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tessl/npm-requirejs

A command line tool for running JavaScript scripts that use the Asynchronous Module Definition API (AMD) for declaring and using JavaScript modules and regular JavaScript script files.

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command-line.mddocs/

Command Line Interface

RequireJS r.js provides a comprehensive command line interface for building, optimizing, and running AMD-based JavaScript applications. The CLI supports multiple JavaScript environments including Node.js, Rhino, Nashorn, and xpcshell.

Basic Usage

Installation and Execution

# Install globally via npm
npm install -g requirejs

# Or use locally
npm install requirejs

# Run r.js directly (Node.js)
node r.js [options] [script.js]

# Use global installation
r.js [options] [script.js]

Command Structure

r.js [command-option] [arguments]

Command Options:

  • -o - Run optimizer/build
  • -v - Display version information
  • -convert - Convert CommonJS modules to AMD
  • -lib - Load bundled libraries

Core Commands

Running Scripts

Execute AMD-based JavaScript applications:

# Run main application script
r.js main.js

# Run with specific module as entry point
r.js app/startup.js

# Run script in current directory (defaults to main.js if no file specified)
r.js

Version Information

Display RequireJS version and environment details:

# Show version information
r.js -v

# Sample output:
# r.js: 2.3.7, RequireJS: 2.3.7, Env: node, Command line args: -v

Build and Optimization

Basic Build Command

# Build using configuration file
r.js -o build.js

# Build using configuration object
r.js -o baseUrl=src name=main out=dist/main-built.js

Build Configuration Options

Pass build options directly via command line:

# Single module optimization
r.js -o name=main baseUrl=js out=built/main.js

# Multi-option build
r.js -o appDir=src dir=dist baseUrl=. optimize=uglify

# Specify configuration file
r.js -o build/config.build.js

# Multiple configuration sources
r.js -o build.js baseUrl=override optimize=none

Advanced Build Options

# CSS optimization
r.js -o cssIn=css/main.css out=css/main-built.css optimizeCss=standard

# Source map generation
r.js -o build.js generateSourceMaps=true optimize=uglify2

# Skip directory optimization  
r.js -o build.js skipDirOptimize=true

# Preserve license comments
r.js -o build.js preserveLicenseComments=true

Module Conversion

CommonJS to AMD Conversion

Convert CommonJS modules to AMD format:

# Convert single directory
r.js -convert path/to/commonjs/modules path/to/amd/modules

# Convert with specific options
r.js -convert src/commonjs dist/amd

Conversion Process:

  • Wraps CommonJS modules in AMD define() calls
  • Converts require() calls to dependency arrays
  • Handles module.exports and exports assignments
  • Maintains file structure and names

Conversion Examples

# Input CommonJS module (math.js):
var helper = require('./helper');
module.exports = {
    add: function(a, b) { return a + b; }
};

# After conversion:
define(['./helper'], function(helper) {
    return {
        add: function(a, b) { return a + b; }
    };
});

Library Loading

Bundled Library Usage

Load and use RequireJS with bundled libraries:

# Load with library support
r.js -lib script.js

# Available in script.js:
# - requirejs/require/define functions
# - Bundled utility libraries
# - Environment abstraction

Environment-Specific Usage

Node.js Environment

# Standard Node.js execution
node r.js -o build.js

# Use specific Node.js options
node --max-old-space-size=4096 r.js -o large-build.js

# Environment variable configuration
NODE_ENV=production node r.js -o build.js

Java/Rhino Environment

# Rhino execution with classpath
java -classpath rhino.jar:. org.mozilla.javascript.tools.shell.Main r.js -o build.js

# Nashorn execution (Java 8+)
jjs r.js -- -o build.js

# With Closure Compiler
java -Xmx1g -classpath rhino.jar:closure-compiler.jar org.mozilla.javascript.tools.shell.Main r.js -o build.js optimize=closure

xpcshell Environment (Mozilla)

