requirejs-metagen/README.md

require entire directories with RequireJS & generate one RequireJS module that represents the folder

# requirejs-metagen

generate requirejs modules that represent dependencies in entire directories, useful for controllers, views, etc


# how to use


We might have something like this on our front-end, most likely in a router module:

```js
   controllerRoute: function (controllerName, actionName, id) {
              
         require(["app/js/controllers/all/" + controllerName], function (cntr) {
                  
                    if (typeof cntr[actionName] === 'function') {
                        cntr[actionName](id);
                    }
                    else {
                        cntr['default'](id);
                    }
                    
                });
       }
```

//so in order to require all those controllers, especially for use with r.js (the optimizer), we can do:

```js
var grm = require('requirejs-metagen'); 

var controllerOpts =  {
        inputFolder: './public/static/app/js/controllers/all',
        appendThisToDependencies: 'app/js/controllers/',
        appendThisToReturnedItems: '',
        eliminateSharedFolder: true,     //will drop 'all' from the front of all return items
        output: './public/static/app/js/meta/allControllers.js' //puts all controllers in a directory its subdirectories into one RequireJS file/module
    };
    
    
grm(controllerOpts, function (err) {
     //handle any unlikely errors your way
  });
```
  
---->  output looks like this module below:


```js
//app/js/meta//allControllers.js

define(
    [
        "app/js/controllers/all/jobs",
		"app/js/controllers/all/more/cars",
		"app/js/controllers/all/more/evenMore/spaceships",
		"app/js/controllers/all/users"
    ],
    function(){

        return {

            "jobs": arguments[0],
			"more/cars": arguments[1],
			"more/evenMore/spaceships": arguments[2],
			"users": arguments[3]
        }
  });
  ```
  
  in your front-end program I recommend doing this:
  
```js
  requirejs.config({
 
   paths: {
   
      "#allControllers":"app/js/meta/allControllers"
   
      }
  });
```
  
  then you can do:
  
```js
  require(['#allControllers'],function(allControllers){
  
      var carController = allControllers['more/cars'];
  
  });
```

or better yet, since those dependences are already loaded, you can use synchronous syntax easily


```js
var allControllers = require('#allControllers');
var carController = allControllers['more/cars'];
```

## usage with Gulp.js:

to use this library with Gulp, you can do it like so:

```js
var metagens = {

    "controllers": {
        inputFolder: './public/static/app/js/controllers/all',
        appendThisToDependencies: 'app/js/controllers/',
        appendThisToReturnedItems: '',
        eliminateSharedFolder: true,
        output: './public/static/app/js/meta/allControllers.js'
    },
    "templates": {
        inputFolder: './public/static/app/templates',
        appendThisToDependencies: 'text!app/',
        appendThisToReturnedItems: '',
        eliminateSharedFolder: false,
        output: './public/static/app/js/meta/allTemplates.js'
    },
    "css": {
        inputFolder: './public/static/cssx',
        appendThisToDependencies: 'text!',
        appendThisToReturnedItems: '',
        eliminateSharedFolder: false,
        output: './public/static/app/js/meta/allCSS.js'
    },
    "flux-constants": {
        inputFolder: './public/static/app/js/flux/constants',
        appendThisToDependencies: 'app/js/flux/',
        appendThisToReturnedItems: '',
        eliminateSharedFolder: false,
        output: './public/static/app/js/meta/allFluxConstants.js'
    },
    "flux-actions": {
        inputFolder: './public/static/app/js/flux/actions',
        appendThisToDependencies: 'app/js/flux/',
        appendThisToReturnedItems: '',
        eliminateSharedFolder: false,
        output: './public/static/app/js/meta/allFluxActions.js'
    },
    "all-views": {
        inputFolder: './public/static/app/js/jsx',
        appendThisToDependencies: 'app/js/',
        appendThisToReturnedItems: '',
        eliminateSharedFolder: true,
        output: './public/static/app/js/meta/allViews.js'
    }
 }


gulp.task('metagen:all', ['transpile-jsx'], function (done) { // we may need to transpile JSX or whatnot before running the metagen

    var taskNames = Object.keys(metagens);
    var funcs = [];

    taskNames.forEach(function (name, index) {
        funcs.push(function (cb) {
            grm(metagens[name], function (err) {
                cb(err);
            });
        });
    });

    async.parallel(funcs, function (err) {
        done(err);
    });
});
```

any questions you can open an issue on Github or email me at alex@oresoftware.com, thanks