at-noder-converter

at-noder-converter allows to automatically convert JavaScript files from the current Aria Templates class syntax to the new one introduced with the migration to noder-js.

It can either be executed as a command line tool, or be integrated in a build process as an atpackager visitor.

Basic example

Here is a sample file using the current Aria Templates syntax (before the conversion):

Aria.classDefinition({
    $classpath : "x.y.MyClass",
    $dependencies : ["a.b.MyDependency1", "x.y.MyDependency2"],
    $extends : "x.MyBaseClass",
    $prototype : {
        myMethod : function (myParam) {
            return {
                myDep1 : new a.b.MyDependency1(myParam),
                myDep2 : new x.y.MyDependency2(myParam)
            }
        }
    }
});

Here is the same file using the new syntax (after the conversion with at-noder-converter):

var Aria = require("ariatemplates/Aria");
var aBMyDependency1 = require("a/b/MyDependency1");
var xYMyDependency2 = require("./MyDependency2");
var xMyBaseClass = require("../MyBaseClass");
module.exports = Aria.classDefinition({
    $classpath : "x.y.MyClass",
    $extends : xMyBaseClass,
    $prototype : {
        myMethod : function (myParam) {
            return {
                myDep1 : new aBMyDependency1(myParam),
                myDep2 : new xYMyDependency2(myParam)
            }
        }
    }
});
 

Conversion process

at-noder-converter uses uglify-js to parse JavaScript files. In the abstract syntax tree, it looks for an Aria Templates definition, which is recognized by a call to one of the following methods:

• Aria.classDefinition
• Aria.interfaceDefinition
• Aria.beanDefinitions
• Aria.tplScriptDefinition

Inside the Aria Templates definition, at-noder-converter looks for dependencies, which can be found in the following properties:

• $dependencies
• $extends
• $implements
• $resources
• $templates
• $css
• $macrolibs
• $csslibs
• $texts
• $namespaces

It also looks for references to the Aria Templates bootstrap classes which are sometimes not declared in Aria Templates classes, as they are always available.

It then replaces each usage of the detected dependencies by a reference to a variable which is declared at the top of the file, and initialized with a call to require.

If both the file and its dependency are inside a common package (e.g. x.y.Z and x.a.B which are both in the x package), the path in the argument of the call to require is relative to the current file (e.g. ../a/B). Otherwise (e.g. x.y.Z and z.a.B), the path in the argument of the call to require is absolute (e.g. z/a/B).

As much as possible, comments and code formatting from the original file are kept in the converted file.

Requirements

The input files to be converted by at-noder-converter must respect the following requirements:

• The file should not use the module or require global variables. (If those variables are used, it usually means that the file is already converted.)

• There must be exactly one call to one of the Aria Templates definition methods specified in the previous section. It is not possible to use at-noder-converter on a packaged file containing multiple Aria Templates definitions. Use at-noder-converter individually on each file before packaging them together.

• The parameter of the Aria Templates definition function must be an object literal. For example, the following class cannot be converted by at-noder-converter, because the parameter of Aria.classDefinition is not an object literal but a reference to the myDefinition variable:

  var myDefinition = {
     $classpath: "a.b.MyClass",
     $prototype: {}
  };
  Aria.classDefinition(myDefinition);

  But the following class can be converted by at-noder-converter:

  Aria.classDefinition({
     $classpath: "a.b.MyClass",
     $prototype: {}
  });

• In a similar way, the $classpath property and all the properties which define dependencies in the Aria Templates definition (cf the list in the previous section) must have static literal values. For example, the following class cannot be converted by at-noder-converter because the $classpath and the $dependencies properties contain expressions and not literal values.

  var myPackage = "a.b.";
  Aria.classDefinition({
     $classpath: myPackage + "MyClass",
     $dependencies: [myPackage + "MyOtherClass"],
     $prototype: {}
  });

  But the following class can be converted by at-noder-converter:

  Aria.classDefinition({
     $classpath: "a.b.MyClass",
     $dependencies: ["a.b.MyOtherClass"],
     $prototype: {}
  });

Command line tool

This section explains how to use at-noder-converter as a command line tool.

