Learn how to use NPM's --save-optional flag to prevent certain dependencies from installed by those that won't need them. #javascript #programming #100DaysOfCode

If your JavaScript project relies on third-party NPM modules, you probably know that you can designate whether a module is a runtime dependency (by default or explicitly with the --save/-P flags) or as a development dependency (with the --save-dev/-D flags). There are, however, other types of dependencies. In this article I’ll talk about optional dependencies, which are for external libraries…

The Logical Assignment Operators Proposal provides a set of shorthand operators that allow you to use logical expressions the same way you would use arithmetic assignments operators. #babeljs #javascript #knowyoubabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The Logical Assignment Operators Proposal provides a set of shorthand operators that allow you to use logical expressions the same way you would use arithmetic or bitwise assignments operators. To…

The Optional Catch Binding Proposal provides a shorthand for eliminating unused catch block parameters. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The catchblock normally requires the presence of a single parameter. There are times, however, when that parameter is simply unused. The Optional Catch Binding Proposal changes the catch block to…

The Do Expression proposal introduces the do {...} expression. Find out how it can be used. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The Do Expression proposal introduces the do {...}block, which can be used to execute complex logic that immediately returns a value. To start using this plugin install it with the following…

ES6 now allows you to name groups of regular expression, making the structure of the results predictable. Find out how to use them. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

ES2018 introduced a mechanism for creating named regular expression capture groups. It’s useful for removing ambiguity about what results mean and, more importantly, where results are stored. To…

Find out how to keep your ES6 modules more widely accessible by converting them to CommonJS. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The ES6 module system uses the import and exportkeywords. Unfortunately, they are not universal and their use may cause runtime failures in many environments. To mitigate this issue, Babel offers a…

The Decorator Proposal plugin allows ES6 classes to take advantage of reusable logic that exists outside its inheritance tree. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The Decorator Proposal plugin allows ES6 classes to take advantage of reusable logic that exists outside its inheritance tree. To use decorators with Babel install the following plugin:

npm…

As of Babel 7.6.0 you can privatize both static and non-static methods with the Private Methods Proposal. Find out how here: #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

Encapsulation is the cornerstone of Object-Oriented Programming. Babel supports the ability to restrict access to various properties via the Private Methods Proposal plugin. Use the following…

Learn about the ES6 shorthand for dynamically named object properties. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

ES6 provides a new shorthand for creating dynamically named object properties. Babel supports transpiling this feature with the Transform Computed Properties plugin. Use this command to install…

Find out how the Nullish Coalescing Operator will save the world... or at least save you from countless null/undefined checks. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The Nullish (or Nullary) Coalescing Operator considers the null and undefined to be falsewhile other falsy values, such as empty strings and zeroes, are not. This is very useful when setting the…

Why export your API in two steps when you can do it with one. The Export Default From proposal makes this possible. #babeljs #javascript #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

A common practice when writing JavaScript libraries is to write an entry file that serves as the primary access point to the rest of the library’s exported modules. This is usually a two step…

Learn how the Transform Block Scoping plugin lets Babel take advantage of the ES6's let and const keywords. #babeljs #knowyourbabelplugins #javascript

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The Transform Block Scoping plugin allows you to use the let and constkeywords to initialize variables that are only accessible from within the blocks they are created. To use these keywords with…

The Optional Chaining proposal introduces a new operator that allows you take advantage of chaining even when the shape of an object is not guaranteed. #babeljs #knowyourbabelplugins

In this series, I’ll be going over the ins-and-outs of the various plugins for Babel, the popular JavaScript transpiler. I’m going to assume you know a thing or two about Babel, NPM, and JavaScript.

The Optional Chaining proposal introduces a new operator that allows you take advantage of chaining even when the shape of an object is not guaranteed. This reduces the amount of defensive coding…

Postponing a Grunt Task Until the Watch Process Is Terminated

Have you ever wanted a Grunt to watch and execute a set of tasks and then automatically run completely different set of tasks once the watch is terminated? This is totally possible with the magic of Node.js. Here’s how to set it up (Note: the example uses Grunt, but the same technique is applicable to Gulp).

An Simple Example

Let’s say you’re using Browserify compile a collection of scripts…

News from the Pond: Flowt 1.04 Feature Preview

The previous update for Flowt, 1.03, was geared towards those with some technical know-how. Most users of Flowt, however, probably don’t want to program in order to get the most out of their presentations. My guess is that most users will experience a bit of a learning curve before the concept of a Flowtime.js presentation stops being foreign. For people who are used to creating presentations the…

News from the Pond: Upcoming Features in Flowt 1.03

Flowt 1.03 Feature Preview

More features are on the way to Flowt as it moves forward towards 1.03. The next update is aimed at adding some flexibility for advanced theme and template developers. Let’s take a look at what’s on the horizon.

Flowtime.js Event Listener Callback and FlowtListener

The presentation settings will now have a new field at the very bottom called Flowtime.js Event Listener…

News From the Pond: Sub-Pages and Widgets

Flowt 1.02

Flowt has only been around for a few days now, but some new features have already been added. With release 1.02, Flowt can now take advantage of Sub-Pages and a new Latest Presentation Widget. Let’s take a look at both of these features. (more…)