I'm writing a web app in Node. If I've got some JS file db.js
with a function init
in it how could I call that function from the command line?
This question is related to
javascript
node.js
command-line
This one is dirty but works :)
I will be calling main()
function from my script. Previously I just put calls to main at the end of script. However I did add some other functions and exported them from script (to use functions in some other parts of code) - but I dont want to execute main() function every time I import other functions in other scripts.
So I did this, in my script i removed call to main(), and instead at the end of script I put this check:
if (process.argv.includes('main')) {
main();
}
So when I want to call that function in CLI: node src/myScript.js main
As per the other answers, add the following to someFile.js
module.exports.someFunction = function () {
console.log('hi');
};
You can then add the following to package.json
"scripts": {
"myScript": "node -e 'require(\"./someFile\").someFunction()'"
}
From the terminal, you can then call
npm run myScript
I find this a much easier way to remember the commands and use them
Try make-runnable.
In db.js, add require('make-runnable');
to the end.
Now you can do:
node db.js init
Any further args would get passed to the init
method.
If you turn db.js
into a module you can require it from db_init.js
and just: node db_init.js
.
db.js:
module.exports = {
method1: function () { ... },
method2: function () { ... }
}
db_init.js:
var db = require('./db');
db.method1();
db.method2();
Sometimes you want to run a function via CLI, sometimes you want to require
it from another module. Here's how to do both.
// file to run
const runMe = () => {}
if (require.main === module) {
runMe()
}
module.exports = runMe
maybe this method is not what you mean, but who knows it can help
const arg = process.argv.splice(2);
function printToCli(text){
console.log(text)
}
switch(arg[0]){
case "--run":
printToCli("how are you")
break;
default: console.log("use --run flag");
}
and run command node . --run
probuss-MacBook-Air:fb_v8 probus$ node . --run
how are you
probuss-MacBook-Air:fb_v8 probus$
and you can add more arg[0] , arg[1], arg[2] ... and more
for node . --run -myarg1 -myarg2
simple way:
let's say you have db.js file in a helpers directory in project structure.
now go inside helpers directory and go to node console
helpers $ node
2) require db.js file
> var db = require("./db")
3) call your function (in your case its init())
> db.init()
hope this helps
I do a IIFE, something like that:
(() => init())();
this code will be executed immediately and invoke the init function.
If your file just contains your function, for example:
myFile.js:
function myMethod(someVariable) {
console.log(someVariable)
}
Calling it from the command line like this nothing will happen:
node myFile.js
But if you change your file:
myFile.js:
myMethod("Hello World");
function myMethod(someVariable) {
console.log(someVariable)
}
Now this will work from the command line:
node myFile.js
Update 2020 - CLI
As @mix3d pointed out you can just run a command where file.js
is your file and someFunction
is your function optionally followed by parameters separated with spaces
npx run-func file.js someFunction "just some parameter"
That's it.
file.js
called in the example above
const someFunction = (param) => console.log('Welcome, your param is', param)
// exporting is crucial
module.exports = { someFunction }
More detailed description
Run directly from CLI (global)
Install
npm i -g run-func
Usage i.e. run function "init", it must be exported, see the bottom
run-func db.js init
or
Run from package.json script (local)
Install
npm i -S run-func
Setup
"scripts": {
"init": "run-func db.js init"
}
Usage
npm run init
Params
Any following arguments will be passed as function parameters init(param1, param2)
run-func db.js init param1 param2
Important
the function (in this example init
) must be exported in the file containing it
module.exports = { init };
or ES6 export
export { init };
Source: Stackoverflow.com