Wix App Validation

Validates Wix CLI applications through a four-step sequential workflow: package installation, TypeScript compilation check, build, and preview.

Validation Workflow

Execute these steps sequentially. Stop and report errors if any step fails.

Step 1: Package Installation

Ensure all dependencies are installed before proceeding with the build.

Detect package manager:

• Check for package-lock.json → use npm

• Check for yarn.lock → use yarn

• Check for pnpm-lock.yaml → use pnpm

• Default to npm if no lock file is found

Run installation command:

For npm

npm install

For yarn

yarn install

For pnpm

pnpm install

Success criteria:

• Exit code 0

• All dependencies installed successfully

• No missing peer dependencies warnings (unless expected)

• node_modules directory exists and contains expected packages

On failure: Report the installation errors, check the debug log for detailed diagnostics, and stop validation. Common issues:

• Network connectivity problems

• Corrupted lock files

• Version conflicts

• Missing Node.js or package manager

Step 2: TypeScript Compilation Check

Run TypeScript compiler to check for type errors.

Full project check:

npx tsc --noEmit

Targeted check (specific files/directories):

When validating after implementing a specific extension, you can run TypeScript checks on just those files:

Check specific directory

npx tsc --noEmit src/extensions/dashboard/pages/survey//*.ts src/extensions/dashboard/pages/survey//*.tsx

Check dashboard pages only

npx tsc --noEmit src/extensions/dashboard/pages//*.ts src/extensions/dashboard/pages//*.tsx

Check site widgets only

npx tsc --noEmit src/extensions/site/widgets//*.ts src/extensions/site/widgets//*.tsx

Check dashboard modals only

npx tsc --noEmit src/extensions/dashboard/modals//*.ts src/extensions/dashboard/modals//*.tsx

Check backend only

npx tsc --noEmit src/extensions/backend/**/*.ts

When to use targeted checks:

• After implementing a single extension (faster feedback)

• When debugging type errors in a specific area

• During iterative development

When to use full project check:

• Before final validation

• When changes affect shared types

• Before building/deploying

Success criteria:

• Exit code 0

• No TypeScript compilation errors

• All type checks pass

On failure: Report the specific TypeScript errors and stop validation. Common issues:

• Type mismatches between expected and actual types

• Missing type declarations for imported modules

• Incorrect generic type parameters

• Properties not existing on declared types

• Incompatible function signatures

Step 3: Build Validation

Run the build command and check for compilation errors:

npx wix build

Success criteria:

• Exit code 0

• No TypeScript errors

• No missing dependencies

On failure: Report the specific compilation errors, check the debug log for detailed diagnostics, and stop validation.

Step 4: Preview Deployment

Start the preview server:

npx wix preview

Success criteria:

• Preview server starts successfully

• Preview URLs are generated (both site and dashboard)

URL extraction: Parse the terminal output to find both preview URLs. Look for patterns like:

• Site preview: Site preview: https://... or Site URL: https://...

• Dashboard preview: Dashboard preview: https://... or Preview URL: https://... or Your app is available at: https://...

Extract both URLs and provide them to the user for manual verification.

On failure: Report the preview startup errors, check the debug log for detailed diagnostics, and stop validation.

Validation Report

After completing all steps, provide a summary:

Pass:

• Dependencies: ✓ All packages installed successfully

• TypeScript: ✓ No compilation errors

• Build: ✓ Compiled successfully

• Preview: ✓ Running at [URL]

Fail:

• Identify which step failed

• Provide specific error messages

• Suggest remediation steps

Debug Log on Errors

When a validation step fails (non-zero exit code, error output, or the CLI crashes/hangs), check .wix/debug.log in the project root for the full error trace. Only read this file when errors occur — skip it when steps pass or when the terminal output already makes the error clear (e.g. a straightforward TypeScript type error).

The .wix/ directory is automatically created by the Wix CLI and contains internal configuration and log files. Don't edit it, but reading debug.log for troubleshooting is expected.

Read: .wix/debug.log

If the file is large, read the last 100 lines for the most recent errors

Read: .wix/debug.log (with offset to the end)

Common Issues

Issue Cause Solution

Package installation fails Missing lock file, network issues, or corrupted node_modules Delete node_modules and lock file, then reinstall

TypeScript compilation fails Type mismatches, missing declarations, or incorrect types Fix TypeScript errors shown in npx tsc --noEmit output

Build fails TypeScript errors, missing dependencies, or internal CLI error Fix TypeScript errors in source; for non-obvious failures, check .wix/debug.log

Preview fails to start Port conflict, config issue, or internal CLI error Check wix.config.json ; if unclear, check .wix/debug.log for details

Console errors in preview Runtime exceptions Check browser console output

UI not rendering Component errors Review component code and imports

CLI error with no clear message Truncated terminal output Read .wix/debug.log for the full error trace and stack details

Mysterious failures after config change Stale CLI state Read .wix/debug.log to confirm, then delete .wix/ and rebuild