How to use gulp to build JavaScript bundles? - javascript

I want to use gulp to build bundles of JavaScript files.
For example I have the following structure in my project:
/vendor/vendor1/vendor1.js
/vendor/vendor2/vendor2.js
/js/includes/include1.js
/js/includes/include2.js
/js/bundle1.js
/js/bundle2.js
There are vendor includes (1-2), local includes (3-4), and bundle files (5-6).
Vendor includes are just third-party JavaScript libraries installed with bower or composer. They can be CommonJS, AMD or just a plain-old jQuery plugins.
I want to specify dependencies inside of a bundle files like this:
/js/bundle1.js
(function() {
// Vendor includes.
include('vendor1');
include('vendor2');
// Local includes.
include('includes/include1.js');
include('includes/include2.js');
// Some code here.
})();
I want gulp to process this source file and create a final distribution file (bundle) ensuring that all dependencies (includes) are merged together in a single file. So I can include foo.js from my HTML and all dependencies will be available to it.
I want to have a clear and robust system to manage all dependencies inside of a project and build distribution files.
How can I achieve this?
What format should I use for my own scripts (AMD, CommonJS, other)?
How do I specify dependencies in my source bundle files?
How do I build distribution?

Your question is posed as if there's a single answer, but there isn't. The problem you're trying to solve is one that many people have solved in many different ways, and you've identified two of the major options: AMD and CommonJS. There are other ways, but given that you might be new to Javascript dependency management as well as gulp, I'd recommend going with something that's relatively straightforward (even though this subject is inherently not straightforward).
I think the easiest route for you might be:
use CommonJS to express the dependencies
use browserify to resolve them into bundles
in browserify, use the "UMD" method so that you get a single bundle that will work for apps that use either AMD or CommonJS or are not using either of these dependency management systems
The statement in gulp to run browserify as such might look something like:
var browserify = require('gulp-browserify');
gulp.src('bundles/bundle1.js', {read: false})
.pipe(browserify({
'standalone': true
})
.pipe(rename('bundle1Output.js'))
.pipe(gulp.dest('dist'));
That should give you a dist/bundle1Output.js file.

There is a gulp plugin for this:
https://www.npmjs.com/package/gulp-include
It should do what you want, except that in your bundle file instead of this:
(function() {
// Vendor includes.
include('vendor1');
include('vendor2');
// Local includes.
include('includes/include1.js');
include('includes/include2.js');
// Some code here.
})();
You would have to write:
//=require vendor1/**/*.js
//=require vendor2/**/*.js
//=require includes/include1.js
//=require includes/include2.js
// Some code here

Related

Importing old library which imports its modules

In our company we have a library, that is divided into modules. These modules are in separate files and each of this modules have it's dependencies on other modules. Each module has a definition function, which registers it for other modules to use it later and also it can require other modules in its definition function. The require is similar to angular:
modules.require(['authentication', 'data', 'http'], module => console.log('Here is my module: ', module).
The library has a Synchronizer class, which based on this require in each module, handles importing and providing of the required modules. When a module has not yet been required, it creates a <script> tag, set it's src to the required module file and appends it to the body.
Here is the problem, because if I just import the main file of my library and try to require some module, it appends a <script> tag but the path to the file is not correct, because it is all bundled together by webpack.
Is there a way in webpack, to state, that this folder (folder with the plugin) should remain as is, so that I can then make requests to the individual files in this folder?
I have tried using "import" statement, "require" and also I tried to change the library into npm package, but I am not really allowed to change the library, because it has been tested in this format. So keeping the library as is, would be the best.
For example if I put this library into:
./static/js/mylibrary
then our library can produce for modules.require(['data'], onSuccess) a <script> tag with src like:
./static/js/mylibrary/data.js
Can I setup webpack so that the file stays there? In development? In production?
I am using a project created by vue-cli
As I mentioned in the comment simply putting it to the "public" directory in webpack did the trick for both, development and production. Don't know why I didn't try this before.

