first tick
              ^
Error: use fs.watch api instead
    at Object.watchFile (fs.js:734:11)
    at C:\Users\jpoehls\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\up\bin\up:237:10
    at Array.forEach (native)
    at watch (C:\Users\jpoehls\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\up\bin\up:236:11)
    at Object.<anonymous> (C:\Users\jpoehls\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\up\bin\up:249:3)
    at Module._compile (module.js:441:26)
    at Object..js (module.js:459:10)
    at Module.load (module.js:348:31)
    at Function._load (module.js:308:12)
    at Array.0 (module.js:479:10)

[rauchg]

That's really odd. No mention of that here

[jpoehls]

Looks like the CoffeeScript guys hit the same problem. From the looks of the conversation on this thread they ended up using fs.watchFile if it is supported and then falling back to fs.watch when it isn't (i.e. on Windows).

[TooTallNate]

This should work on Windows now on node v0.8.x.