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Advanced Features
All the advanced features of this loader involve customising the join option.
Jump to the "how to" section -
- How to: change precedence of source locations
- How to: fallback to a theme or other global directory
- How to: fallback to some other asset file
- How to: perform a file-system search for an asset
What is the "join" function?
The "join" function determines how CSS URIs are combined with one of the possible base paths the algorithm has identified.
⚠️ IMPORTANT - First read how the algorithm works.
The "join" function is a higher-order function created using the options and loader reference. That gives a function that accepts a single item and synchronously returns an absolute asset path to substitute back into the original CSS.
(options:{}, loader:{}) =>
(item:{ uri:string, query: string, isAbsolute: boolean, bases:{} }) =>
string | null
Where the bases are absolute directory paths { subString, value, property, selector } per the algorithm. Note that returning null implies no substitution, the original relative uri is retained.
The job of the "join" function is to consider possible locations for the asset based on the bases and determine which is most appropriate. This implies some order of precedence in these locations and some file-system operation to determine if the asset there.
The default implementation is suitable for most users but can be customised per the join option.
A custom join function from scratch is possible but we've provided some building blocks to make the task easier.
Building blocks
There are a number of utilities (defined in lib/join-function/index.js) to help construct a custom "join" function . These are conveniently re-exported as properties of the loader.
These utilities are used to create the defaultJoin as follows.
const {
createJoinFunction,
createJoinImplementation,
defaultJoinGenerator,
} = require('resolve-url-loader');
// create a join function equivalent to "defaultJoin"
const myJoinFn = createJoinFunction(
'myJoinFn',
createJoinImplementation(defaultJoinGenerator),
});
🤓 If you have some very specific behaviour in mind you can specify your own implementation. This gives full control but still gives you debug logging for free.
createJoinFunction = (name:string, implementation: function): function
For each item, the implementation needs to make multiple attempts at locating the asset. It has mixed concerns of itentifying locations to search and then evaluating those locates one by one.
👉 However its recommended to instead use createJoinImplementation to create the implementation using the generator concept.
createJoinImplementation = (generator: function*): function
The generator has the single concern of identifying locations to search. The work of searching these locations is done by createJoinImplementation. Overall this means less boilerplate code for you to write.
Don't worry, you don't need to use function* semantics for the generator unless you want to.
Simple customisation
It is relatively simple to change the precedence of values (from the algorithm) or add further locations to search for an asset. To do this we use createJoinImplementation and write a custom generator.
See the reference or jump directly to the examples.
Reference
The generator identifies [base:string,uri:string] tuples describing locations to search for an asset. It does not return the final asset path.
You may lazily generate tuples as Iterator. Refer to this guide on Iterators and Generators.
generator = function* (item: {}, options: {}, loader: {}): Iterator<[string,string]>
Or it can be simpler to write a function that returns Array and convert it to a generator using asGenerator.
generator = asGenerator( function (item: {}, options: {}, loader: {}): Array<string> )
generator = asGenerator( function (item: {}, options: {}, loader: {}): Array<[string,string]> )
When using asGenerator you may return elements as either base:string or [base:string,uri:string] tuples.
Arguments
itemconsist of -uri: stringis the argument to theurl()as it appears in the source file.query: stringis any query or hash string starting with?or#that suffixes theuriisAbsolute: booleanflag indicates whether the URI is considered an absolute file or root relative path by webpack's definition. Absolute URIs are only processed if therootoption is specified.bases: {}are a hash where the keys are the sourcemap evaluation locations in the algorithm and the values are absolute paths that the sourcemap reports. These directories might not actually exist.
optionsconsist of -- All documented options for the loader.
- Any other values you include in the loader configuration for your own purposes.
loaderconsists of the webpack loader API, useful items include -fs: {}the virtual file-system from Webpack.resourcePath: stringthe source file currently being processed.
- returns an
Iteratorwith elements of[base:string,uri:string]either intrinsically or by usingasGenerator.
FAQ
-
Why a tuple?
The primary pupose of this loader is to find the correct
basepath for youruri. By returning a list of paths to search we can better generatedebuglogging.That said there are cases where you might want to amend the
uri. The solution is to make each element a tuple ofbaseandurirepresenting a potential location to find the asset.If you're interested only in the
basepath and don't intend to vary theurithen theasGeneratorutility saves you having to create repetative tuples (and from usingfunction*semantics). -
Can I vary the
queryusing the tuple?No. We don't support amending the
queryin the final value. If you would like this enhancement please open an issue. -
What about duplicate or falsey elements?
