Guide on Developing a JavaScript Library

Question

Guide on Developing a JavaScript Library

After creating several JavaScript functions, I noticed that I tend to use them across multiple projects. This prompted me to take things a step further and develop a small JavaScript Library specifically for my coding needs.

Similar to popular libraries like react, react-dom, and jquery, I envisioned being able to install my library via npm using the command:

npm install <my-personal-library>

As I delved into the process further, I discovered that I could utilize

npm publish <my-personal-library

, but was uncertain about how to properly format my library and its functions in order to effectively use and install them as an npm package.

In addition, the concept of creating type definitions for my functions and library - akin to @types/react - is completely foreign to me. Any guidance on this front would be greatly appreciated!

javascript npm package node-modules npm-publish

Answer 1

Answer №1

To set up your package on a computer, you need to establish a command line interface (CLI) package within the npm module.

  import { Command } from "commander";
  import open from "open";

  // [] denotes optional
  // <> denotes required value
  export const serveCommand = new Command()
    .command("serve [filename]")
    .description("Add a description")
    .option("-p, --port <number>", "port to run server on", "4005")
    .option("-v, --version", "show version", version, "")
    .action(async (filename = "main.js", options: { port: string }) => {
      try {
        open("http://localhost:4005");
      } catch (error: any) {
        if (error.code === "EADDRINUSE") {
          console.error("Port is in use. Try running on a different port");
        } else {
          console.log("Issue: ", error.message);
        }
        process.exit(1);
      }
    });

To execute the CLI code, place this code in your main file:

#!/usr/bin/env node
import { program } from "commander";
import { serveCommand } from "./commands/serve";

program.addCommand(serveCommand);

program.parse(process.argv);

If you have multiple sub-packages with their own package.json, ensure they are listed as dependencies to communicate between them. For example, if you need to use the CLI package within your main package, include it in the dependencies section of your package.json like so:
```
"dependencies": {
    "@my-npm-package/cli": "^1.0.15",
    "express": "^4.17.1",
}
```
To organize different sub-packages, assign them to an "organization", also known as creating scoped packages such as "@types/cors" and "@types/express".

Declaring Scoped Packages

In the npm page, click on "Add organization" on the right side.
Choose a unique name for your organization.
Update the dependency names in each package's package.json file.
Manage packages effectively.

Utilize Lerna to handle all npm packages efficiently, especially when dealing with multi-project packages. Lerna, Yarn, Npm, Bolt, and Luigi are tools available for managing multi-package projects.

Answer 2

To set up your package on a computer, you need to establish a command line interface (CLI) package within the npm module.

  import { Command } from "commander";
  import open from "open";

  // [] denotes optional
  // <> denotes required value
  export const serveCommand = new Command()
    .command("serve [filename]")
    .description("Add a description")
    .option("-p, --port <number>", "port to run server on", "4005")
    .option("-v, --version", "show version", version, "")
    .action(async (filename = "main.js", options: { port: string }) => {
      try {
        open("http://localhost:4005");
      } catch (error: any) {
        if (error.code === "EADDRINUSE") {
          console.error("Port is in use. Try running on a different port");
        } else {
          console.log("Issue: ", error.message);
        }
        process.exit(1);
      }
    });

To execute the CLI code, place this code in your main file:

#!/usr/bin/env node
import { program } from "commander";
import { serveCommand } from "./commands/serve";

program.addCommand(serveCommand);

program.parse(process.argv);

If you have multiple sub-packages with their own package.json, ensure they are listed as dependencies to communicate between them. For example, if you need to use the CLI package within your main package, include it in the dependencies section of your package.json like so:
```
"dependencies": {
    "@my-npm-package/cli": "^1.0.15",
    "express": "^4.17.1",
}
```
To organize different sub-packages, assign them to an "organization", also known as creating scoped packages such as "@types/cors" and "@types/express".

Declaring Scoped Packages

In the npm page, click on "Add organization" on the right side.
Choose a unique name for your organization.
Update the dependency names in each package's package.json file.
Manage packages effectively.

Utilize Lerna to handle all npm packages efficiently, especially when dealing with multi-project packages. Lerna, Yarn, Npm, Bolt, and Luigi are tools available for managing multi-package projects.

Answer 3

Answer №2

Guidelines for Sharing Your Library

To learn how to publish your library, refer to the official npm documentation which provides detailed instructions on creating nodejs package modules: https://docs.npmjs.com/creating-node-js-modules

In essence, you will need a JavaScript module file (e.g., test.js) that exports functionality using the exports keyword, as shown below:

exports.printMsg = function() {
  console.log("This is a message from the demo package");
}

After defining and exporting your module, publish it using the command npm publish (include --access public for public visibility). To use the package in your project, install it with

npm install <your-module-name>

Regarding Type Definitions

If you are working with TypeScript, the link provided below offers valuable insights into generating declaration files from JavaScript code: https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/declaration-files/dts-from-js.html

Answer 4

Guidelines for Sharing Your Library

To learn how to publish your library, refer to the official npm documentation which provides detailed instructions on creating nodejs package modules: https://docs.npmjs.com/creating-node-js-modules

In essence, you will need a JavaScript module file (e.g., test.js) that exports functionality using the exports keyword, as shown below:

exports.printMsg = function() {
  console.log("This is a message from the demo package");
}

After defining and exporting your module, publish it using the command npm publish (include --access public for public visibility). To use the package in your project, install it with

npm install <your-module-name>

Regarding Type Definitions

If you are working with TypeScript, the link provided below offers valuable insights into generating declaration files from JavaScript code: https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/declaration-files/dts-from-js.html

Answer 5

Answer №3

If you're looking to develop JS libraries, I strongly suggest exploring 'jslib-base' as a valuable resource (https://github.com/yanhaijing/jslib-base). This scaffold can streamline and enhance your JS library development experience!

Answer 6

If you're looking to develop JS libraries, I strongly suggest exploring 'jslib-base' as a valuable resource (https://github.com/yanhaijing/jslib-base). This scaffold can streamline and enhance your JS library development experience!

Guide on Developing a JavaScript Library

Answer №1

Declaring Scoped Packages

Answer №2

Answer №3

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