gosub

You want to use pkg.scripts subtasks, but you don't want to commit to either npm run or yarn run? Look no further.

Given the following package.json

{
  "name": "my-package",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "license": "MIT",
  "scripts": {
    "task": "gosub subtask && gosub print done",
    "subtask": "echo ====>> unix: $npm_config_user_agent win: %npm_config_user_agent% <<====",
    "print":"echo"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "gosub": "1.0.0"
  }
}

After running npm install or yarn you get the following:

~/tmp ❯❯❯ yarn run --silent task
$ echo "====>> $npm_config_user_agent <<===="
====>> yarn/1.3.2 npm/? node/v8.9.1 darwin x64 <<====
$ echo done
done

and

~/tmp ❯❯❯ npm run --silent task
====>> npm/5.5.1 node/v8.9.1 darwin x64 <<====
done

In other words, if the main task is launched with npm run the sub tasks will be as well. If you launched it with yarn run, so will the subtasks (look between the ===>> arrows <<==== ).

This makes your pkg.scripts runner agnostic.

What about other commands beyond run?

You can use gosub --raw action. So gosub --raw install will run npm install (re. bun, yarn, etc...).

Why not use $_ run subtask?

It doesn't work on Windows (although it will save you tens if not hundreds of milliseconds on *nix). If it turns out there's a native, cross-platform method to achieve what gosub does please chime in in the issues.

Caveat

The script works for my own use, but I'm not used to writing command line utilities and may have botched up some details that matter for your use case. For example, this has only been tested on MacOS, althought AFAICT there's nothing OS specific in the script. Feel free to open an issue if you have problems and/or suggestions.

Is gosub a BASIC thing?

*Waves at all of you who learned to code on 8/16 bits computers*.

History

v2.0.0

• Add a --raw option to launch other commands gosub --raw install will launch npm install (or bun, yarn depending on what you're using) .

v1.1.0

• Use child_process.spawn instead of .exec to prevent the parent from exiting early.
• Have the child inherit the stdio streams rather than piping them manually.
• Also pipe stdin to the children processes.

v1.0.0

initial release

License?

Romantic WTF!