Loading specific module from concatenated file using RequireJS

Trying to use the URI.js library in a project, but having trouble with RequireJS. URI's readme indicates that it works with requirejs - which is true when you're using the source - but not when using the minified/concatenated distribution file on its own - as you would in production.
Their build process scoops several libraries into a single .min file, and they all define themselves as modules.
No matter how I require that script, the only argument I receive is the first module in their distribution file (IPv6) which is not what I need.
Is there something trivial I'm missing?
<script>
require.config({
paths: {
urijs: 'dist/URI'
}
});
require(['urijs'], function(URI) {
console.log(URI);
});
</script>
Indeed the minified file cannot be used because it is not correctly built. All the define calls in it are anonymous whereas they should include the module name. If they had, you'd be able to use the minified file.
To get it to work, in the paths configuration, I've put urijs to point to the directory that contains all the individual .js files of the modules, and then I require URI.js as 'urijs/URI'. I let r.js minify it for distribution of my code.
I've installed it with npm but I've just checked with bower and the process should be exactly the same.

Assemble every module into a single .js file

I want to minimize the number of HTTP requests from the client to load scripts in the browser. This is going to be a pretty general question but I still hope I can get some answers because module management in javascript has been a pain so far.
Current situation
Right now, in development, each module is requested individually from the main html template, like this:
<script src="/libraries/jquery.js"></script>
<script src="/controllers/controllername.js"></script>
...
The server runs on Node.js and sends the scripts as they are requested.
Obviously this is the least optimal way of doing so, since all the models, collections, etc. are also separated into their own files which translates into numerous different requests.
As far as research goes
The libraries I have come across (RequireJS using AMD and CommonJS) can request modules from within the main .js file sent to the client, but require a lot of additional work to make each module compliant with each library:
;(function(factory){
if (typeof define === 'function' && define.amd) define([], factory);
else factory();
}(function(){
// Module code
exports = moduleName;
}));
My goal
I'd like to create a single file on the server that 'concatenates' all the modules together. If I can do so without having to add more code to the already existing modules that would be perfect. Then I can simply serve that single file to the client when it is requested.
Is this possible?
Additionally, if I do manage to build a single file, should I include the open source libraries in it (jQuery, Angular.js, etc.) or request them from an external cdn on the client side?
What you are asking to do, from what I can tell, is concat your js files into one file and then in your main.html you would have this
<script src="/pathLocation/allMyJSFiles.js"></script>
If my assumption is correct, then the answer would be to use one of the two following items
GULP link or GRUNT link
I use GULP.
You can either use gulp on a case by case basis, which means calling gulp from the command line to execute gulp code, or use a watch to do it automatically on save.
Besides getting gulp to work and including the gulp files you need to do what you need, I will only provide a little of what I use to get your answer.
In my gulp file I would have something like this
var gulp = require('gulp');
var concat = require('gulp-concat');
...maybe more.
Then I have the file paths I need to be reduced into one file.
var onlyProductionJS = [
'public/application.js',
'public/directives/**/*.js',
'public/controllers/**/*.js',
'public/factories/**/*.js',
'public/filters/**/*.js',
'public/services/**/*.js',
'public/routes.js'
];
and I use this info in a gulp task like the one below
gulp.task('makeOneFileToRuleThemAll', function(){
return gulp.src(onlyProductionJS)