# Firefox extension development
xpcshell r.js -o addon-build.js

# With Mozilla-specific options
xpcshell -f r.js -e "load('build-script.js')"

Configuration File Formats

JavaScript Configuration

// build.js
({
    appDir: "src/",
    baseUrl: "./",  
    dir: "dist/",
    modules: [
        { name: "main" }
    ],
    optimize: "uglify"
})
r.js -o build.js

JSON Configuration

{
    "appDir": "src/",
    "baseUrl": "./",
    "dir": "dist/",
    "modules": [
        { "name": "main" }
    ],
    "optimize": "uglify"
}
r.js -o build.json

Command Line Configuration

# Inline configuration (single line)
r.js -o "({appDir:'src',dir:'dist',modules:[{name:'main'}]})"

# Mixed file and inline options
r.js -o build.js optimize=none generateSourceMaps=true

Output and Logging

Standard Output Control

# Write optimized output to stdout
r.js -o build.js out=stdout

# Combine with other tools
r.js -o name=main baseUrl=src out=stdout | gzip > main.js.gz

# Silent operation
r.js -o build.js logLevel=4

Log Levels

# Trace level (most verbose)
r.js -o build.js logLevel=0

# Info level (default)
r.js -o build.js logLevel=1

# Warning level
r.js -o build.js logLevel=2

# Error level
r.js -o build.js logLevel=3

# Silent (no output)
r.js -o build.js logLevel=4

Error Handling and Debugging

Common Error Scenarios

# Missing build file
r.js -o nonexistent.js
# Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory

# Invalid configuration
r.js -o "({invalid:syntax})"
# Error: SyntaxError: Unexpected token

# Module not found
r.js -o name=missing baseUrl=src out=dist/missing.js
# Error: Module name "missing" has not been loaded yet

Debugging Options

# Verbose output with trace information
r.js -o build.js logLevel=0

# Preserve intermediate files for debugging
r.js -o build.js keepBuildDir=true

# Generate source maps for debugging minified code
r.js -o build.js generateSourceMaps=true

# Skip minification for debugging
r.js -o build.js optimize=none

Build Performance Options

Optimization Control

# Fast development builds
r.js -o build.js optimize=none skipDirOptimize=true

# Maximum optimization
r.js -o build.js optimize=uglify generateSourceMaps=false removeCombined=true

# Memory usage control (Node.js)
node --max-old-space-size=8192 r.js -o large-build.js

Incremental Builds

# Keep previous build directory for faster rebuilds
r.js -o build.js keepBuildDir=true

# Only rebuild changed modules
r.js -o build.js skipDirOptimize=true

Integration Examples

Build Scripts

#!/bin/bash
# build.sh

# Development build
echo "Building development version..."
r.js -o build-dev.js

# Production build  
echo "Building production version..."
r.js -o build-prod.js

# Create source maps
echo "Generating source maps..."
r.js -o build-prod.js generateSourceMaps=true

Package.json Scripts

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "r.js -o build.js",
    "build:dev": "r.js -o build-dev.js",
    "build:prod": "r.js -o build-prod.js",
    "watch": "nodemon --exec 'npm run build:dev' --watch src/",
    "convert": "r.js -convert src/commonjs dist/amd"
  }
}

Continuous Integration

# CI build script
set -e  # Exit on any error

echo "Converting CommonJS modules..."
r.js -convert lib/commonjs lib/amd

echo "Running build optimization..."  
r.js -o build-ci.js

echo "Build completed successfully"

Help and Documentation

Getting Help

# Show help information
r.js -help
r.js --help
r.js -h

# Online documentation reference
# See https://github.com/requirejs/r.js for usage.

Command Line Reference

The r.js command line tool provides a flexible interface for all RequireJS optimization and execution needs, supporting multiple JavaScript environments and extensive configuration options for modern web application builds.

Install with Tessl CLI

npx tessl i tessl/npm-requirejs

docs

amd-loader.md

build-system.md

command-line.md

configuration.md

index.md

plugins.md

tile.json