The
createJoinImplementationwill eliminate any invalid elements regardless of whether you useArrayorIterator. This makes it possible to&&elements inline with a predicate value.If you use
ArraythenasGeneratorwill also remove duplicates. -
When should I use
function*?If you need lazy generation of values then you may return
Iteratoror usefunction*semantics. Refer to this guide on Iterators.But in most cases, when the values are known apriori, simply returning
Arrayhas simpler semantics makingasGeneratorpreferable. -
Why is this generator so complicated?
The join function must make multiple attempts to join a
baseanduriand check that the file exists using webpackfs.The
generatoris focussed on identifying locations to search. It is a more scalable concept where you wish to search many places. The traditional use case for the custom "join" function is a file-system search so thegeneratorwas designed to make this possible.If you prefer a less abstract approach consider a full
implementationper the full customisation approach.
How to: change precedence of source locations
Source-map sampling is limited to the locations defined in the algorithm. You can't change these locations but you can preference them in a different order.
This example shows the default order which you can easily amend. Absolute URIs are rare in most projects but can be handled for completeness.
Using asGenerator
const {
createJoinFunction,
createJoinImplementation,
asGenerator,
defaultJoinGenerator,
} = require('resolve-url-loader');
// order source-map sampling location by your preferred precedence (matches defaultJoinGenerator)
const myGenerator = asGenerator(
({ isAbsolute, bases: { substring, value, property, selector} }, { root }) =>
isAbsolute ? [root] : [subString, value, property, selector]
);
const myJoinFn = createJoinFunction(
'myJoinFn',
createJoinImplementation(myGenerator),
);
Notes
- The implementation is the default behaviour, so if you want this precedence do not customise the
joinoption. - Absolute URIs generally use the base path given in the
rootoption as shown. - The
asGeneratorutility allows us to return simpleArray<string>of potential base paths.
How to: fallback to a theme or other global directory
Additional locations can be added by decorating the default generator. This is popular for adding some sort of "theme" directory containing assets.
This example appends a static theme directory as a fallback location where the asset might reside. Absolute URIs are rare in most projects but can be handled for completeness.
Using asGenerator
const path = require('path');
const {
createJoinFunction,
createJoinImplementation,
asGenerator,
defaultJoinGenerator,
} = require('resolve-url-loader');
const myThemeDirectory = path.resolve(...);
// call default generator then append any additional paths
const myGenerator = asGenerator(
(item, ...rest) => [
...defaultJoinGenerator(item, ...rest),
item.isAbsolute ? null : myThemeDirectory,
]
);
const myJoinFn = createJoinFunction(
'myJoinFn',
createJoinImplementation(myGenerator),
);
Notes
- By spreading the result of
defaultJoinGeneratorwe are first trying the default behaviour. If that is unsuccessful we then try the theme location. - It's assumed that theming doesn't apply to absolute URIs. Since falsey elements are ignored we can easily
nullthe additional theme element inline as shown. - The
asGeneratorutility allows us to return simpleArray<string>of potential base paths.
How to: fallback to some other asset file
Lets imagine we don't have high quality files for all our assets and must sometimes use a lower quality format. For each item we need to try the uri with different file extensions. We can do this by returning tuples of [base:string,uri:string].
In this example we prefer the .svg asset we are happy to use any available .png or .jpg instead.
Using asGenerator
const {
createJoinFunction,
createJoinImplementation,
asGenerator,
defaultJoinGenerator,
} = require('resolve-url-loader');
// call default generator then pair different variations of uri with each base
const myGenerator = asGenerator(
(item, ...rest) => {
const defaultTuples = [...defaultJoinGenerator(item, ...rest)];
return /\.svg$/.test(item.uri)
? ['.svg', '.png', 'jpg'].flatMap((ext) =>
defaultTuples.flatMap(([base, uri]) =>
[base, uri.replace(/\.svg$/, ext)]
})
)
: defaultTuples;
}
);
const myJoinFn = createJoinFunction(
'myJoinFn',
createJoinImplementation(myGenerator),
);
Using function*
const {
createJoinFunction,
createJoinImplementation,
defaultJoinGenerator,
} = require('resolve-url-loader');
// call default generator then pair different variations of uri with each base
const myGenerator = function* (item, ...rest) {
if (/\.svg$/.test(item.uri)) {
for (let ext of ['.svg', '.png', 'jpg']) {
for (let [base, uri] of defaultJoinGenerator(item, ...rest)) {
yield [base, uri.replace(/\.svg$/, ext)];
}
}
} else {
for (let value of defaultJoinGenerator(item, ...rest)) {
yield value;
}
}
}
const myJoinFn = createJoinFunction(
'myJoinFn',
createJoinImplementation(myGenerator),
);
Notes
- Existing generators such as
defaultJoinGeneratorwill always return[string,string]tuples so we can destruturebaseandurivalues with confidence. - This implementation attempts all extensions for a given
basebefore moving to the nextbase. Obviously we may change the nesting and instead do the oposite, attempt all bases for a single extension before moving on to the next extension - The
asGeneratorutility allows us to returnArray<[string, string]>but is not needed when we usefunction*semantics.
