Introduction to Mincer

Mincer is a powerful and versatile JavaScript library for asset packaging and preprocessing. It offers an extensive API that helps developers manage their project’s assets more efficiently. This guide provides a detailed introduction to Mincer along with dozens of useful API explanations and code snippets.

Core APIs

Here are some of the core APIs provided by Mincer with examples:

Environment

The Environment class is the main interface for configuring and using Mincer.

  const Mincer = require('mincer');
  let environment = new Mincer.Environment();

  environment.appendPath('assets/javascripts');
  environment.appendPath('assets/stylesheets');

Assets

You can find and create assets using the Environment class.

  let asset = environment.findAsset('application.js');
  console.log(asset);

  asset = environment.findAsset('styles.css');
  console.log(asset);

Preprocessors and Postprocessors

Mincer allows you to define custom preprocessors and postprocessors for different file types.

  environment.registerPreProcessor('application/javascript', function (context, data) {
    // process data
    return data;
  });

  environment.registerPostProcessor('text/css', function (context, data) {
    // process data
    return data;
  });

Compiling Assets

Compile the assets to the desired output.

  let compiledAsset = environment.findAsset('application.js').toString();
  console.log(compiledAsset);

  let compiledStyles = environment.findAsset('styles.css').toString();
  console.log(compiledStyles);

Example Application

Let’s create a simple application that uses Mincer to manage assets.

1. Create a new project directory and initialize a Node.js project.

    mkdir my-mincer-app
    cd my-mincer-app
    npm init -y
  

2. Install Mincer.

    npm install mincer
  

3. Set up the project structure.

    mkdir -p assets/{javascripts,stylesheets,images}
    mkdir -p public/assets
  

4. Create a sample JavaScript file (assets/javascripts/application.js).

    console.log('Hello, Mincer!');
  

5. Create a sample CSS file (assets/stylesheets/styles.css).

    body {
      background-color: #f0f0f0;
    }
  

6. Set up the Mincer configuration in app.js.

    const Mincer = require('mincer');
    const environment = new Mincer.Environment();

    environment.appendPath('assets/javascripts');
    environment.appendPath('assets/stylesheets');
    environment.appendPath('assets/images');

    environment.registerHelper('assetPath', function (pathname, options) {
      return '/assets/' + environment.findAsset(pathname, options).digestPath;
    });

    environment.findAsset('application.js').compile((err, asset) => {
      if (err) throw err;
      console.log(asset);
    });

    environment.findAsset('styles.css').compile((err, asset) => {
      if (err) throw err;
      console.log(asset);
    });
  

7. Run the application.

    node app.js
  

This simple example demonstrates how you can integrate Mincer into your project to manage and compile assets effectively. By leveraging Mincer’s robust API and preprocessor/postprocessor capabilities, you can streamline your asset pipeline and ensure efficient delivery of your web application’s resources.

Hash: c41a5765ace74a957f7fcf7e20bad9bb8dccc77642141081e5e6ebdad2d0ae3e