Autoexport

A CLI utility to automatically create index.ts files with barrel exports.

What it does

This tool scans directories based on glob patterns and automatically generates index.ts files that export all found TypeScript files. It's perfect for creating barrel exports that re-export modules from subdirectories.

Installation

Since this is part of a pnpm workspace, you can install it locally:

pnpm install --filter autoexport

Or install dependencies from the root:

pnpm install

Usage

npx autoexport <output-file> <glob-patterns...>

Arguments

• <output-file>: The path where the index.ts file should be created (e.g., src/index.ts)
• <glob-patterns...>: One or more glob patterns to match TypeScript files (e.g., src/utils/** src/types/**)

Options

• -v, --verbose: Enable verbose output to see what files are being processed
• -h, --help: Show help information
• --version: Show version information

Examples

Basic usage

Generate an index.ts file that exports all files from utils and types directories:

npx autoexport src/index.ts "src/utils/**" "src/types/**"

With verbose output

npx autoexport src/index.ts "src/utils/**" "src/types/**" --verbose

More complex patterns

npx autoexport dist/index.ts "src/components/**" "src/hooks/**" "src/lib/**"

Generated Output

Given a directory structure like:

src/
├── utils/
│   ├── format.ts
│   └── validate.ts
├── types/
│   ├── user.ts
│   └── api.ts
└── index.ts (generated)

The generated src/index.ts would contain:

// This file is auto-generated by autoexport
// Do not modify manually

export * from "./types/api"
export * from "./types/user"
export * from "./utils/format"
export * from "./utils/validate"

Features

• Automatic discovery: Finds all TypeScript files matching your patterns
• Relative imports: All generated imports are relative to the output file location
• Smart filtering: Ignores node_modules, dist, build directories and .d.ts files
• Self-exclusion: Won't include the output file itself in the exports
• Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Sorted output: Exports are alphabetically sorted for consistency

File Types Supported

• .ts files
• .tsx files

Ignored Patterns

The tool automatically ignores:

• **/node_modules/**
• **/dist/**
• **/build/**
• **/*.d.ts
• The output file itself

Use Cases

• Component libraries: Export all components from a single entry point
• Utility libraries: Create barrel exports for utility functions
• Type definitions: Export all types from a centralized location
• API modules: Export all API-related modules together
• Hooks: Export all custom React hooks from one place

Integration with Build Tools

You can integrate this into your build process:

{
  "scripts": {
    "build:exports": "autoexport src/index.ts 'src/components/**' 'src/hooks/**' 'src/utils/**'",
    "prebuild": "npm run build:exports"
  }
}

Error Handling

The tool will exit with code 1 if:

• Invalid glob patterns are provided
• Output directory cannot be created
• File write permissions are insufficient

Use --verbose flag to get detailed information about what the tool is doing.