Installation

• Make sure node.js is installed (along with npm).

• Install at-noder-converter from the npm repository with:

npm install -g at-noder-converter

Usage

Once at-noder-converter is installed, it is possible to use it by simply passing the name of the file to convert. The converted file overwrites the corresponding original file.

For example, if MyClass.js contains an Aria Templates class definition, use the following command to convert it to the new syntax:

at-noder-converter MyClass.js

The MyClass.js file now contains the updated class definition.

at-noder-converter can also convert multiple files in one command:

at-noder-converter MyClass1.js MyClass2.js MyClass3.js

Options

The following options can be used to change the behavior:

Option	Description
--format	Re-format the whole file instead of modifying parts of it. This can lose some comments.
--force-absolute-paths	Always use absolute paths in calls to require() even if the requiring and required file share some part of the classpath.
--simplify-single-usage	If there is only one usage of a dependency, puts the call to require where the dependency is used instead of creating a variable.
--replace-own-classpath	If a class references itself by its own classpath, replaces this reference by module.exports.

You can also use --help option to get the list of available options, and the --version option to display the version of at-noder-converter.

atpackager visitor

This section explains how to use at-noder-converter as an atpackager visitor, to be integrated in a build process.

Installation

Install at-noder-converter with npm, as a local dev dependency of your project:

npm install --save-dev at-noder-converter

In your Gruntfile.js, include the following line:

require('atpackager').loadNpmPlugin('at-noder-converter');

It is now possible to add the ATNoderConverter visitor to the list of visitors in the configuration of atpackager.

Here is a sample Gruntfile.js which uses at-noder-converter:

module.exports = function (grunt) {
   grunt.initConfig({
      atpackager: {
         myBuild: {
            options: {
               sourceDirectories : ['src'],
               sourceFiles: ["**/*"],
               outputDirectory: "build",
               visitors: ["ATNoderConverter"]
            }
         }
      }
   });
 
   grunt.loadNpmTasks('atpackager');
   require('atpackager').loadNpmPlugin('at-noder-converter');
   grunt.registerTask('default', ['atpackager:myBuild']);
};

Configuration

When adding the ATNoderConverter visitor to the visitors array, it is possible to specify options to change the way ATNoderConverter behaves. Here is an example, showing all the accepted configuration parameters, along with their default values:

               visitors: [{
                  type: "ATNoderConverter",
                  cfg: {
                     files: ['**/*.js'],
                     ignoreErrors: ["alreadyConverted", "noAria"],
                     stringBased: true,
                     forceAbsolutePaths: false,
                     simplifySingleUsage: false,
                     replaceOwnClasspath: false
                  }
               }]

Here is a description of each parameter:

• files: array of file patterns to specify which files have to be converted.

• ignoreErrors: array of error ids which, if they are raised, will not fail the build (the corresponding file will simply not be converted). Only two error ids can be ignored currently, and they are ignored by default, unless ignoreErrors is given another value:

  • alreadyConverted: this error happens if the file already uses 'module' or 'require'

  • noAria: this error happens if no Aria Templates definition is found in the file

• stringBased: if this parameter is true (the default), and if this is possible (depending on previous visitors), the conversion happens both in the abstract syntax tree representation of the file and in the string version, allowing to keep file formatting and most comments. If this parameter is false, changes are only done in the abstract syntax tree, and no effort is made to keep formatting and comments.

• forceAbsolutePaths: if this parameter is true, all the calls to require() will use absolute paths, even if the requiring and required file share some part of the classpath.

• simplifySingleUsage: if this parameter is true, if there is only one usage of a dependency, at-noder-converter puts the call to require where the dependency is used instead of creating a variable.

• replaceOwnClasspath: if this parameter is true, if a class references itself by its own classpath, at-noder-converter replaces this reference by module.exports.

License

Apache License 2.0