ssb-ahoy !

An onboarding mini-app - gets you all set up, and caught up on the gossip before you set out on your adventure

You currently need to be on the same network as another peer (this version has to start with local peer recplication)

Requirements

You must have the following modules installed in your application:

• secret-stack (^6.2.1)
• ssb-db
• ssb-master
• ssb-unix-socket + ssb-no-auth

:warning: NOTE we no longer use ssb-server (this is just secret-stack + ssb-db + some CLI tools)

Example usage

// index.js
const ahoy = require('ssb-ahoy')
const Config = require('ssb-config/inject')

const plugins = [
  'ssb-db', // < required
  'ssb-conn',
  'ssb-replicate',
  'ssb-friends',
  'ssb-invite',
  'ssb-backlinks',
  'ssb-query',
]

ahoy({
  title: 'Patchbay',
  plugins,
  appPath: './app.js', // entry point to your main app
  onReady: (state) => {
    console.log('welcome aboard')
    console.log(state)
  }
})

// package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "electron index.js"
  }
}

NOTE: if you set AHOY=true then ssb-ahoy will open up regardless of whether you're "set up"

API

ahoy(opts)

opts Object with properties:

• plugins - [String] an array of ssb-server plugins names (as strings) you'd like ahoy to run for you
• appURL | appPath - String (only one of these)
  • appURL - points to a URL for your app. This is really useful for things like webpack dev-servers (e.g. can be http://localhost:8080 or \file://${__dirname}/index.html``)
  • appPath - the relative path to the entry points of your app, from the root of your app repo. The entry point is expected to export function that accepts a copy of the config (so it can connect to the server that's been started!) and is expected to handle attaching some UI to the page.
• title - String (optional) the title to be attached to the visible window
• config - Object (optional) if this is supplied, ssb-ahoy's config selector + editor will be skipped and you'll be jumped straight to launching your app. Must be valid config for starting and connecting to an ssb-server and include config.keys (see also: ssb-config)
• appDir - String (optional) the relative path to your app root from the ssb-ahoy module. Generally just don't touch this, it's only really used when symlinking ssb-ahoy in ... you don't want to know :(
• onReady- Function (optional) a callback which is run after ahoy hands over to your main app. Is passed some state data, e.g. config, windows (ui, server)

The voyage map

Note at the moment moment ssb-ahoy is running the main electron instance. We can't seem to easily quit out of it and launch pour own e.g. patchbay, using that electron... which would seem more ideal. Currently just hacking it so that app.quit() is not called, and patchbay uses ahoy's electron ...

• start with alternative configs

  • find or create new identities
  • see and edit config for an identity
  • block users from changing caps.sign if it's already set

• option to skip skip ssb-ahoy

  • based on some setting/ config somewhere
  • based on account state (name, image, follows, seq)

• set your name / image (if applicable)

• first time replication + indexing (currently disabled)

  • lets you follow peers on a local network
  • shows you progress of replication and indexing
  • let's your quit out and try jumping to the next app!
  • get it working on Unix / Windows
    • starts
  • builds working installers
  • ANY UI design + css !
  • bonuses:
    • names next to the local peers keys
      • note that lib/get-name only looks for more recent self-set name. any more requires indexes
    • only provide (next) button if know (based on ssb-ebt data) have all the data for all the feeds
    • split the replication into multiple stages

Bonus:

Development

:warning: WARNING - because of limitations in electron, I've had to use executeJavaScript which only takes strings. In terms of requiring plugins, this has meant some kinda nasty hacks so that ssb-ahoy doesn't have to maintain plugins.

You are likely to have problems if you try to symlink this module into place. The solution is to set the opts.appDir. e.g. if I have ~/projects/patchbay and ~/projects/ssb-ahoy, then after linking ssb-ahoy into patchbay, I would set appDir: '../patchbay'