I want to create an object that would import functions from another folder and it would look something like this:
class = {
functions: {
//All functions here
}
}
The functions would be inside of a different folder, however, I want to make some sort of importer in which it would make new classes for each new function/file it finds inside of the folder.
someFunction.js
Function File:
function someFunction() {
console.log("this is some function");
}
So I would like for something to look like this:
class.functions.someFunction()
No, I do not want to have it hard coded into the object, I want to import all functions from a folder and create functions like that.
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Answer
Well, first I wan’t to answer your question as I think you want, even if I also think it is not the correct way to proceed.
I’ll also assume that with class
you are not referring to an actual ES6 Class, but we are talking about a plain object.
So this is the code:
const fs = require('fs');
const path = require('path');
function importer(dirPath) {
const absoluteDirPath = path.normalize(
path.isAbsolute(dirPath)
? dirPath
: path.resolve(process.cwd(), dirPath)
);
const output = {
functions: {}
};
const content = fs.readdirSync(path.normalize(absoluteDirPath));
content.forEach((basename) => {
const absoluteItemPath = path.join(absoluteDirPath, basename);
if (fs.statSync(absoluteItemPath).isFile() && /.js$/i.test(basename)) {
output.functions[basename.slice(-3)] = require(path.relative(
__dirname,
absoluteItemPath
));
}
});
return output;
}
module.exports = importer;
For this to work, all your functions in your files should be exported like:
module.exports = function myFunction() {};
To use the ‘importer’, you just do:
const artemis = importer('/path/to/directory'); // PATH MUST BE ABSOLUTE OR RELATIVE TO CWD.
/*
SUPPOSING THAT YOUR DIRECTORY CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING FILES:
function1.js
function2.js
Then you can do:
artemis.function1();
artemis.function2();
Please note that your files must be named in a JS friendly way (a valid string for an object key).
*/
A final important note about this odd method: This will only ever work in a NodeJS environment. Even if functions could have worked in other environments (like a browser). The next method, will work for any ECMAScript environment after proper building process: transpilation (EX: Babel) and bundling (EX: Webpack).
Suggested Solution
Use ES6 Static import / export like modern JS libraries do. This comes with huge benefits, from static code analysis to tree shaking and more.
Let’s suppose the following hierarchy:
// - index.js
// - internals/
// - index.js
// - module-1.js
// - module-2.js
internals/module-1.js
function module1() {}
export {module1};
internals/module-2.js
import {module1} from 'module-1.js';
function module2() {
// YOU CAN USE module1 IF YOU NEED. (AVOID CIRCULAR REFERENCES)
module1();
}
export {module2};
internals/index.js
import {module1} from './module-1.js';
import {module2} from './module-2.js';
export {module1, module2};
index.js
import * as moduleGroup from './internals/index.js';
export {moduleGroup};
Finally, where you import your moduleGroup
, you can do:
moduleGroup.module1();
moduleGroup.module2();
Obviously this is a basic scenario, but this is, IMHO, the correct way to deliver a group of functions and other stuff. Please let me know if you have any doubt.