Introduction to Recursive Copy

File management is a crucial aspect of any software development process. One of the key operations in file management is copying files and directories. recursive-copy is a powerful npm package that simplifies this process. In this article, we will explore various APIs provided by recursive-copy with practical code examples.

Getting Started

First, you need to install the package:

  npm install recursive-copy

Once installed, you can require it in your Node.js application:

  const copy = require('recursive-copy');

Basic Copy Operation

Copying a directory from source to destination:

  copy('src', 'dest')
    .then(() => console.log('Copied successfully!'))
    .catch(error => console.error('Copy failed: ', error));

Filtering Files

You can filter files during the copy process using the filter option:

  copy('src', 'dest', { filter: ['*.js'] })
    .then(() => console.log('JS files copied successfully!'))
    .catch(error => console.error('Copy failed: ', error));

Overwrite Option

Control whether existing files should be overwritten using the overwrite option:

  copy('src', 'dest', { overwrite: true })
    .then(() => console.log('Files copied and overwritten successfully!'))
    .catch(error => console.error('Copy failed: ', error));

Expanding Symlinks

Expand symlinks to their original files during the copy process:

  copy('src', 'dest', { expand: true })
    .then(() => console.log('Symlinks expanded and copied successfully!'))
    .catch(error => console.error('Copy failed: ', error));

Project Example

Let’s create a simple application to demonstrate these API options:

  const path = require('path');
  const copy = require('recursive-copy');

  const srcDir = path.join(__dirname, 'source');
  const destDir = path.join(__dirname, 'destination');

  copy(srcDir, destDir, { filter: ['*.js'], overwrite: true, expand: true })
    .then(results => console.log(`Copied ${results.length} files`))
    .catch(error => console.error('Copy failed: ', error));

This will copy only JavaScript files from the source directory to the destination directory, overwriting existing files and expanding any symlinks.

Conclusion

The recursive-copy package is a robust tool for file and directory copying in Node.js applications. Its API allows for flexibility and control over the copying process, making it an essential tool for developers. Use the examples above as a starting point to integrate recursive copy into your own projects.

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