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node-ray

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node-ray

Debug your NodeJS code with Ray to fix problems faster

This package can be installed in any NodeJS, ES6+, or TypeScript application to send messages to the Ray app.

Installation

Install with npm:

npm install node-ray

or yarn:

yarn add node-ray

Available environments

node-ray offers several variants to allow you to use it in either NodeJS or Browser environments.

NodeJS

When using in a NodeJS environment (the default), import the package as you would normally:

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray';

// commonjs import:
const ray = require('node-ray').ray;

Browser bundle

If you're bundling your scripts for use in a Browser environment (i.e. using webpack), import the /web variant:

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray/web';

// commonjs import:
const { ray } = require('node-ray/web');

Browser standalone

If you'd like to use node-ray directly in a webpage, you may inject it via a CDN package. The standalone version is bundled with everything except the axios library.

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/axios@latest"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/node-ray@latest/dist/standalone.min.js"></script>
<script>
    window.ray = Ray.ray;
    window.Ray = Ray.Ray;
</script>

You may access the helper ray() method normally.

Using with Laravel Mix

To use node-ray with Laravel Mix, include the following in resources/js/bootstrap.js:

const { ray } = require('node-ray/web');

window.ray = ray;

You may then compile as usual (npm run dev). After including js/app.js in your view, you may access ray() normally within your scripts.

Usage

The majority of the API from the original PHP package is supported. See the api reference for more information.

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray';

// commonjs import:
const { ray } = require('node-ray');

If you need to modify the host or port:

// make sure you import the Ray class (capital "R")
const { Ray, ray } = require('node-ray');

Ray.useDefaultSettings({ host: '127.0.0.1', port: 3000 });

// or just modify the port:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({ port: 3000 });

// ...and use ray() as normal


ray('a string');

ray(['several', 'arguments'], 'can', {be: provided});

ray().table(['one two', {a: 100, b: 200, c: 300}, [9, 8, 7]]).blue();

ray().html('<em>large text</em>').large().green();

ray().image('https://placekitten.com/200/300');

ray().clearAll();

ray().disable(); // disable sending data to Ray at runtime
ray().xml('<one>11</one>'); // disabled, data not sent to Ray

Configuration

NodeJS config

Note: This section only applies if you are using node-ray in the NodeJS environment, NOT a browser environment.

node-ray will search for ray.config.js. You should place this file in your project's root directory, similiar to the way ray.php is placed in the root directory when using spatie/ray.

This is optional and the package will use the default settings if no configuration file is found.

Example:

// ray.config.js

module.exports = {
    enable: true,
    host: 'localhost',
    port: 23517,
    scheme: 'http', //only change this if you know what you're doing!

    // calls to console.log() are redirected to Ray
    intercept_console_log: true,

    // determine the enabled state using the specified callback
    // the 'enable' setting is also considered when using this setting.
    enabled_callback: () => {
        return functionThatReturnsABoolean();
    },

    sending_payload_callback: (rayInstance, payloads) => {
        if (payloads[0].getType() === 'custom') {
            payloads[0].html += ' <strong>- modified!</strong>';
        }
    },

    sent_payload_callback: (rayInstance) => {
        // automatically make all payloads sent to Ray green.
        rayInstance.green();
    },
}

When running node-ray within a NodeJS environment, you may set the environment variable NODE_ENV to "production" or "staging" to disable sending data to Ray from calls to ray().

Browser config

This section only applies if you are using node-ray in a browser environment (webpack, etc.).

You can configure node-ray by importing the Ray class and calling the useDefaultSettings() method.

const { Ray, ray } = require('node-ray/web');

// set several settings at once:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({
    host: '192.168.1.20',
    port: 23517
});

// or set individual settings only:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({ port: 23517 });

// use ray() normally:
ray().html('<strong>hello world</strong>');

These settings persist across calls to ray(), so they only need to be defined once.

Enabled state

If you provide a callback for the enabled_callback setting (a function that returns a boolean), payloads will only be sent to ray if:

the enable setting is set to true.
the callback returns a value of true.

If either or both conditions are false, then no payloads will be sent to Ray.

You may set the enabled_callback setting to null or leave it undefined to only consider the enable setting (which is the default).

Sending/sent payload callbacks

You can specify the sending_payload_callback or sent_payload_callback settings to trigger a callback before (sending) or after (sent) a payload is sent.

This is useful if you need to send additional payloads or modify sent all payloads (i.e., changing the color).

About

This package attempts to replicate the entire PHP API for Ray to provide a robust solution for debugging NodeJS projects.

How is this different from `js-ray`?

