Reader

Creates CloudCannon build information for sites made with any static site generator.

This tool runs after your SSG build, reading your configuration to find pages, collections, and data files to create a JSON file used to automatically integrate the site with CloudCannon. This JSON file is written to _cloudcannon/info.json.

• Installation
• Configuration
• Documentation
  • Source
  • Output
  • Data
  • Collections
  • CloudCannon
• Parsers
• Development
• License

Installation

You don't have to install anything when building on CloudCannon. This tool is automatically installed before your site is built. This gives you the latest support, new features, and fixes as they are released.

If required, you can install the tool manually to test the integration and diagnose issues.

npm install --global @cloudcannon/reader

This gives you access to the cloudcannon-reader binary.

To generate a JSON file at _cloudcannon/info.json:

$ cloudcannon-reader

To print usage details:

$ cloudcannon-reader --help

Usage
  $ cloudcannon-reader [options]

Options
  --version     Print the current version
  --config, -c  Use a specific configuration file
  --output, -o  Write to a different location than .
  --quiet, -q   Disable logging

Environment
  CLOUDCANNON_CONFIG_PATH  Use a specific configuration file

Examples
  $ cloudcannon-reader --config "cloudcannon.dev.config.json"
  $ cloudcannon-reader --output "public"
  $ CLOUDCANNON_CONFIG_PATH=src/cloudcannon.config.js cloudcannon-reader

Configuration

Configuration files should be in the root directory (or the same directory you run cloudcannon-reader). The first supported file found in this order is used:

• cloudcannon.config.json
• cloudcannon.config.yaml
• cloudcannon.config.yml
• cloudcannon.config.js
• cloudcannon.config.cjs

Alternatively, use a specific file with the CLOUDCANNON_CONFIG_PATH environment variable or the --config command line option:

$ CLOUDCANNON_CONFIG_PATH=src/cloudcannon.config.js cloudcannon-reader
$ cloudcannon-reader --config "src/cloudcannon.config.js"

Your global CloudCannon configuration is set in this file as well, as it's used as a base to generate _cloudcannon/info.json (used to integrate your site with CloudCannon).

Example content for cloudcannon.config.cjs:

module.exports = {
  // Global CloudCannon configuration
  _inputs: {
    title: {
      type: 'text',
      comment: 'The title of your page.'
    }
  },
  _select_data: {
    colors: ['Red', 'Green', 'Blue']
  },

  // Read from ./src instead of .
  source: 'src',

  // Write to ./output/_cloudcannon/info.json instead of ./_cloudcannon/info.json
  output: 'output',

  // Populates the sidebar navigation and provides metadata for the editor
  collections_config: {
    people: {
      // Reads the contents of each file in this directory
      path: 'content/people',

      // The URL template for items in this collection
      url: '/people/{department|slugify}/[slug]/',

      // Tells CloudCannon this collection produces output files
      output: true

      // CloudCannon collection-level configuration
      name: 'Personnel',
      _enabled_editors: ['data']
    },
    posts: {
      // Reads the contents of each file in this directory
      path: '_posts',

      // How to parse the files in this collection
      parser: 'front-matter',

      // The URL function for items in this collection
      url: (filePath, parsed, { filters }) => {
        const year = new Date(parsed.date).getFullYear();
        const slug = filters.slugify(parsed.title || '');
        return `/posts/${year}/${slug}/`;
      },

      // Tells CloudCannon this collection produces output files
      output: true
    },
    pages: {
      // Tells CloudCannon to navigate to this path for this collection
      path: '',

      // Limits files read to these patterns (relative to path)
      glob: ['**/*.md', '*.html'],

      // Tells CloudCannon to only show successfully parsed files for this collection
      // Useful for excluding other collections when using '' as path
      filter: 'strict',

      // Tells CloudCannon this collection produces output files
      output: true
    },
    data: {
      // Reads the contents of each file in this directory
      path: 'data',

      // How to parse the files in this collection
      parser: (filePath, raw, { parsers, filters }) => {
        const parsed = parsers['front-matter'].parse(raw);
        const slug = filters.slugify(parsed.title || '');
        return { ...data, slug };
      }
    }
  },

  // Generates the data for select and multiselect inputs matching these names
  data_config: {
    authors: {
      // Reads the contents of this file
      path: 'data/authors.csv'
    },
    offices: {
      // Reads the contents of each file in this directory
      path: 'data/offices',
      parser: 'json'
    }
  }
};

Documentation

The _cloudcannon/info.json file is initially populated with the contents of your configuration. cloudcannon-reader then generates values for collections, data, time, version, and cloudcannon.

Source

The source settings changes where to read from another folder. The path value for collection items is relative to source. Defaults to '.'.

Output

The output settings changes where to write the _cloudcannon folder containing info.json. Defaults to '.'.

