clinch

YA ComonJS to browser packer tool, well-suited for tiny widgets by small overhead and big app by module replacement, node-environment emulations and multi-exports.

In addition it rapidly compiles the first pass of packaging and has an elegant solution to caching data.

BRAKING CHANGES

1.0.1

A lot of processors moved to separate modules.

It may brake you old bundler and require some changes - add used processor to dependencies, install it and declare via .addPlugin() - see example section.

what in a box?

• .js - just put it to bundle as is
• .json - wrap in module.exports as node do it on require('file.json')

Yes, with version 1.0.1 box fairly empty and the default itself ** clinch ** can only work with these two types of files.

where another processors?

All other processors moved into separate modules. At the moment, the list is as follows:

• clinch.coffee - .coffee - compile to JavaScript
• clinch.eco - .eco - precompile to JavaScript function
• clinch.jade - .jade - precompile it in client-mode way
• clinch.jsx - .jsx - compile React '.jsx' to JavaScript
• clinch.csbx - .csbx - compile '.jsx' on Coffee with backticks to JavaScript (yes, we do it)

Separation of code done in order to provide flexibility in target versions required you to processors. Ie for example, you can continue to use the processor with a version of .csbx ** React ** 0.11.1 for the old project and to take for the new 0.14.1, simply prescribe the right version you react-processor ** clinch ** in your package.json project.

what about my custom template engine?

This possibility almost exists - clinch from 0.2.5 have API for third party processors, but template engine must support template-to-function precompilation.

More info and example - below at description of methods addPlugin() and registerProcessor()

For additional example - see using Handelbars - yap, now Hadlebars supported as add-on.

installation

npm install clinch clinch.coffee

example

#!/usr/bin/env coffee
Clinch           = require 'clinch'
clinch_coffee = require 'clinch.coffee'

packer = new Clinch runtime : on
# register '.coffee' processor
packer.addPlugin clinch_coffee

pack_config = 
  package_name : 'my_package'
  bundle : 
    main : "#{__dirname}/hello_world"
packer.buildPackage pack_config, (err, data) ->
  if err
    console.log 'Builder, err: ', err
  else
    console.log 'Builder, data: \n', data

Content of ./hellow_world

###
This is 'Hello World!' example
###
module.exports = 
  hello_world : -> 'Hello World!'

Now data contain something like this

(function() {
  'use strict';
  
  var dependencies, sources, require, modules_cache = {};
  dependencies = {};

  sources = {
"JPGt0": function(exports, module, require) {
// /Users/meettya/github/clinch/example/hello_world/hello_world.coffee 

/*
This is 'Hello World!' example
 */
module.exports = {
  hello_world: function() {
    return 'Hello World!';
  }
};

}};

if(this.clinch_runtime_v2 == null) {
  throw Error("Resolve clinch runtime library version |2| first!");
}

require = this.clinch_runtime_v2.require_builder.call(this, dependencies, sources, modules_cache);

/* bundle export */
this.my_package = {
  main : require("JPGt0")
};
}).call(this);

And in browser function may be accessed in this way

hello_world = my_package.main.hello_world

API

clinch have minimalistic API

constructor

packer = new Clinch clinch_options

clinch_options - Clinch settings

buildPackage()

packer.buildPackage package_config, cb
# or old form, will be deprecated in new version
packer.buildPackage package_name, package_config, cb

package_name - root bundle package name (like $ for jQuery), remember about name collisions, may be omitted. Will be deprecated in new versions, use package_config.package_name

package_config - package settings

cb - standard callback, all in clinch are async

addPlugin()

packer.addPlugin clinch_plugin

This method allows you to connect plug-ins, in fact being a syntactic sugar to registerProcessor ()

clinch_plugin - plugin-processor for selected files

Example:

# declare plugin in place
econ_plugin = 
  extension : '.econ'
  processor : (file_content, filename, cb) ->
    content = Eco.precompile file_content
    cb null, "module.exports = #{content}"

# add .econ processor
packer.addPlugin econ_plugin

registerProcessor()

packer.registerProcessor file_extention, fn

This method allow to register any file content processor, which will be used to process files with file_extention.

file_extention - file extension to proceed

fn - processor function

Example:

# add .econ processor
packer.registerProcessor '.econ', (file_content, filename, cb) ->
  content = Eco.precompile file_content
  cb null, "module.exports = #{content}"

At now clinch will be compile all required .econ files with this function.

And in module code:

template = require './template' # ./template.econ, extension may be omitted
res = template data # res now is some html-contented string

In fact, similar to the method addPlugin ().

flushCache()

packer.flushCache()

This method will force flush packer cache. As usually clinch flush cache if files changed, but for some rare cases its available to force it.

getPackageFilesList()

packer.getPackageFilesList package_config, cb

This method will return an Array of all files, used in package building process. May be used for custom watch implementation or in other cases

Settings

clinch_options

log           : off  # will add verbose output, but now not realized yet
strict        : on   # knob for 'use strict;' in bundle header
inject        : on   # if changed to 'off' - bundle will not to inject 'package_name' to global
runtime       : off  # use internal boilerplate code, or as external file
cache_modules : on   # by default all resolved by 'require' file will be cached, if you have some problem - turn cache off and notice me

package_config

###
May be omitted. If omitted - inject all bundle members to global OR, if `inject : off` in package settings - make all bundle members local for bundle (it may be usefully in case of widgets with self-detection)
###
package_name : 'bundle_pack_name'

# bundle settings
strict : on   # bundle knob for 'use strict;' in bundle header
inject : on   # if changed to 'off' - bundle will not to inject 'package_name' to global
runtime       : off  # use internal boilerplate code, or as external file
cache_modules : on   # by default all resolved by 'require' file will be cached, if you have some problem - turn cache off and notice me


###
At least one key must be exists
name -> code place
this keys was be exported when script loaded
bundle = 
  main   : function(){...}
  helper : function(){...}

later in code

  main = bundle.main
###

bundle :
  main : './src'
  helper : './src/lib/helper'

###
This is local for code variables, to imitate node.js environment,
or replace somthing
Important - keys will be used as variable name, so any strange things may happened
if it not old plain string, remember it!!!
###
environment :
  process : './node/js-process'
  console : './node_modules/console-shim'

###
This part replace modules with browser-spec one
###
replacement :
  util : './node_modules/js-util'
  lodash : -> @_  # yes, its allowed to use function instead of file (`this` will be pointed to global scoop)

###
this is list of modules, which is not be placed in bungle
###
exclude : [
  'underscore'
]

###
This is list of modules, which we are not check for require in it
save time with huge pre-bulded libraries, like `lodash` or `jquery`
if we are decide to place it in bundle
###
requireless : [
  'lodash'
]

Examples

See example or test dirs.

Also some examples will be available online at clinch_demo.

Also clinch will be used to browser-pack TinyData, see sources and packed lib

See also

Its exists README_ru version of documentation, with more information.

Acknowledgement

Shuvalov Anton

Simakov Konstantin