File-Based Routing CLI for React

A command-line tool that enables file-based routing in React projects, similar to Next.js routing but for standard React applications. This tool automatically generates and manages routes based on your file structure in the pages directory.

Features

🚀 Quick Setup

• Automatically installs and configures react-router-dom
• Sets up the necessary routing infrastructure
• Modifies your App.jsx/tsx to include routing configuration
• Creates a pages directory for your route components
• Supports both JavaScript and TypeScript projects

📁 Advanced File-Based Routing

• Creates routes based on file names in the pages directory
• Supports dynamic routes with bracket notation ([id].jsx)
• Route groups with parentheses notation ((auth)/login.jsx)
• Index routes for clean directory-based routing
• Automatically generates route components with proper naming
• Real-time file watching and route updates

Installation

You can install the package globally:

npm install -g file-based-routing-cli

Or use it directly with npx:

npx file-based-routing-cli [command]

Usage

Initialize Your Project

fbr init

This command:

1. Creates a pages directory
2. Installs react-router-dom if not present
3. Sets up the routing configuration
4. Modifies App.jsx/tsx to include the router

Watch for Changes

fbr watch

This command:

1. Watches the pages directory for file changes
2. Automatically generates route components for new files
3. Updates the routing configuration when files are added or removed
4. Provides real-time feedback in the terminal

File Structure Example

your-react-app/
├── src/
│   ├── App.jsx
│   └── routing.jsx (auto-generated)
├── pages/
│   ├── index.jsx           → /
│   ├── about.jsx           → /about
│   ├── contact.jsx         → /contact
│   ├── (auth)/
│   │   ├── login.jsx       → /login
│   │   └── register.jsx    → /register
│   ├── (dashboard)/
│   │   ├── settings.jsx    → /settings
│   │   └── profile.jsx     → /profile
│   └── blog/
│       ├── index.jsx       → /blog
│       └── [id].jsx        → /blog/:id

Routing Features

📁 Dynamic Routes

Use bracket notation for dynamic route parameters:

• pages/blog/[id].jsx → /blog/:id
• pages/user/[userId]/posts/[postId].jsx → /user/:userId/posts/:postId

Dynamic route components automatically include useParams hook and parameter display:

// Generated for pages/blog/[id].jsx
import { useParams } from "react-router-dom";

export default function BlogDynamicId() {
  const params = useParams();
  const id = params.id;

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>BlogDynamicId Page</h1>
      <div>
        <h2>Route Parameters:</h2>
        <p>
          <strong>id:</strong> {id}
        </p>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

📂 Route Groups

Use parentheses to group routes without affecting the URL structure:

• pages/(auth)/login.jsx → /login (not /auth/login)
• pages/(dashboard)/settings.jsx → /settings (not /dashboard/settings)
• pages/(marketing)/about.jsx → /about (not /marketing/about)

Route groups are perfect for organizing related pages while keeping clean URLs.

🏠 Index Routes

Index files create routes for their parent directory:

• pages/index.jsx → / (homepage)
• pages/blog/index.jsx → /blog
• pages/(auth)/index.jsx → / (route groups are ignored)
• pages/(dashboard)/settings/index.jsx → /settings

Component Generation

When you create a new file in the pages directory, the CLI automatically generates a component with this structure:

Component Naming

The CLI generates unique component names based on the file path:

• pages/about.jsx → About
• pages/blog/index.jsx → BlogIndex
• pages/(auth)/login.jsx → AuthLogin
• pages/blog/[id].jsx → BlogDynamicId
• pages/(dashboard)/user/[id].jsx → DashboardUserDynamicId

Requirements

• Node.js 14 or higher
• React project using npm
• React Router DOM v6+

License

MIT