assload

Modular, extensible asset manager with preloading capabilities.

NOTE: This is experimental software; use at your own risk. (And please report issues)

var assload = require('assload'),
    loadImages = require('assload-image'),
    loadAudio = require('assload-audio'),
    loader, loader, music;

// Create a new asset manager:
loader = assload();

// Configure the asset manager to use specific loaders
//  for different asset types
loader.use({
  images: loadImages(),
  sounds: loadAudio({preload: 'full'}),
  music: loadAudio()
});

// Create a bundle for our game's essential assets:
essentials = loader.bundle({
  images: {
    bacon: 'bacon.png',
    eggs: 'eggs.jpg'
  },
  sounds: {
    quack: ['quack.ogg', 'quack.wav']
  }
});

// Create a different bundle for non-essential background music:
backgroundMusic = loader.bundle({
  music: {
    level1: ['level1.ogg', 'level1.mp3', 'level1.m4a'],
    battle: ['battle.ogg', 'battle.mp3', 'battle.m4a']
  }
});

// Listen for asset's progressive loading events:
essentials.on('asset.progress', function (info) {
  console.log(info.type + ':' + info.name + ': %' + Math.round(info.amount*100));
});

// Listen for asset loading completion events:
essentials.on('asset.complete', function (info) {
  console.log(info.totalComplete + ' out of ' + info.totalCount + ' assets loaded');
});

// Load the essentials first:
essentials.load().then(function (assets) {
  console.log('Bacon:', assets.images.bacon); // Bacon: <img src='bacon.png' />
  console.log('Eggs:', assets.images.eggs);   // Eggs: <img src='eggs.jpg' />
  console.log('Quack:', assets.sounds.quack); // Quack: <audio src='quack.ogg' />

  // The important stuff loaded, now start the game...
  // mainLoop() or whatever you use...

  // ...and now load our music in the background
  return backgroundMusic.load();
}).then(function (assets) {
  // Now the background music has loaded, go ahead and play it:
  assets.music.level1.play();
}).catch(function (err) {
  throw err;
});

API

var assload = require('assload');

Create a new asset manager

var loader = assload();

Configure an asset manager to load specific asset types

Assload knows nothing about how to load specific types of assets.

You must supply a loader function for any type of asset you wish to load.

loader.use({
  images: loadImages(),
  sounds: loadAudio(),
  foobars: function (whatToLoad, resolve, reject, notify) { /* ... */ }
});

Some existing loaders:

• assload-image

See also: Create a custom loader

Create a bundle of assets to load

var bundle = loader.bundle({
  images: {
    bacon: 'bacon.png',
    eggs: 'eggs.jpg'
  },
  sounds: {
    quack: ['quack.ogg', 'quack.mp3', 'quack.wav']
  }
});

Load a bundle of assets

bundle.load().then(function (assets) {
  console.log('All assets have been loaded!');
}, function (err) {
  console.error(err);
});

bundle.load() returns a Q promise that resolves when all assets have completed.

Access loaded assets

Once an asset is loaded, it can be accessed simply with assets.<type>.<name>.

Prior to loading, the assets.<type>.<name> is undefined.

For example:

bundle = loader.bundle({
  images: {
    player: 'player.png'
  }
});

bundle.load().then(function (assets) {
  console.log('Player:', assets.images.player); // Player: <img src='player.png' />
});

Listen for progress events

If a loader function uses notify to report partially-loaded asset progress, asset.progress events will be fired.

bundle.on('asset.progress', function (info) {
  console.log('Asset type', info.type);
  console.log('Asset name', info.name);
  console.log('Asset parameters', info.params);
  console.log('Percentage loaded', Math.round(info.amount*100));
});

Listen for completion events

Whenever a single asset is successfully loaded, an asset.complete event is fired.

bundle.on('asset.complete', function (info) {
  console.log('Asset type', type);
  console.log('Asset name', name);
  console.log('Asset parameters', params);
  console.log('The loaded asset', asset);
  console.log('The total number of assets being loaded', totalCount);
  console.log('The total number of assets that have loaded', totalComplete);
});

Create a custom loader

Loader functions take on the following format:

loader.use({
  custom: function (whatToLoad, resolve, reject, notify) {
    // load the asset here
  }
});

whatToLoad A value passed from loader.load(...); this is usually a filename/uri, but can be any value.

resolve(asset) A function to call when the asset has successfully loaded.

asset The loaded asset.

reject(reason) A function to call when the asset failed to load.

reason A new Error with a message describing why the asset failed to load.

notify(progress) A function to optionally call periodically as the asset progressively loads.

progress Value from 0 to 1 representing the percentage of the asset that has loaded.

For a simple example, see how assload-image is written.

License

MIT

Install

npm install assload --save