Cordis

AOP Framework for Modern JavaScript Applications.

import { Context } from 'cordis'

const ctx = new Context()

ctx.plugin(plugin)              // use plugins
ctx.on(event, callback)         // listen to events

ctx.start()                     // start app

Guide

Context

Contexts provide three kinds of functionality:

• allowing access to services (service container)
• managing states of plugins (plugin context)
• filtering sessions for events (session context)

Events

Cordis has a built-in event model.

Listen to events

To add an event listener, simply use ctx.on(), which is similar to the EventEmitter that comes with Node.js: the first parameter incidates the name of the event and the second parameter is the callback function. We also support similar methods ctx.once(), which is used to listen to events only once, and ctx.off(), which is used to cancel as event listeners.

ctx.on('some-event', callback)
ctx.once('some-event', callback)
ctx.off('some-event', callback)

One difference between cordis Context and Node.js EventEmitter is that both ctx.on() and ctx.once() returns a dispose function, which can be called to cancel the event listener. So you do not actually have to use ctx.once() and ctx.off(). Here is an example of add a listener that will only be called once:

const dispose = ctx.on('some-event', (...args) => {
  dispose()
  // do something
})

Trigger events

In cordis, triggering an event can take many forms. Currently we support four methods with some differences between them:

• emit: calling all listeners at the same time
• parallel: the asynchronous version of emit
• bail: calling all listeners in the order they were registered; when a value other than false, null or undefined is returned, the value is returned and subsequent listeners will not be called
• serial: the synchronous version of bail

The usage of these methods is also similar to EventEmitter. The first parameter is the event name, and the following parameters are passed to the listeners. Below is an example:

ctx.emit('some-event', arg1, arg2, ...rest)
// corresponds to
ctx.on('some-event', (arg1, arg2, ...rest) => {})

Events with this argument

Plugin

A plugin is one of three basic forms:

• a function that accepts two parameters, of which the first is the plugin context, and the second is the provided opions
• a class that accepts above parameters
• an object with an apply method in the form of the above function

When a plugin is loaded, it is basically equivalent to calling the above function or class. Therefore, the following four ways of adding a event listener is basically equivalent:

ctx.on(event, callback)

ctx.plugin(ctx => ctx.on(event, callback))

ctx.plugin({
  apply: ctx => ctx.on(event, callback),
})

ctx.plugin(class {
  constructor(ctx) {
    ctx.on(event, callback)
  }
})

It seems that this just changes the way of writing the direct call, but plugins can help us combine and modularize multiple logics while managing the options, which can greatly improve code maintainability.

Unload a plugin

ctx.plugin() returns a Fork instance. To unload a plugin, we can use the dispose() method of it:

// load a plugin
const fork = ctx.plugin((ctx) => {
  ctx.on(event1, callback1)
  ctx.on(event2, callback2)
  ctx.on(event3, callback3)
})

// unload the plugin, removing all listeners
fork.dispose()

Some plugins can be loaded multiple times. To unload every fork of a plugin without access to the Fork instance, we can use ctx.registry:

// remove all forks of the plugin
// return true if the plugin is active
ctx.registry.delete(plugin)

Service

For ones who are familiar with IoC / DI, a Service is an IoC (inversion of control), but is not implemented through DI. Cordis provides easy access to services within the context through TypeScript's unique mechanism called declaration merging.

Built-in services

Cordis has two built-in services:

• ctx.lifecycle: provides event model and lifecycle management
• ctx.registry: manages plugins and their runtimes

Write a service

Service dependency

Isolation of services

API

Context

ctx.extend(meta)

• meta: Partial<Context.Meta> additional properties
• returns: Context

Create a new context with the current context as the prototype. Properties specified in meta will be assigned to the new context.

ctx.isolate(keys)

• keys: string[] service names
• returns: Context

Create a new context with the current context as the prototype. Services included in keys will be isolated in the new context, while services not included in keys are still shared with the parent context.