How to: perform a file-system search for an asset
⚠️ IMPORTANT - This example is indicative only and is not advised.
When this loader was originally released it was very common for packages be broken to the point that a full file search was needed to locate assets referred to in CSS. While this was not performant some users really liked it. By customising the generator we can once again lazily search the file-system.
In this example we search the parent directories of the base paths, continuing upwards until we hit a package boundary. Absolute URIs are rare in most projects but can be handled for completeness.
Using function*
const path = require('path');
const {
createJoinFunction,
createJoinImplementation,
webpackExistsSync
} = require('resolve-url-loader');
// search up from the initial base path until you hit a package boundary
const myGenerator = function* (
{ uri, isAbsolute, bases: { substring, value, property, selector } },
{ root, attempts = 1e3 },
{ fs },
) {
if (isAbsolute) {
yield [root, uri];
} else {
for (let base of [subString, value, property, selector]) {
for (let isDone = false, i = 0; !isDone && i < attempts; i++) {
yield [base, uri];
// unfortunately fs.existsSync() is not present so we must shim it
const maybePkg = path.normalize(path.join(base, 'package.json'));
try {
isDone = fs.statSync(maybePkg).isFile();
} catch (error) {
isDone = false;
}
base = base.split(/(\\\/)/).slice(0, -2).join('');
}
}
}
};
const myJoinFn = createJoinFunction(
'myJoinFn',
createJoinImplementation(myGenerator),
);
Notes
-
This implementation is nether tested nor robust, it would need further safeguards to avoid searching the entire file system.
-
By using
function*the generator is lazy. We only walk the file-system directory tree as necessary. -
The webpack file-system is provided by the
enhanced-resolver-pluginand does not containfs.existsSync(). We must usefs.statsSync()instead and catch any error where the file isn't present. -
You may set additional
optionswhen you configure the loader in webpack and then access them in yourgenerator. In this case we add anattemptsoption to limit the file search.
Full customisation
The createJoinFunction can give you full control over how the base and uri are joined to create an absolute file path and the definitiion of success for that combination.
It provides additional logging when using debug option so is a better choice then writing a "join" function from scratch.
Limited documentation is given here since it is rare to require a full customisation. Refer to the source code for further information.
Reference
The implementation synchronously returns the final asset path or some fallback value. It makes a number of attempts to search for the given item and returns an element describing each attempt.
implementation = function (item: {}, options: {}, loader: {}):
Array<{
base : string,
uri : string,
joined : string,
isSuccess : boolean,
isFallback: boolean,
}>
Arguments
itemconsist of -uri: stringis the argument to theurl()as it appears in the source file.query: stringis any string starting with?or#that suffixes theuriisAbsolute: booleanflag indicates whether the URI is considered an absolute file or root relative path by webpack's definition. Absolute URIs are only processed if therootoption is specified.bases: {}are a hash where the keys are the sourcemap evaluation locations in the algorithm and the values are absolute paths that the sourcemap reports. These directories might not actually exist.
optionsconsist of -- All documented options for the loader.
- Any other values you include in the loader configuration for your own purposes.
loaderconsists of the webpack loader API, useful items include -fs: {}the virtual file-system from Webpack.resourcePath: stringthe source file currently being processed.
- returns an array of attempts that were made in resolving the URI -
basethe base pathurithe uri pathjoinedthe absolute path created from the joining thebaseanduripaths.isSuccessindicates the asset was found and thatjoinedshould be the final resultisFallbackindicates the asset was not found but thatjoinedkis suitable as a fallback value