Add --safe mode flag to allow starting without flows running

packages/node_modules/@node-red/editor-api/lib/editor/locales/en-US/editor.json

@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@
             "undeployedChanges": "node has undeployed changes",
             "nodeActionDisabled": "node actions disabled within subflow",
             "missing-types": "<p>Flows stopped due to missing node types.</p>",
+            "safe-mode":"<p>Flows stopped in safe mode.</p><p>You can modify your flows and deploy the changes to restart.",
             "restartRequired": "Node-RED must be restarted to enable upgraded modules",
             "credentials_load_failed": "<p>Flows stopped as the credentials could not be decrypted.</p><p>The flow credential file is encrypted, but the project's encryption key is missing or invalid.</p>",
             "credentials_load_failed_reset":"<p>Credentials could not be decrypted</p><p>The flow credential file is encrypted, but the project's encryption key is missing or invalid.</p><p>The flow credential file will be reset on the next deployment. Any existing flow credentials will be cleared.</p>",

packages/node_modules/@node-red/editor-client/src/js/red.js

@@ -201,7 +201,16 @@ var RED = (function() {
                     id: notificationId
                 }
                 if (notificationId === "runtime-state") {
-                    if (msg.error === "missing-types") {
+                    if (msg.error === "safe-mode") {
+                        options.buttons = [
+                            {
+                                text: RED._("common.label.close"),
+                                click: function() {
+                                    persistentNotifications[notificationId].hideNotification();
+                                }
+                            }
+                        ]
+                    } else if (msg.error === "missing-types") {
                         text+="<ul><li>"+msg.types.join("</li><li>")+"</li></ul>";
                         if (!!RED.projects.getActiveProject()) {
                             options.buttons = [

packages/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/api/flows.js

@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ var api = module.exports = {
 
             var apiPromise;
             if (deploymentType === 'reload') {
-                apiPromise = runtime.nodes.loadFlows();
+                apiPromise = runtime.nodes.loadFlows(true);
             } else {
                 if (flows.hasOwnProperty('rev')) {
                     var currentVersion = runtime.nodes.getFlows().rev;

packages/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/lib/nodes/flows/index.js

@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ function loadFlows() {
     });
 }
 function load(forceStart) {
+    if (forceStart && settings.safeMode) {
+        // This is a force reload from the API - disable safeMode
+        delete settings.safeMode;
+    }
     return setFlows(null,"load",false,forceStart);
 }
 
@@ -112,6 +116,16 @@ function load(forceStart) {
  */
 function setFlows(_config,type,muteLog,forceStart) {
     type = type||"full";
+    if (settings.safeMode) {
+        if (type !== "load") {
+            // If in safeMode, the flows are stopped. We cannot do a modified nodes/flows
+            // type deploy as nothing is running. Can only do a "load" or "full" deploy.
+            // The "load" case is already handled in `load()` to distinguish between
+            // startup-load and api-request-load.
+            type = "full";
+            delete settings.safeMode;
+        }
+    }
 
     var configSavePromise = null;
     var config = null;
@@ -285,6 +299,13 @@ function start(type,diff,muteLog) {
         events.emit("runtime-event",{id:"runtime-state",payload:{error:"missing-types", type:"warning",text:"notification.warnings.missing-types",types:activeFlowConfig.missingTypes},retain:true});
         return when.resolve();
     }
+    if (settings.safeMode) {
+        log.info("*****************************************************************")
+        log.info(log._("nodes.flows.safe-mode"));
+        log.info("*****************************************************************")
+        events.emit("runtime-event",{id:"runtime-state",payload:{error:"safe-mode", type:"warning",text:"notification.warnings.safe-mode"},retain:true});
+        return Promise.resolve();
+    }
     if (!muteLog) {
         if (type !== "full") {
             log.info(log._("nodes.flows.starting-modified-"+type));

packages/node_modules/@node-red/runtime/locales/en-US/runtime.json

@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
             "system-key-warning": "\n\n---------------------------------------------------------------------\nYour flow credentials file is encrypted using a system-generated key.\n\nIf the system-generated key is lost for any reason, your credentials\nfile will not be recoverable, you will have to delete it and re-enter\nyour credentials.\n\nYou should set your own key using the 'credentialSecret' option in\nyour settings file. Node-RED will then re-encrypt your credentials\nfile using your chosen key the next time you deploy a change.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------\n"
         },
         "flows": {
+            "safe-mode": "Flows stopped in safe mode. Deploy to start.",
             "registered-missing": "Missing type registered: __type__",
             "error": "Error loading flows: __message__",
             "starting-modified-nodes": "Starting modified nodes",