.pipe(concat('weHaveTheRing.js'))
.pipe(gulp.dest('public/'));
});
I then run the task in my command line by calling
gulp makeOneFileToRuleThemAll
This call runs the associated gulp task which uses 'gulp-concat' to get all the files together into one new file called 'weHaveTheRing.js' and creates that file in the destination 'public/'
Then just include that new file into your main.html
<script src="/pathLocation/weHaveTheRing.js"></script>
As for including all your files into one file, including your vendor files, just make sure that your vendor code runs first. It's probably best to keep those separate unless you have a sure fire way of getting your vendor code to load first without any issues.
UPDATE
Here is my gulp watch task.
gulp.task('startTheWatchingEye', function () {
gulp.watch(productionScripts, ['makeOneFileToRuleThemAll']);
});
Then I start up my server like this (yours may differ)
npm start
// in a different terminal window I then type
gulp startTheWatchfuleye
NOTE: you can use ANY movie or show reference you wish! :)
Now just code it up, every time you make a change in the specified files GULP will run your task(s).
If you want to say run Karma for your test runner...
add the following to your gulp file
var karma = require('karma').server;
gulp.task('karma', function(done){
karma.start({
configFile: __dirname + '/karma.conf.js'
}, done);
});
Then add this task karma to your watch I stated above like this...
gulp.task('startTheWatchingEye', function(){
gulp.watch(productionScripts, ['makeOneFileToRuleThemAll', 'karma']);
});
ALSO
Your specific settings may require a few more gulp modules. Usually, you install Gulp globally, as well as each module. Then use them in your various projects. Just make sure that your project's package.json has the gulp modules you need in dev or whatever.
There are different articles on whether to use Gulp or Grunt. Gulp was made after Grunt with a few additions that Grunt was lacking. I don't know if Grunt lacks them anymore. I like Gulp a lot though and find it very useful with a lot of documentation.
Good luck!
I'd like to create a single file on the server that 'concatenates' all the modules together. If I can do so without having to add more code to the already existing modules that would be perfect.
Sure you can. You can use Grunt or Gulp to do that, more specifically grunt-contrib-concat or gulp-concat
Here's an example of a Gruntfile.js configuration to concat every file under a js directory:
grunt.initConfig({
concat: {
dist: {
files: {
'dist/built.js': ['js/**/**.js'],
},
},
},
});
Also, you can minify everything after concatenating, using grunt-contrib-minify.
Both libraries support source maps so, in the case a bug gets to production, you can easily debug.
You can also minify your HTML files using grunt-contrib-htmlmin.
There's also an extremely useful library called grunt-usemin. Usemin let's you use HTML comments to "control" which files get minified (so you don't have to manually add them).
The drawback is that you have to explicitely include them in your HTML via script tags, so no async loading via javascript (with RequireJS for instance).
Additionally, if I do manage to build a single file, should I include the open source libraries in it (jQuery, Angular.js, etc.) or request them from an external cdn on the client side?
That's debatable. Both have pros and cons. Concatenating vendors assures that, if for some reason, the CDN isn't available, your page works as intended. However the file served is bigger so you consume more bandwidth.
In my personal experience, I tend to include vendor libraries that are absolutely essential for the page to run such as AngularJS for instance.
If I understand you correctly, you could use a task runner such as Grunt to concatenate the files for you.
Have a look at the Grunt Concat plugin.
Example configuration from the docs:
// Project configuration.
grunt.initConfig({
concat: {
dist: {
src: ['src/intro.js', 'src/project.js', 'src/outro.js'],
dest: 'dist/built.js',
}
}
});
Otherwise, as you have stated, a 'module loader' system such as Require JS or Browserify may be the way to go.