This is a more complete implementation written in typescript, and its primary use case is for NodeJS projects, although it can be used in Browser environments as well.

The codebase was translated to Typescript directly from the original PHP source code of spatie/ray.

As a result, node-ray supports the majority of features that exist in the original package; js-ray does not.

We did draw some inspiration for portions of the code from js-ray, however.

Using the package

See using the package.

Reference

Call	Description
`ray(variable)`	Display a string, array or object
`ray(var1, var2, …)`	Ray accepts multiple arguments
`ray(…).blue()`	Output in color. Use `green`, `orange`, `red`, `blue`,`purple` or `gray`
`ray().caller()`	Show the calling class and method
`ray().clearScreen()`	Clear current screen
`ray().clearAll()`	Clear current and all previous screens
`ray().className(obj)`	Display the classname for an object
`ray().count(name)`	Count how many times a piece of code is called, with optional name
`ray().date(date, format)`	Display a formatted date, the timezone, and its timestamp
`ray().die()`	Halt code execution - NodeJS only
`ray().disable()`	Disable sending stuff to Ray
`ray().disabled()`	Check if Ray is disabled
`ray().enable()`	Enable sending stuff to Ray
`ray().enabled()`	Check if Ray is enabled
`ray().error(err)`	Display information about an Error/Exception
`ray().event(name, data)`	Display information about an event with optional data
`ray().exception(err)`	Display extended information and stack trace for an Error/Exception
`ray().file(filename)`	Display contents of a file - NodeJS only
`ray(…).hide()`	Display something in Ray and make it collapse immediately
`ray().hideApp()`	Programmatically hide the Ray app window
`ray().html(string)`	Send HTML to Ray
`ray().htmlMarkup(string)`	Display syntax-highlighted HTML code in Ray
`ray()->if(true, callback)`	Conditionally show things based on a truthy value or callable, optionally calling the callback with a `ray` argument
`ray().image(url)`	Display an image in Ray
`ray().interceptor()`	Access ConsoleInterceptor; call `.enable()` to show `console.log()` calls in Ray
`ray().json([…])`	Send JSON to Ray
`ray().label(string)`	Add a text label to the payload
`ray().limit(N).…`	Limit the number of payloads that can be sent to Ray to N; used for debugging within loops
`ray().macro(name, callable)`	Add a custom method to the Ray class. make sure not to use an arrow function if returning `this`
`ray().measure(callable)`	Measure the performance of a callback function
`ray().measure()`	Begin measuring the overall time and elapsed time since previous `measure()` call
`ray().newScreen()`	Start a new screen
`ray().newScreen('title')`	Start a new named screen
`ray(…).notify(message)`	Display a notification
`ray().once(arg1, …)`	Only send a payload once when in a loop
`ray(…).pass(variable)`	Display something in Ray and return the value instead of a Ray instance
`ray().pause()`	Pause code execution within your code; must be called using `await`
`ray().projectName(name)`	Change the active project name
`ray(…).remove()`	Remove an item from Ray
`ray(…).removeIf(true)`	Conditionally remove an item based on a truthy value or callable
`ray(…).removeWhen(true)`	Conditionally remove an item based on a truthy value or callable
`ray(…).screenColor(color)`	Changes the screen color to the specified color
`ray(…).separator()`	Display a separator
`ray().showApp()`	Programmatically show the Ray app window
`ray(…).showIf(true)`	Conditionally show things based on a truthy value or callable
`ray(…).showWhen(true)`	Conditionally show things based on a truthy value or callable
`ray(…).small()`	Output text smaller or bigger. Use `large` or `small`
`ray().stopTime(name)`	Removes a named stopwatch if specified, otherwise removes all stopwatches
`ray().table(…)`	Display an array or an object formatted as a table; Objects and arrays are pretty-printed
`ray().text(string)`	Display raw text in Ray while preserving whitespace formatting
`ray().trace()`	Display a stack trace
`ray().xml(string)`	Send XML to Ray

FAQ

Is node-ray only for NodeJS? Not at all! It can be used in a web environment with javascript as well.
Can node-ray be used with React/Vue? yes, just be sure to import node-ray/web
Can node-ray be used if I'm using webpack? yes, just be sure to import node-ray/web

Development setup

npm install
npm run build:all
npm run test
node build/test.js

Code Coverage Details

codecov graph

Testing

node-ray uses Jest for unit tests. To run the test suite:

npm run test

To update the test snapshots:

npm run test -- -u

Changelog

Please see CHANGELOG for more information on what has changed recently.

Security Vulnerabilities

Please review our security policy on how to report security vulnerabilities.

Credits

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.

Usage no npm install needed!