Data

The data_config defines how data files should be read and parsed into the JSON representation. Defaults to {}.

{
  "data_config": {
    "locations": {
      "path": "data/locations.csv"
    },
    "offices": {
      "path": "data/offices",
      "parser": "front-matter"
    }
  }
}

The available keys in each data set configuration are:

The path is a reference to either:

• The top-most folder where the files in this data set are stored.
• The file containing the data.

Both options are relative to source.

The parser field should state which Parser you want to use to read the file or files in this data set.

Collections

The collections_config object defines how collections and their files should be read and parsed into the JSON representation. Defaults to {}.

{
  "collections_config": {
    "posts": {
      "path": "content/posts",
      "parser": "yaml",
      "url": "/posts/{category|slugify}/[slug].html"
    }
  }
}

Matches the collection-level configuration format for CloudCannon, which is also set here (e.g. name, _enabled_editors, add_options).

The keys available in each collection configuration are:

The path is the top-most folder where the files in this collection are stored. It is relative to source.

The glob is a string or array of strings containing patterns to filter the files parsed into this collection. Globs are relative to path. Patterns are matched with picomatch. If set as an array, files only have to match one glob pattern to be parsed.

glob: ['**/*.md', '**/*.html'] // All .md and .html files

This is used to find files instead of path, but path is still required as a base path for the collection.

• './src/*.md' matches .md files in the src folder.
• '**/*.html' matches .html files in any folder or subfolder.
• ['**/*.md', './pages/*.html'] matches .md files in any folder, or .html files in the pages folder.

The url is used to build the url field for items in the collection. Similar to permalink in many SSGs. Can be a string or a function. Defaults to ''.

Functions are are supported with .js or .cjs files. Given file path, parsed file content and an object with filters, the buildUrl function and the collection_config entry as arguments. The return value should be the slash-prefixed URL string.

url: (filePath, content, { filters, buildUrl, collectionConfig }) => {
  if (content.permalink) {
    // Returns a lower case permalink front matter field
    return filters.lowercase(content.permalink);
  }

  // Falls back to processing a default url template
  // Takes filePath, content, and a collections_config entry
  return buildUrl(filePath, content, { ...collectionsConfig, url: '/[slug]/' });
}

Strings are used as a template to build the URL. There are two types of placeholders available, file and data. Placeholders resulting in empty values are supported. Sequential slashes in URLs are condensed to one.

url: '/blog/{date|year}/[slug]/'

File placeholders are always available, and provided by cloudcannon-reader:

• [path] is the full path of the file, relative to source.
• [base_path] is the path of the file excluding filename, relative to site source.
• [slug] is the filename, excluding extension. Is an empty string if this results in "index".
• [filename] is the filename, including extension.
• [ext] is the last extension, including ..
• [relative_path] is the full path of the file, relative to the collection path.
• [relative_base_path] is the path of the file excluding filename, relative to the collection path.
• [full_slug] is an alias for [relative_base_path]/[slug]

Data placeholders are populated from front matter or data values in the file, and support a number of filters:

• {title} is the title from inside the file.
• {id} is the id from inside the file.
• {title|lowercase} is title from inside the file, lower cased.
• {category|slugify} is category from inside the file, slugified.
• {tag|slugify|uppercase} is tag from inside the file, slugified, then upper cased.
• {date|year} is date from inside the file, with the 4-digit year extracted.
• {date|month} is date from inside the file, with the 2-digit month extracted.
• {date|day} is date from inside the file, with the 2-digit day extracted.

The parser field should state which Parser you want to use to read the files in this collection.

parser: 'front-matter'

CloudCannon

Set global CloudCannon configuration as top level keys in your cloudcannon-reader configuration and they'll be copied across to _cloudcannon/info.json.

CloudCannon then reads these in the app and applies them to your editing interface. These include:

• collection_groups
• editor
• source_editor
• _enabled_editors
• _inputs
• _editables
• _select_data
• _structures

Parsers

Parsers define how cloudcannon-reader processes your files into the JSON written to info.json. You can set the parser for data and collections under data_config and collections_config.

These are the available parsers and default file extensions covered:

• csv (.csv)
• front-matter (.md, .mkd, .markdown, .html, .htm)
• json (.json)
• properties (.properties)
• toml (.toml)
• yaml (.yaml, .yml)

Functions are are supported with .js or .cjs files. Given file path, raw file content and an object with parsers and filters as arguments. The return value should be an object representing this file.

cloudcannon-reader exits in error if no suitable parser is found.

Development

Install dependencies:

$ npm i

Run tests:

$ npm test
$ npm run test:watch
$ npm run test:coverage

Lint code:

$ npm run lint

Link this package locally to test it on a site folder, then run it within your site folder:

$ npm link
$ cd ../my-ssg-site
$ cloudcannon-reader

License

ISC