How to include minified library version in RequireJS optimization

My situation is as follows:
My project based on RequireJS.
I am using RequireJS Optimizer for to create a single JS file.
Some of the module use a certain third party library as a dependency.
The third party is NOT included in the optimized file (libName: empty
in the build config).
RequireJS is configured through var require = {} object which appears
on EACH PAGE, right above the RequireJS. The object defines a path to
the unminifed version of the library, among other things.
What i'd like to achieve:
Use the same config file in both development and production (the require={} object is included with tag on each page). During development I'd like modules to use the UNMINIFIED version of the third party.However, after optimization occurs, i would like all the modules to use the minified version of that third party.
I did think of a solution in theory, but it seems a bit messy and Im hopeful cleaner solution exists:
To have the runtime config point to unminified version
var require = {
paths:{
'thirdParty':'lib/thirdParty'
}
}
Create a module which execute (lets call it "PathRewrite" Module):
requirejs.config({
paths:{
'thirdParty':'lib/thirdParty.min'
}
})
In runtime configuration, define path to "PathRewrite" as empty
var require = {
paths:{
'thirdParty':'lib/thirdParty',
'PathRewrite':'empty'
}
}
In the build configuration file define a real Path to "PathRewrite" in order for it to be included in the "main" file (concatenated file after build).
Include "PathRewrite" as a dependency of a module which is executed first.
What I hope that will happen is that during dev, when optimized file is not used, PathRewrite is will not be used, hence the path to unminified third party in the runtime config will be used.
When the project is optimized, PathRewrite will be included and executed. According to RequireJS documentation, it is possible to run RequireJS configuration twice and the configuration will be appended/overwritten. PathRewrite execution will overwrite the path to "thirdParty" to minified, which will thus be used by all the modules.
Hopefully i've provided enough information. I'd be glad hear of other ways to get this done. Thanks in advance.
This topic appears to have been explored a bit in this answer:
Loading min.js files Generated by TypeScript with Require
Don't let the title discourage you. Typescript is not the core issue of the question being answered there. Unfortunately, the discussion reveals that the RequireJS optimizer may be the only way to get decent minification to work, as it seems incapable of selecting alternate paths properly.
Why don't you want to use inbuilt RequireJs optimizer? You may just include this option
optimize : "uglify2"
and all your and third-party code will be minified after concatenation. In this case you don't need to use minified versions of third-party libraries.

how to minify js files in order via grunt-contrib-uglify?

