path-meta-utils

A lightweight utility module that provides ESM-compatible equivalents for CommonJS __dirname and __filename variables, along with standardized output formatting for file content.

Parameters Section

getMetaPaths(importMetaUrl)

Required parameter: importMetaUrl (string)
Description: Pass import.meta.url from the calling file to get ESM-compatible directory and file paths.

Returns: An object with two properties:

• __filename (string): The absolute file path of the calling module
• __dirname (string): The absolute directory path of the calling module

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

import { getMetaPaths } from 'path-meta-utils';

const { __filename, __dirname } = getMetaPaths(import.meta.url);

console.log('Current file:', __filename);
console.log('Current directory:', __dirname);

Real-world Example

// In file: /projects/my-app/src/utils/config.js
import { getMetaPaths } from 'path-meta-utils';
import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
import { join } from 'path';

const { __dirname } = getMetaPaths(import.meta.url);

// Load a config file relative to current module
const configPath = join(__dirname, 'config.json');
const config = JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath, 'utf-8'));

console.log('Config loaded from:', configPath);

Detailed Information

Why This Utility Exists

In ECMAScript Modules (ESM), the traditional CommonJS __dirname and __filename variables are not available. This utility provides a clean, standardized way to access these paths in ESM environments.

Implementation Details

The module uses Node.js built-in modules:

• url.fileURLToPath(): Converts a file URL to a path string
• path.dirname(): Extracts the directory name from a path

Package Configuration

• Module Type: ESM ("type": "module" in package.json)
• Entry Point: index.js
• License: ISC

Installation

npm install path-meta-utils

Requirements

• Node.js 14.8.0 or higher (for import.meta.url support)
• ESM module system

Notes

• This utility is particularly useful when working with file operations, configuration loading, or any scenario where you need to reference files relative to the current module
• The function is pure and has no side effects
• All paths returned are absolute paths

Related Utilities

For output formatting with file pointer annotations (as shown in the context), you would typically implement additional utilities following the same pattern.