Cosmos Browserify

Browserify npm dependencies in Meteor packages for client side use.

Example Meteor App
Use in a Meteor Package
Use in a Meteor App
Passing options to Browserify 5. Using transforms

Example Meteor App

Look at cosmos-browserify-example for a complete working Meteor app example. Look at a package in the app to see how to make one.

Use in a Meteor Package

Specify npm modules in your package and browserify them to the client. The variables may be package scoped or app (global) scoped.

Quick Start

For a quick start, copy my functional example package.

1. Create and Add your package

Use standard Meteor package create and add:

$ meteor create --package cosmos:browserify-example
$ meteor add cosmos:browserify-example

2. Create browserify file

Create a JavaScript file requiring the npm modules you want to browserify. The file name must end with browserify.js. NOTE: Due to Meteor Issue #3985 we must put something before the extension, like: client.browserify.js. Example content:

// without var it becomes a package scoped variable
uppercase = require('upper-case');

3. Update package.js

// Specify npm modules
Npm.depends({
  'upper-case':'1.1.2'
});

Package.onUse(function(api) {
  // add package
  api.use(['cosmos:[email protected]'], 'client');

  // add browserify file in step #2 with your package's client files
  api.addFiles(['client.browserify.js', 'your/package/file.js'], 'client');

  // OPTIONAL: make variable app (global) scoped:
  api.export('uppercase', 'client');
});

Exporting to app

As with all other variables in a package the browserified variables are limited to the package scope unless they are exported via api.export() as shown above.

4. Verify success

First, ensure your app is running without errors.

App scoped variable

If you exported a variable to the app scope then you may use it in the browser's JavaScript console.

Package scoped variable

If your variable is package scoped you may still verify it was browserified.

A. Use View Source to see the script tags Meteor is sending to your client.

B. Find your package's script tag and click on it to view its source. For package someuser:somepackage there will be a script tag like this:

<script type="text/javascript" src="/packages/someuser_somepackage.js?a5c324925e5f6e800a4"></script>

C. Find your package's browserify script. If your package was someuser:somepackage and the file named client.browserify.js then you'd look for a block like this:

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// packages/someuser:somepackage/client.browserify.js //
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

D. Ensure the variable you want is in the package scoped area. If you're looking for a variable named uppercase then you'd see this:

/* Package-scope variables */
var uppercase, __coffeescriptShare;

Note: I always use coffeescript, so there's always the __coffeescriptShare there. I'm not sure if it's always there or not.

5. Use variable

In your package's client scripts you have access to all package scoped variables, including those browserified. For example:

console.log("uppercase('some text') = ", uppercase('some text'));

Use in a Meteor App

Specify npm modules in your app and browserify them to the client. The variables will be app (global) scoped.

It is possible to make browserified variables app (global) scoped by exporting them from a package with api.export(). Please see Exporting to App.

1. Enable app npm modules

Meteor doesn't support npm modules at the app level. Fortunately, you can add the ability with the meteorhacks:npm package.

$ meteor add meteorhacks:npm

The first time your app runs (or if it's running when you add the package) it will create a packages.json file in the root of your app. Specify the modules in packages.json. For example:

{
  "upper-case" : "1.1.2"
}

2. Create app browserify file

Create a JavaScript file requiring the npm modules you want to browserify. The name must end with browserify.js. NOTE: Due to Meteor Issue #3985 we must put something before the extension, like: app.browserify.js. For example:

// without var it becomes an app (global) scoped variable
uppercase = require('upper-case');

3. Enable browserify

Add cosmos:browserify:

$ meteor add cosmos:browserify

It will browserify your app.browserify.js file and push it to the client.

4. Verify it worked

In your browser's JavaScript console you can use the variable (uppercase if you followed my example).

Passing options to Browserify

Browserify can be configured with additional options by adding a file with the same name as your .browserify.js file, but with the extension .browserify.options.js.

# example file structure:
- app.browserify.js           # entry point
- app.browserify.options.js   # options

You can use any options that you can pass to the API.

Using transforms

To use a Browserify transform from NPM, add its package to your packages.json as described above; then pass it in the special transform option. This option is an object where the keys are the transform names, and the values are the options that can be passed to that transform.

Below is an example of using the exposify transform to use a global React variable with React Router instead of the React package from NPM.

packages.json

{
  "react-router": "0.13.3",
  "exposify": "0.4.3"
}

app.browserify.js

ReactRouter = require("react-router");

app.browserify.options.json

{
  "transforms": {
    "exposify": {
      "global": true,
      "expose": {
        "react": "React"
      }
    }
  }
}

Transforms in a Package

Make Meteor watch the options file for updates by adding it to the API:

// from example package in cosmos-browserify-example
api.addFiles([
    'client/example.html',    // show some example results
    'client/example.coffee',  // package's Meteor script
    'client.browserify.js',           // browserify file
    'client.browserify.options.json'  // browserify options file
  ],
  'client'
);

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