I have a directory like below:
/folder/b.js
/folder/jQuery.js
/folder/a.js
/folder/sub/c.js
I want to minify all these js files in one js file in order:
jQuery.js -> a.js -> b.js -> c.js
Q:
1.How can I do it via grunt-contrib-uglify?(In fact, there are lots of files, it is impractical to specify all source filepaths individually)
2.btw, How can I get unminified files when debug and get minified single file when release and no need to change script tag in html(and how to write the script tag)?
Good questions!
1) Uglify will reorder the functions in the destination file so that function definitions are on top and function execution on bottom but it seems that it will preserve the order of the function executions.
This means that the function jQuery runs to define its global functions will be put first if you make sure jQuery is mentioned first in Uglify's config in the Gruntfile.
I use this config:
uglify: {
options: {
sourceMap: true
},
build: {
files: {
'public/all.min.js': ['public/js/vendor/jquery-1.10.2.min.js', 'public/js/*.js'],
}
}
}
2) I don't think there is one definite way to accomplish this. It depends on what web framework, templating framework and what kind of requirements you have. I use express + jade and in my main jade layout I have:
if process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production'
script(src='/all.min.js')
else
script(src='/js/vendor/jquery-1.10.2.min.js')
script(src='/js/someScript.js')
script(src='/js/otherScript.js')
In my package.json I have:
"scripts": {
"postinstall": "grunt"
},
This means that when I run npm install on deploy (on Heroku) grunt is run to minify/concat files and when the app is started with NODE_ENV=production the minified client side javascript is used. Locally I get served the original client side javascripts for easy debugging.
The two downsides are:
I have to keep the two lists of script files in sync (in the Gruntfile and in the layout.js) I solve this by using *.js in the Gruntfile but this may not suite everyone. You could put the list of javascripts in the Gruntfile and create a jade-template from this but it seems overkill for most projects.
If you don't trust your Grunt config you basically have to test running the application using NODE_ENV=production locally to verify that the minification worked the way you intended.
This can be done using the following Grunt tasks:
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt-contrib-concat concatenates
files
https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt-contrib-uglify minifies
concatenated files
EDIT
I usually run all my files through a Grunt concatenation task using grunt-contrib-concat. Then I have another task to uglify the concatenated file using grunt-contrib-uglify.
You're probably not going to like this, but the best way is to define your js source files as AMD modules and use Requirejs to manage the order in which they load. The grunt-contrib-requirejs task will recurse your dependency tree and concatenate the js files in the necessary order into one big js file. You will then use uglify (actually r.js has uglify built-in) to minify the big file.
https://github.com/danheberden/yeoman-generator-requirejs has a good example gruntfile and template js files to work from.
EDIT
I've recently started using CommonJS modules instead of AMD since it's much closer to the ES6 module spec. You can achieve the same results (1 big complied+concatenated js file) by running commonjs modules through Browserify. There are plugins for both grunt and gulp to manage the task for you.
EDIT
I'd like to add that if your site is written using ES6 that Rollup is the best new concatenating package. In addition to bundling your files, it will also perform tree shaking, removing parts of libraries you use if included via an import statement. This reduces your codebase to just what you need without the bloat of code you'll never use.
I don't think you can do this with the uglify task alone, but you have a multitude of choices which might lead to your desired outcome.
A possible workflow would be first concatenating (grunt-contrib-concat) the files in order into one single file, and put this concatenated file through uglify. You can either define the order for concat in your Gruntfile, or you use on of those plugins:
First one would be https://github.com/yeoman/grunt-usemin, where you can specify the order in your HTML file, put some comments around your script block. The Google guys made it and it's pretty sweet to use.
Second one would be https://github.com/trek/grunt-neuter, where you can define some dependencies with require, but without the bulk of require.js. It requires changes in your JS code, so might not like it. I'd go with option one.
I ran into the same issue. A quick fix is just to change the filenames - I used 1.jquery.min.js, 2.bootstrap.min.js, etc.
This might be only remotely related to your question but I wanted something similar. Only my order was important in the following way:
I was loading all vendor files (angular, jquery, and their respective related plugins) with a wildcard (['vendor/**/*.js']). But some plugins had names that made them load before angular and jquery. A solution is to manually load them first.
['vendor/angular.js', 'vendor/jquery.js', 'vendor/**/*.js]
Luckily angular and jquery handle being loaded twice well enough. Edit: Although it's not really the best practice to load such large libraries twice, causing your minified file unnecessary bloat. (thanks #Kano for pointing this out!)
Another issue was client-js the order was important in a way that it required the main app file to be loaded last, after all its dependencies have been loaded. Solution to that was to exclude and then include:
['app/**/*.js', '!app/app.js', 'app/app.js']
This prevents app.js from being loaded along with all the other files, and only then includes it at the end.
Looks like the second part of your question is still unanswered. But let me try one by one.
Firstly you can join and uglify a large number of js files into one as explained by the concat answer earlier. It should also be possible to use https://github.com/gruntjs/grunt-contrib-uglify because it does seem to have wildcards. You may have to experiment with 'expand = true' option and wildcards. That takes care of your first question.
For the second part, say you joined and uglified into big-ugly.js
Now in your html you can add following directives:
<!-- build:js:dist big-ugly.js -->
<script src="js1.js"></script>
<script src="js2.js"></script>
<!-- etc etc -->
<script src="js100.js"></script>
<!-- /build -->
And then pass it through the grunt html preprocessor at https://www.npmjs.com/package/grunt-processhtml as part of your grunt jobs.
This preprocessor will replace the entire block with
<script src="big-ugly.js"></script>
Which means that the html file with be semantically equivalent - before and after the grunt jobs; i.e. if the page works correctly in the native form (for debugging) - then the transformed page must work correctly after the grunt - without requiring you to manually change any tags.
This was #1469's answer but he didn't make it clear why this works. Use concat to put all js files into one, this module does this in the order of file names, so I put a prefix to the file names based on orders. I believe it even has other options for ordering.
concat: {
js: {
options: {
block: true,
line: true,
stripBanners: true
},
files: {
'library/dist/js/scripts.js' : 'library/js/*.js',
}
}
},
Then use uglify to create the minified ugly version:
uglify: {
dist: {
files: {
'library/dist/js/scripts.min.js': [
'library/js/scripts.js'
]
},
options: {
}
}
},
If your problem was that you had vendors which needed to be loaded in order (let's say jquery before any jquery plugins). I solved it by putting jquery in its own folder called '!jquery', effectively putting it on top of the stack.
Then I just used concat as you normally would:
concat: {
options: {
separator: ';',
},
build: {
files: [
{
src: ['js/vendor/**/*.js', 'js/main.min.js'],
dest: 'js/global.min.js'
}
]
}
},

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