const root = new Context()
const ctx1 = root.isolate(['foo'])
const ctx2 = root.isolate(['bar'])

root.foo = { value: 1 }
ctx1.foo                        // undefined
ctx2.foo                        // { value: 1 }

ctx1.bar = { value: 2 }
root.bar                        // { value: 2 }
ctx2.bar                        // undefined

Lifecycle

ctx.lifecycle is a built-in service which provides event-related functionality. Most of its methods are also directly accessible in the context.

ctx.emit(thisArg?, event, ...param)

• thisArg: object binding object
• event: string event name
• param: any[] event parameters
• returns: void

Trigger the event called event, calling all associated listeners synchronously at the same time, passing the supplied arguments to each. If the first argument is an object, it will be used as this when executing each listener.

ctx.parallel(thisArg?, event, ...param)

• thisArg: object binding object
• event: string event name
• param: any[] event parameters
• returns: Promise<void>

Trigger the event called event, calling all associated listeners asynchronously at the same time, passing the supplied arguments to each. If the first argument is an object, it will be used as this when executing each listener.

ctx.bail(thisArg?, event, ...param)

• thisArg: object binding object
• event: string event name
• param: any[] event parameters
• returns: any

Trigger the event called event, calling all associated listeners synchronously in the order they were registered, passing the supplied arguments to each. If the first argument is an object, it will be used as this when executing each listener.

If any listener returns a value other than false, null or undefined, that value is returned. If all listeners return false, null or undefined, an undefined is returned. In either case, subsequent listeners will not be called.

ctx.serial(thisArg?, event, ...param)

• thisArg: object binding object
• event: string event name
• param: any[] event parameters
• returns: Promise<any>

Trigger the event called event, calling all associated listeners asynchronously in the order they were registered, passing the supplied arguments to each. If the first argument is an object, it will be used as this when executing each listener.

If any listener is fulfilled with a value other than false, null or undefined, the returned promise is fulfilled with that value. If all listeners are fulfilled with false, null or undefined, the returned promise is fulfilled with undefined. In either case, subsequent listeners will not be called.

ctx.on()

ctx.once()

ctx.off()

ctx.lifecycle.start()

ctx.lifecycle.stop()

ctx.lifecycle.register()

ctx.lifecycle.unregister()

Registry

ctx.registry is a built-in service which provides plugin-related functionality. It is actually a subclass of Map<Plugin, Runtime>, so you can access plugin runtime via methods like ctx.registry.get() and ctx.registry.delete().

ctx.plugin(plugin, config?)

• plugin: object the plugin to apply
• config: object config for the plugin
• returns: Fork

Apply a plugin.

ctx.using(names, callback)

• names: string[] service names
• callback: Function plugin function

A syntax sugar of below code:

ctx.plugin({
  using: names,
  plugin: callback,
})

State

State can be accessed via ctx.state or passed in in some events.

state.uid

• type: number

An auto-incrementing unique identifier for the state.

state.runtime

• type: Runtime

The plugin runtime associated with the state. If the state is a runtime, then this property refers to itself.

state.parent

state.context

state.config

state.collect()

state.restart()

state.update()

state.dispose()

Fork

Runtime

Runtime is a subclass of State, representing the runtime state of a plugin.

It can be accessed via ctx.runtime or passed in in some events.

runtime.name

runtime.plugin

runtime.children

• type: Fork[]

runtime.isForkable

Events

ready()

The ready event is triggered when the lifecycle starts. If a ready listener is registered in a lifecycle that has already started, it will be called immediately.

It is recommended to wrap code in the ready event in the following scenarios:

• contains asynchronous operations (for example IO-intensive tasks)
• should be called after other plugins are ready (for exmaple performance checks)

dispose()

fork(ctx, config)

• ctx: Context
• config: any

internal/warning(...param)

• param: any[]

internal/hook(name, listener, prepend)

• name: string
• listener: Function
• prepend: boolean
• returns: () => boolean

internal/service(name)

• name: string
• oldValue: any

internal/runtime(runtime)

• runtime: Runtime

internal/fork(fork)

• fork: Fork

internal/update(fork, config)

• fork: Fork
• config: any