locreq
v2.4.1
Published
Require local modules without all that '../../../' BS
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Readme
locreq
locreq
is an answer to the problem of requiring local paths in Node.js. It allows you to easily require modules by specifying their paths relative to your project root, not relative to the file they're require
d from.
Assume the following directory structure:
- lib
- collectionA
- moduleA1.js
- moduleA2.js
- collectionB
- collectionB1
- moduleB1a.js
Now, to require module A2.js
from module B1a.js
, using regular require
:
require("../../collectionA/moduleA2.js");
There are a few problems with the above example:
- it has a high cognitive overhead;
- when you move the
B1a.js
file, you have to update the argument torequire
; - it's hard to search for all files that require the
A2
module.
With locreq
, it's easier:
const locreq = require("locreq")(__dirname);
locreq("lib/collectionA/moduleA2.js");
If you have lots of dependencies, locreq
can really make a difference.
Installation & usage
To install locreq
, use:
npm install --save locreq
To use the module, require it like so:
const locreq = require("locreq")(__dirname);
The (__dirname);
part is very important, don't forget it!
Next, simply use locreq
instead of require
for your local modules, giving a path relative to the root of your package (that is, relative to the directory where the package.json
of your project is):
var moduleA = locreq("lib/my-modules/moduleA.js");
Similar to regular require
, you can also use the locreq.resolve
method:
const module_path = locreq.resolve("lib/my-modules/moduleA.js"); //returns the absolute path to the module
How does it work?
locreq
goes up the directory hierarchy, parent directory by parent directory- Once it finds a
package.json
it stops the search and treats the directory as the root directory of the package - It then performs a regular
require
on a path that's resolved from combining the package root directory and the path given as an argument, and then returns that.
Advantages
- it works even if your package is
require
d by a different package (which is not the case for therequire.main.require
trick); - it doesn't mess with the global scope;
- it doesn't need changes in environment variables;
- it doesn't need any additional start-up scripts;
- it doesn't overwrite the default
require
behavior.