Cordova安装自定义插件时遇Cannot read property 'fail' of undefined错误

I’ve run into this exact error before when working with custom Cordova plugins, so let’s break down what’s happening and walk through fixes step by step.

First, let’s recap your scenario:
You’re trying to install a custom plugin using this plugman command:

plugman -d install --platform android --project platforms\android --plugin plugins\PrintName

And you’re hitting this TypeError:

TypeError: Cannot read property 'fail' of undefined
at C:...\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\plugman\node_modules\cordova-lib\src\plugman\fetch.js:168:18
at _fulfilled (C:...\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\plugman\node_modules\q\q.js:787:54)
at self.promiseDispatch.done (C:...\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\plugman\node_modules\q\q.js:816:30)
at Promise.promise.promiseDispatch (C:...\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\plugman\node_modules\q\q.js:749:13)
at C:...\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\plugman\node_modules\q\q.js:509:49
at flush (C:...\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\plugman\node_modules\q\q.js:108:17)
at _combinedTickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:131:7)
at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:180:9)
at Function.Module.runMain (module.js:686:11)
at startup (bootstrap_node.js:187:16)

This error usually ties to path issues, invalid plugin metadata, or bugs in plugman’s dependency libraries. Here’s how to troubleshoot:

• Fix path formatting for Windows
  Windows can struggle with backslashes in paths. Try replacing them with forward slashes in your command:

  plugman -d install --platform android --project platforms/android --plugin plugins/PrintName
  

  Also double-check that the plugins/PrintName directory actually exists and contains all your plugin files (no missing folders or core files).

• Validate your plugin’s configuration files
  The error happens during the fetch phase, meaning plugman can’t parse your plugin’s metadata correctly:

  1. Make sure your plugin has a valid plugin.xml in its root. Verify the root <plugin> tag includes required attributes like id, version, and name.
  2. If your plugin uses a package.json, confirm it’s properly formatted (no missing commas, valid npm fields like name and version). You can run npm validate in the plugin directory to check for issues.

• Update or roll back plugman
  This specific error has been linked to buggy versions of cordova-lib (used by plugman). Try updating to the latest stable version:

  npm install -g plugman
  

  If updating doesn’t work, roll back to a known stable version (e.g., 3.0.0):

  npm install -g plugman@3.0.0
  

• Clear cache and reinstall plugman
  Corrupted cache can cause unexpected glitches. Reset your npm cache and reinstall plugman:

  npm cache clean --force
  npm uninstall -g plugman
  npm install -g plugman
  

• Switch to the native Cordova install command
  Sometimes the standard Cordova plugin command avoids plugman-specific bugs. Give this a try:

  cordova plugin add ./plugins/PrintName --platform android
  

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Krups