node-ray

The official javascript, TypeScript, and NodeJS integration for Ray.

The package can be installed in any NodeJS, ES6+, or TypeScript application to send messages to the Ray app.

It is recommended that you immediately update to v1.20.6 or higher.

Versions 1.19.6 through 1.20.5 are broken and will not function correctly.

Installation

Install with npm:

npm install node-ray

or yarn:

yarn add node-ray

Available environments

node-ray offers several variants to allow you to use it in either NodeJS or Browser environments.

If you're using NextJs/React, take a look at permafrost-dev/react-ray.

If you're using Vue, check out permafrost-dev/vue-ray.

NodeJS

When using in a NodeJS environment (the default), import the package as you would normally:

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray';

// commonjs import:
const ray = require('node-ray').ray;

Browser bundle

When bundling scripts for use in a Browser environment (i.e., using webpack), import the /web variant:

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray/web';

// commonjs import:
const { ray } = require('node-ray/web');

Browser standalone

Important Note - As of version 1.20.6, you should no longer include axios as a separate <script> tag.

It is now included in the standalone build.

node-ray may be directly used within a web page via a script tag. The standalone version includes all required libraries, including axios.

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/node-ray@latest/dist/standalone.min.js"></script>
<script>
    window.ray = Ray.ray;
    window.Ray = Ray.Ray;
</script>

Recommended Standalone Initialization

As of version 1.20.3, you may use the rayInit() method instead of manually assigning properties to the window global object. rayInit() is simply a wrapper around the above method to provide a better developer experience as well as more succinct and readable code:

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/node-ray@latest/dist/standalone.min.js"></script>
<script>
    rayInit(window);
    ray('hello world');
</script>

Regardless of the method used for initialization, the ray() helper function and the Ray class will now available in all scopes via the global window object.

Laravel Mix

To use node-ray with Laravel Mix, include the following in resources/js/bootstrap.js:

const { ray } = require('node-ray/web');

window.ray = ray;

Compile the bundle _(npm run dev)_as usual. After including js/app.js in your view, you may access ray() within your scripts.

Usage

Most of the API from the original PHP package is supported. See the api reference for more information.

// es module import:
import { ray } from 'node-ray';

// commonjs import:
const { ray } = require('node-ray');

To modify the host or port:

// make sure you import the Ray class (capital "R")
const { Ray, ray } = require('node-ray');

Ray.useDefaultSettings({ host: '127.0.0.1', port: 3000 });

// or just modify the port:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({ port: 3000 });

// ...and use ray() as normal

ray('a string');

ray(['several', 'arguments'], 'can', {be: provided});

ray().table(['one two', {a: 100, b: 200, c: 300}, [9, 8, 7]]).blue();

ray().html('<em>large text</em>').large().green();

ray().image('https://placekitten.com/200/300');

ray().clearAll();

ray().disable(); // disable sending data to Ray at runtime

ray().xml('<one>11</one>'); // disabled, data not sent to Ray

Configuration

NodeJS config

Note: This section only applies when using node-ray in the NodeJS environment, NOT a browser environment.

node-ray will search for ray.config.js, which should be in the project's root directory.

Using a configuration file is optional, and the package will use the default settings if no configuration file is specified.

Example:

// ray.config.js

module.exports = {
    enable: true,
    host: 'localhost',
    port: 23517,
    scheme: 'http', //only change this if you know what you're doing!

    // calls to console.log() are redirected to Ray
    intercept_console_log: true,

    // determine the enabled state using the specified callback
    // the 'enable' setting is also considered when using this setting.
    enabled_callback: () => {
        return functionThatReturnsABoolean();
    },

    sending_payload_callback: (rayInstance, payloads) => {
        if (payloads[0].getType() === 'custom') {
            payloads[0].html += ' <strong>- modified!</strong>';
        }
    },

    sent_payload_callback: (rayInstance) => {
        // automatically make all payloads sent to Ray green.
        rayInstance.green();
    },
}

When running node-ray within a NodeJS environment, you may set the environment variable NODE_ENV to "production" or "staging" to disable sending data to Ray from calls to ray().

Browser config

This section only applies within a browser environment (i.e., webpack).

You can configure node-ray by importing the Ray class and calling the useDefaultSettings() method.

const { Ray, ray } = require('node-ray/web');

// set several settings at once:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({
    host: '192.168.1.20',
    port: 23517
});

// or set individual settings only:
Ray.useDefaultSettings({ port: 23517 });

// use ray() normally:
ray().html('<strong>hello world</strong>');

These settings persist across calls to ray(), so they only need to be defined once.

Enabled state

If providing a callback for the enabled_callback setting (a function that returns a boolean), payloads will only be sent to Ray if:

• the enable setting is set to true.
• the callback returns a value of true.

If either condition is false, then no payloads will be sent to Ray.

Set the enabled_callback setting to null or leave it undefined to consider the enable setting (the default).

Sending/sent payload callbacks

Specify the sending_payload_callback or sent_payload_callback settings to trigger a callback before (sending) or after (sent) sending a payload.

This feature is helpful when sending additional payloads or modifying all payloads (i.e., changing the color).

About

This package attempts to replicate the entire PHP API for Ray to provide a robust solution for debugging NodeJS projects.

How is this different from js-ray?

This package is a more comprehensive implementation written in Typescript, and its primary use case is for NodeJS projects, although it also works within browser environments.

The codebase was translated to Typescript directly from spatie/ray.

As a result, node-ray implements most features in the original package; js-ray does not.

However, we did draw some inspiration for portions of the code from js-ray.

Using the package

See using the package.

Reference

FAQ

• Is node-ray only for NodeJS? Not at all! It can be used in a web environment with javascript as well.

• Can node-ray be used with React/Vue? yes, be sure to import node-ray/web

• Can node-ray be used if I am using webpack? yes, be sure to import node-ray/web

Development setup

• npm install
• npm run build:all
• npm run test
• node build/test.js

Code Coverage Details

Testing

node-ray uses Jest for unit tests. To run the test suite:

npm run test

To update the test snapshots:

npm run test -- -u

Changelog

Please see CHANGELOG for more information on what has changed recently.

Security Vulnerabilities

Please review our security policy on how to report security vulnerabilities.

Credits

• Patrick Organ
• All Contributors

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.