node.js TypeError: path must be absolute or specify root to res.sendFile [failed to parse JSON]

May 31, 2022 by IT Nursery

[add]
So my next problem is that when i try adding a new dependence (npm install –save socket.io). The JSON file is also valid. I get this error:
Failed to parse json

npm ERR! Unexpected string
npm ERR! File: /Users/John/package.json
npm ERR! Failed to parse package.json data.
npm ERR! package.json must be actual JSON, not just JavaScript.
npm ERR! 
npm ERR! This is not a bug in npm.
npm ERR! Tell the package author to fix their package.json file. JSON.parse

So I’ve been trying to figure out why this error has been returning. All of the files (HTML,JSON,JS) are inside the same folder on my desktop. I’m using node.js and socket.io

This is my JS file:

var app = require('express')();
var http = require('http').Server(app);

app.get("https://stackoverflow.com/", function(req, res){
  res.sendFile('index.html');
});

http.listen(3000,function(){
    console.log('listening on : 3000');
});

This is what is getting returned:

MacBook-Pro:~ John$ node /Users/John/Desktop/Chatapp/index.js 
listening on : 3000
TypeError: path must be absolute or specify root to res.sendFile
    at ServerResponse.sendFile (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/response.js:389:11)
    at /Users/John/Desktop/Chatapp/index.js:5:7
    at Layer.handle [as handle_request] (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/layer.js:76:5)
    at next (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/route.js:100:13)
    at Route.dispatch (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/route.js:81:3)
    at Layer.handle [as handle_request] (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/layer.js:76:5)
    at /Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:234:24
    at Function.proto.process_params (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:312:12)
    at /Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:228:12
    at Function.match_layer (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:295:3)
TypeError: path must be absolute or specify root to res.sendFile
    at ServerResponse.sendFile (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/response.js:389:11)
    at /Users/John/Desktop/Chatapp/index.js:5:7
    at Layer.handle [as handle_request] (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/layer.js:76:5)
    at next (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/route.js:100:13)
    at Route.dispatch (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/route.js:81:3)
    at Layer.handle [as handle_request] (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/layer.js:76:5)
    at /Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:234:24
    at Function.proto.process_params (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:312:12)
    at /Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:228:12
    at Function.match_layer (/Users/John/node_modules/express/lib/router/index.js:295:3)

16 Answers
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