Bundle your JavaScript · System Designer

In this tutorial we will show:

how to define a JS model,
how to create a JS component and
how to use it in your application and
how to install it in another application.

There are many ways to bundle JavaScript files

This is one example on how to bundle and install JavaScript libraries with System Designer. But it is not the only way. Find the one that matches your needs.

Define a JS model

First create a schema that:

has for name JS
has a source property and
a render method.

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Then edit the model:

change the type of source in from any to javascript and
empty params array of render method.

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Code the behavior of render method

Edit the render method of the model as follow:

function render() {
  var div = document.createElement('script');
    
  div.innerHTML = this.source();
  document.head.appendChild(div);
}

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Create a JS component

Now create a JS component from the interface.

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Then edit the component. You will notice that a source tab appears. It will allow you to add your javascript in your component. Put the JavaScript you want. In this example we set:

alert('Hello World');

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What happens?

Because in the model you tell that source property has for type javascript. System Designer let you edit this property as JavaScript. It means that System Designer will check that the JavaScript you write is correct.

Then click on the Component tab to edit the _id property value of the component:

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Render your component in your application

Edit the start method of your system and:

require the JS component and
call the render method.

function start() { 
  this.require('alertComponent').render();
}

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Run your bundle

Now you can run your system and see the result.

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Install your bundle in another system

First, export your bundle by clicking on the export button. Choose JSON to export your bundle in a JSON file. Your bundle is ready then to be imported in another system.

Client-side example

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>App</title>
        <meta charset="UTF-8">
        <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
        <!-- your bundle -->  
        <link rel="system" type="application/json" href="myjs.json">
      
        <!-- other systems --> 
        <link rel="system" type="application/json" href="system1.json">
        <link rel="system" type="application/json" href="system2.json">
    </head>
    <body>
        <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/system-runtime/dist/system-runtime.min.js"></script>
    </body>
</html>

Server-side example

let runtime = require('system-runtime');

// install your bundle
runtime.install('myjs.json');

// install other systems
runtime.install('system1.json');
runtime.install('system2.json');

To be able to work on the server, your system must not use the DOM APIs.

More details

See in this guide to have more details on how to install your bundle client-side or client-side.

You can bundle any JavaScript library

System Designer allows you to easily import JavaScript libraries like React in your system.