Source

Source to embeds JavaScript source generation in your JavaScript using JavaScript syntax to define the source. No convoluted mutli-line strings or external files necessary. Your current editor will happily highlight your generated JavaScript correctly.

Source is a MicroJS library, less than 2k minified and gzipped.

The source blocks passed to Source survive minification, and reap the benefits of minification. The generated source is inline with the library that calls it. You can ship your generator to the browser, minified to as small as it will go, without having to add additional source files.

Synopsis

A minimal example.

var source = require('source')

var ok = require('assert').ok

var block = source(function () {
    return $multiple * number
})
block.multiple('2')

ok('return 2 * number' == String(block), 'convert to string')

var double = block.compile('number')
ok(double(2) == 4, 'generated function')

Place Holders

The source function generates a block from an example function and returns a Source function object. Any variable name prefixed by a dollar sign — $ — indicates a place holder for more code.

The Source object will contain a method for each place holder. You can fill in the place holders with string, or you can fill them in with more blocks.

A block replacement example.

var source = require('source')

var ok = require('assert').ok

var block = source(function () {
    return $math
})
block.math(function () { $multiple * number })
block.multiple(function () { 2 })

ok('return 2 * number' == String(block), 'convert to string')

var double = block.compile('number')
ok(double(2) == 4, 'generated function')

Notice how when we add a block to a block, the place holders declared in the nested block are defined in the parent Source object.

Catenation

The Source object created by source is actually a function. When you call that function you append source to the block defined by source.

var source = require('source')

var ok = require('assert').ok

var block = source(function () {
  number *= $multiple
})

block(function () {
  return number
})

block.multiple(function () { 2 })

ok('number *= 2\n\
return number' == String(block), 'convert to string')

var double = block.compile('number')
ok(double(2) == 4, 'generated function')

I'll have more examples of how you use Source as I use it myself to generate binary packet parsers for Packet.