node-machine

Using a machine

With traditional options+callback function usage:

var Github = require('machinepack-github');


Github.getRepo({
  user: 'balderdashy',
  repo: 'sails'
}, function (err, result) { /* ... */ });

With chainable helper functions and a switchback:

var Github = require('machinepack-github');

Github.getRepo
.configure({
  user: 'balderdashy',
  repo: 'sails'
})
.exec({
  success: function (results){ /*...*/ },
  error: function (err){ /*...*/ },
  invalidApiKey: function (err){ /*...*/ },
  // etc.
});

With machinepack-independent/low-level usage:

var Machine = require('node-machine');

Machine.build(require('machinepack-github/get-repo'))
.configure({
  user: 'balderdashy',
  repo: 'sails'
}).exec(function (err, results){
  if (err) {
    // ...
  }

  // ...
})

Building your own machine

Machines are mostly just simple functions that always have the same usage paradigm:

function (inputs, cb) {
  return cb();
}

If you define a function that way (let's say you export it from a local module called "foo.js"), you can actually use it as a machine like this:

require('node-machine').build(require('./foo'))
.configure({
  // input values go here
})
.exec(function (err) {
  console.log('all done.');
});

Advanced Usage

Since machine definitions are completely static, we must consider all of the various methods by which we might deserialize them and inject the runtime scope.

The Machine constructor

When you require node-machine, you get the global Machine constructor:

var Machine = require('node-machine');

As with the top-level value exported from any node module, you really shouldn't make changes to this object since it would pollute the module elsewhere in the currently-running process (in other functions, other files, and even other modules!)

Building callable machines

Machine.build() is a static factory method which constructs callable functions.

var Machine = require('node-machine');
var foobar = Machine.build(function foobar(inputs, cb){ return cb(); });

Executing machines

Once you have a callable machine function, you can call it directly:

foobar({
  foo: 1,
  bar: 2
}, function (err, result) {

});

or just use the chainable convenience methods:

foobar.configure({
  foo: 1,
  bar: 2
})
.exec(function (err, result) {

});

Chainable usage / deferred object

Calling .configure() on a machine returns a chainable intermediate object, much like a promise.

In the future, this object might eventually be a promise.

This allows for some flexibility in how the machine is called:

var thisFoobar = foobar.configure();
thisFoobar.configure({foo: 1});
thisFoobar.configure({bar: 2});
thisFoobar.exec(function (err, result){

});

Caching

Machines know how to cache their own results.

var Machine = require('node-machine');
var ls = Machine.build(require('machinepack-fs/ls'));

ls
.configure({

})
.cache(2000) // this is the ttl, 2000ms === 2 seconds
.exec(console.log)