electron-rabbit

Simple inter process communication to speed up your electron apps.

Why?

Read this post by @jlongster to learn why you would use this.

Setup

See example/app.js for a working example.

In short, include background.js in a <script> tag in your background.html.

const serverHandlers = require('./my-app-ipc')
const rabbit = require('electron-rabbit')
const { ipcRenderer } = require('electron')
 
ipcRenderer.on('set-socket', (event, { name }) => {
  rabbit.init(name, serverHandlers)
})

Include client-preload.js in the preload of your client window.

const rabbit = require('electron-rabbit')
 
window.middlewareClient = new rabbit.Client()
ipcRenderer.on('set-socket', (event, { name }) => {
  window.middlewareClient.connect(name)
})

Usage

Client -> Background -> Client

Send ipc messages from the frontend to the background window process and get a callback when complete.

example/my-app-ipc.js

var handlers = {}
handlers['start-a-long-running-process'] = async function () {
  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
    console.log('starting second long running process')
    resolve()
  })
}
module.exports = handlers

client.js

var ipc = window.middlewareClient
 
ipc.send('start-a-long-running-process', 'my-argument', function (err) {
  if (err) console.error(err)
  console.log('second long running process done!')
})

Background -> Client

Send messages asyncrously from the background window to the client.

example/my-app-ipc.js

const ipc = require('electron-rabbit')
ipc.send('something-to-frontend', 'done with first long running process!')

client.js

var ipc = window.middlewareClient
ipc.on('something-to-frontend', function (arg) {
  console.log('got thing! now i'm re-rendering', arg)
})

API

client = electron-rabbit.Client()

Create a client api that can interact with the background ipc. This client can be created in the electron main or renderer processes.

Example usage

var client = new rabbit.Client()
client.connect(socketName)
ipc.send('start-second-long-running-process', 'my-argument', function (err) {
  if (err) console.error(err)
  console.log('second long running process done!')
})
 
ipc.on('something-to-frontend', function (arg) {
  console.log('got thing!', arg)
})

Messages are kept in a queue which is drained once a connection is established.

electron-rabbit.init(socketName, handlers)

Create the background ipc handlers.

Arguments:

• socketName: string
• handlers: Object of String -> Handler. Handler should be an asyncronous function that returns a Promise.

electron-rabbit.send(name, args)

Send an event with the given name and arguments from the background to the client.

electron-rabbit.findOpenSocket(namespace)

Finds you an open socket if you're having more than one application instance or ipc instance open at the same time.

Credit

Inspired by https://github.com/jlongster/electron-with-server-example

License

MIT