quick-start-npm.md

June 3, 2014 · View on GitHub

Quick start using NPM

First, create a folder for your app:

mkdir myApp
cd myApp

Initialize the app to use npm:

npm init

Be sure to provide a name and an entry point. The entry point is the name of your main module. "main.js" is a good name to use. Just hit enter to accept the default values for the other questions if you are not sure how to answer.

Next, install RaveJS:

npm install --save rave

Now, create an index.html file. This is enough code to get started:

<!doctype html>
<html data-rave-meta="package.json" data-debug>
<head>
<script src="node_modules/rave/rave.js" async></script>
</head>
</html>

The data-rave-meta="package.json" and data-debug attributes are optional, but are a good starting point until you fully understand how RaveJS works.

Lastly, create the main module. When using npm, CommonJS is the default module format. Here's a simple main module to get you started:

exports.main = function (context) {
	write('<h1>Welcome to RaveJS!</h1>');
	write('<h2>Congrats on your first RaveJS app: "' + context.app.name + '"!</h2>');
};
function write (msg) {
	document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('div')).innerHTML = msg;
}

That's it! No file watchers, no build steps, and no transpiling. Just launch your favorite web server and open the index.html page in a browser.

Now, go find some useful Rave Extensions to install. Don't forget to use --save when you npm install --save <extension>!

Why do I see 404s?

Relax! These 404s are a natural part of Rave's auto-configuration process. They're harmless during development and won't occur in production. You can eliminate the 404s, too.