potato-assets v1.0.0

potato-assets

sprockets inspired node potatoes

example

var express = require("express"),
    potato  = require("potato-assets").instance,
    pat     = require("path"),
    app     = express();

//add directory to render path
potato.use(path.resolve(__dirname, "assets"));

//change bundle root from /assets to /potatoes
//resulting bundle will be /potatoes/[hash].application.bundle
potato.root = "/potatoes";

//if development
app.configure("development", function() {
  //watch for file changes
  potato.watch();
  //don't minify
  potato.minify = false;
});

//runtime render bundles, return middleware
app.use(potato.render());

app.listen(8080);

info

Potato Assets uses a modular building system, it allows you to add new and remove existing handlers at runtime. It works in two sets, bundles and renderers.

For example, I have the file example.js.ls, the library will look for the handler for the "ls" extension, within the bundle for the "js" extension if "ls" isn't a bundle itself.

existing handlers and requirements

The following modules will be loaded if all requirements are met for that specific handler*

• .js
  • no requirements
  • .js.ls
    • LiveScript (npm)
  • .js.coffee, .js.cs
    • coffee-script (npm)
• .css
  • no requirements
  • .css.less
    • less (npm)
  • .css.sass, .css.scss
    • node-sass (npm)
• .jst
  • no base handler
  • .jst.jade
    • jade (npm)
  • .jst.ejs
    • ejs (npm)
  • .jst.handlebars, .jst.hbs
    • handlebars (npm)

* example: i have jade installed but not ejs or handlebars, only the jade handler gets loaded, but not the ejs or handlebars handler

custom handlers

Any Potato Assets instance will have three variables,

instance.handlers;
instance.bundles;
instance.mime;

If you want to add a new bundle you need to add variables to all three dictionaries.

instance.handlers.example = function(filename, data, callback) {
  return callback(error, data);
};

instance.bundles.example = "application.example";

instance.mime.example = "text/plain";

would create a new bundle called application.example and is available under the POTATO_ASSETS.example local

However, if you want to add a new renderer to a preexisting bundle, you would have to add a renderer with the key to the base function, as example.

instance.handlers.jst.jsx = function(filename, data, callback) {
  return callback(filename, data);
}

The above code would allow for example.jst.jsx to be rendered into application.jst

Alternatively you can use the .addHandler and .removeHandler functions.

instance.addHandler("js.jsx", function(filename, data, callback) {
  return callback(filename, data);
});

instance.addHandler("example", function(filename, data, callback) {
  return callback(filename, data);
}, "application.example", "text/plain");

//override js
instance.addHandler("js", function(filename, data, callback) {
  return callback(filename, data);
});

//remove cs handler
instance.removeHandler("js.cs");

//remove css base handler
instance.removeHandler("css");

//remove jst entirely
instance.removeHandler("jst", true);

jst

View templates are automatically compiled and bundled into a global dictionary variable called JST under a key relative to the related directory (hopefully)

JST["site/notification"](render arguments)

render locals

Potato Assets adds a variable to res.locals called "POTATO_ASSETS", which is a dictionary relating to POTATO_ASSETSbundle.

<script src="<%= POTATO_ASSETS.js %>"></script>

todo