extract-text-webpack-plugin's Introduction

extract text plugin for webpack

Usage example with css

var ExtractTextPlugin = require("extract-text-webpack-plugin");
module.exports = {
	module: {
		loaders: [
			{ test: /\.css$/, loader: ExtractTextPlugin.extract("style-loader", "css-loader") }
		]
	},
	plugins: [
		new ExtractTextPlugin("styles.css")
	]
}

It moves every require("style.css") in entry chunks into a separate css output file. So your styles are no longer inlined into the javascript, but separate in a css bundle file (styles.css). If your total stylesheet volume is big, it will be faster because the stylesheet bundle is loaded in parallel to the javascript bundle.

Advantages:

Fewer style tags (older IE has a limit)
CSS SourceMap (with devtool: "sourcemap")
CSS requested in parallel
CSS cached separate
Faster runtime (less code and DOM operations)

Caveats:

Additional HTTP request
Longer compilation time
Complexer configuration
No runtime public path modification

API

new ExtractTextPlugin([id: string], filename: string, [options])

id Unique ident for this plugin instance. (For advanded usage only)
filename the filename of the result file. May contain [name].
options
- allChunks extract all chunks (by default only initial chunks)

ExtractTextPlugin.extract([notExtractLoader], loader)

Creates an extracting loader from a existing loader.

notExtractLoader (optional) the loader(s) that should be used when the css is not extracted (i. e. in a additional chunk when allChunks: false)
loader the loader(s) that should be used for converting the resource to a css exporting module.

There is also a extract function on the instance. You should use this if you have more than one ExtractTextPlugin.