electron-rabbit
v1.0.3
Published
Simple inter process communication to speed up your electron apps.
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electron-rabbit
Simple inter process communication to speed up your electron apps.
Why?
Read this post by @jlongster to learn why you would use this.
Setup
See example/app.js
for a working example.
In short, include background.js in a <script>
tag in your background.html
.
const serverHandlers = require('./my-app-ipc')
const rabbit = require('electron-rabbit')
const { ipcRenderer } = require('electron')
ipcRenderer.on('set-socket', (event, { name }) => {
rabbit.init(name, serverHandlers)
})
Include client-preload.js in the preload
of your client window.
const rabbit = require('electron-rabbit')
window.middlewareClient = new rabbit.Client()
ipcRenderer.on('set-socket', (event, { name }) => {
window.middlewareClient.connect(name)
})
Usage
Client -> Background -> Client
Send ipc messages from the frontend to the background window process and get a callback when complete.
example/my-app-ipc.js
var handlers = {}
handlers['start-a-long-running-process'] = async function () {
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
console.log('starting second long running process')
resolve()
})
}
module.exports = handlers
client.js
var ipc = window.middlewareClient
ipc.send('start-a-long-running-process', 'my-argument', function (err) {
if (err) console.error(err)
console.log('second long running process done!')
})
Background -> Client
Send messages asyncrously from the background window to the client.
example/my-app-ipc.js
const ipc = require('electron-rabbit')
ipc.send('something-to-frontend', 'done with first long running process!')
client.js
var ipc = window.middlewareClient
ipc.on('something-to-frontend', function (arg) {
console.log('got thing! now i'm re-rendering', arg)
})
API
client = electron-rabbit.Client()
Create a client api that can interact with the background ipc. This client can be created in the electron main or renderer processes.
Example usage
var client = new rabbit.Client()
client.connect(socketName)
ipc.send('start-second-long-running-process', 'my-argument', function (err) {
if (err) console.error(err)
console.log('second long running process done!')
})
ipc.on('something-to-frontend', function (arg) {
console.log('got thing!', arg)
})
Messages are kept in a queue which is drained once a connection is established.
electron-rabbit.init(socketName, handlers)
Create the background ipc handlers.
Arguments:
- socketName: string
- handlers: Object of String -> Handler. Handler should be an asyncronous function that returns a Promise.
electron-rabbit.send(name, args)
Send an event with the given name and arguments from the background to the client.
electron-rabbit.findOpenSocket(namespace)
Finds you an open socket if you're having more than one application instance or ipc instance open at the same time.
Credit
Inspired by https://github.com/jlongster/electron-with-server-example
License
MIT