JSPM – express-less-middleware@3.0.0

Package Exports

express-less-middleware

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Readme

Express LESS Middleware

This middleware is designed to compile LESS on the fly.

Installing

npm install --save express-less-middleware

Should only be used for development. LESS should be compiled during a build process

What this does (per request)

Determines if file requested is: (if conditions aren't met it runs next())
1. requested via GET method
2. a CSS file
Looks for CSS file requested
- if found it will let it go through the original flow via next
Looks for a LESS file with the same name as the CSS file requested
- if LESS file is found it will read that file and compile it to CSS and deliever the response
If no LESS or CSS file is found, it will give you a 404 like usual

What this doesn't do

Look for changes on save (if you use it, you won't need a grunt watch on less files)

Setup

lessMiddleware( options )

options
- required: no
- default: ./public (string)
- Type: String or Object
  - String - will be path to express public directory.*
  - Object - less parser options
    - options.publicDir - same value as if options were a string. Same default value
    - options.paths*

* paths should be relative to cwd. path.join is used with process.cwd() as first argument when processing all paths

Example

const http = require("http");
const express = require("express");
const app = express();

// this assumes that the publicly available folder is on the same directory level
// as the file that starts your express server
const lessCompiler = require("express-less-middleware")();

// if that's not the case, initialize it with the path to your public/client-side folder
// the path should be relative to the directory where the file that starts your express server is
// Example below.
//
//    const lessCompiler = require( 'express-less-middleware' );
//    lessCompiler     = lessCompiler( '../path/to/public/folder' );
// OR
//    const lessCompiler = require( 'express-less-middleware' );
//    lessCompiler     = lessCompiler({ publicDir: '../path/to/public/folder', ... });

// ....everything else that has to do with configuring

// you should only use this when developing. Not meant for production
if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "dev") {
  // this must be "used" before express.use( express.static() ) or it will not work (no next())
  app.use(lessCompiler);
}

// ....other stuff relative to your express app

http.createServer(app).listen(8000);

License

MIT