Introduction to fsevents

fsevents is a macOS-based library for monitoring changes within the file system. This tool allows developers to observe and respond to changes including file creation, modification, deletion, and more. Here’s an in-depth look at fsevents and some useful API examples to help you get started!

Setting Up fsevents

  const fsevents = require('fsevents');

API Examples

Watching a Directory

  const watcher = fsevents('/path/to/watch');
  watcher.on('change', (path, info) => {
    console.log(`File ${info.event} detected in ${path}`);
  });
  watcher.start();

Stopping the Watcher

  watcher.stop();

Handling Multiple Directories

  const directories = ['/path/to/first', '/path/to/second'];
  directories.forEach(dir => {
    const watcher = fsevents(dir);
    watcher.on('change', (path, info) => {
      console.log(`File ${info.event} in ${dir}: ${path}`);
    });
    watcher.start();
  });

Reacting to Specific Events

  watcher.on('rename', (path) => {
    console.log(`File renamed: ${path}`);
  });
  
  watcher.on('change', (path) => {
    console.log(`File modified: ${path}`);
  });

Error Handling

  watcher.on('error', (err) => {
    console.error('Watcher error:', err);
  });

Example Application

Below you will find an example of an application that uses fsevents to monitor a directory for changes and log them to the console.

  const fsevents = require('fsevents');
  const watcher = fsevents('/monitor/this/path');

  const logChange = (path, info) => {
    console.log(`[${new Date().toISOString()}] ${info.event.toUpperCase()} detected: ${path}`);
  };

  watcher.on('change', logChange);
  watcher.on('rename', (path, info) => logChange(path, info));
  watcher.on('create', (path, info) => logChange(path, info));
  watcher.on('unlink', (path, info) => logChange(path, info));
  watcher.on('stop', () => console.log('Watcher stopped.'));

  watcher.start();

  process.on('SIGINT', () => {
    watcher.stop();
    process.exit();
  });

By utilizing fsevents, developers can create applications that respond in real-time to changes in the file system, enhancing the robustness and interactivity of their software.

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