easejs/doc/source-tree.texi

@c  This document is part of the GNU ease.js manual.
@c  Copyright (C) 2011, 2013 Mike Gerwitz
@c    Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
@c    under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
@c    or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
@c    with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover
@c    Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU
@c    Free Documentation License''.

@node Source Tree
@appendix Source Tree
You should already have gotten a hold of the source tree
(@pxref{Getting GNU ease.js}). If not, please do so first and feel free to
follow along.

@example
  $ cd easejs
  $ ls -d */
  doc/  lib/  test/  tools/
@end example

The project contains four main directories in addition to the root directory:

@table @file
@item ./
The root directory contains basic project files, such as @file{README},
@file{Makefile} and @file{index.js}.

@item doc/
Contains documentation source files (you are currently reading part of it - the
manual).

@item lib/
Contains the actual source code for the various modules.

@item test/
Contains unit and performance tests.

@item tools/
Various tools used during build process.
@end table

Let's take a look at each directory in more detail.

@menu
* Root Directory::   Contains basic project files
* Doc Directory::    Contains source documentation files (manual)
* Lib Directory::    Contains project source files (modules)
* Test Directory::   Contains unit and performance tests
* Tools Directory::  Contains build tools
@end menu

@node Root Directory
@section Root Directory
The root directory contains basic project files for common operations.

@table @file
@item index.js
This file is loaded automatically when @samp{require( 'easejs' )} is used.

@item LICENSE
Contains the project license.

@item Makefile
Invoked by the @command{make} command. Used for building ease.js.

@item package.json
Used by @command{npm}, a package manager for Node.js, to automate installation.

@item README.hacking
Useful information for those looking to modify/contribute to the project.

@item README.md
Serves as a quick reference for the project, in markdown@footnote{See
@uref{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markdown}.} format. This format was chosen
because it is displayed nicely on GitHub.

@item README.todo
Incomplete tasks. Future direction of the project. If you're looking to help
out, take a look at this file to see what needs to be done. (See also the bug
tracker at @uref{http://easejs.org/bugs}).
@end table

These files will be discussed in further detail when they are actually used.


@node Doc Directory
@section Doc Directory
The @file{doc/} directory contains the source files for the manual. The source
files are in Texinfo@footnote{See @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/}.}
format. Instructions for compiling the documentation are included later in this
chapter.

API documentation is @emph{not} included in this directory. It is generated from
the source code.


@node Lib Directory
@section Lib Directory
The @file{lib/} directory contains the source code for the project. Each source
file represents a single CommonJS module, often containing a prototype, and is
written in JavaScript. Additional information about each of the modules can be
found in the header of each file.

Unless you are developing for ease.js, you needn't concern yourself with these
files. @file{index.js}, in the root directory, contains mappings to these files
where necessary, exposing the useful portions of the API for general use. You
can use ease.js without even recognizing that the @file{lib/} directory even
exists.


@node Test Directory
@section Test Directory
The @file{test/} directory contains all the unit tests for the project. ease.js
follows a test-driven development model; every single aspect of the framework is
tested to ensure that features work as intended both server-side and across all
supported web browsers. The tests also serve as regression tests, ensuring that
bugs are not introduced for anything that has been covered. These tests should
also give outside developers confidence; if a developer makes a modification to
ease.js and does not cause any failing tests, it's likely that their change
didn't have negative consequences on the integrity of the framework.

ease.js is currently in a transition period in regards to the style of the test
cases. Tests written in the original format are prefixed with @samp{test-},
followed by the name of the module, followed optionally by the specific part of
the module that is being tested. Newer test cases are prefixed with the
prototype name of the unit being tested, followed by @samp{Test.js}. If there
are a number of test cases for a given prototype, any number of tests will be
included (with the same suffix) in a directory with the same name as the
prototype. The tests are written in JavaScript and use Node.js's @file{assert}
module. Newer tests use a test case system that was developed to suit the needs
of the project (still using the @file{assert} module). They may be run
individually or all at once during the build process.

Developers interested in contributing to ease.js can aid in this transition
process by helping to move all @file{test-*} tests over to the new test case
format.

In addition, there exists a @file{test/perf/} directory that contains
performance tests used for benchmarking.


@node Tools Directory
@section Tools Directory
The @file{tools/} directory contains scripts and data necessary for the build
process. The tools are shell scripts that may be run independently of the build
process if you find them to be useful. The remaining files are data to accompany
those tools.

@table @file
@item combine
Concatenates all the modules and wraps them for client-side deployment. If
requested, the tests are also wrapped and concatenated so that they may be run
in the web browser. The contents are stripped of trailing commas using the
@command{rmtrail} tool. The resulting file is @emph{not} minified; the user can
use whatever process he/she wishes to do so. In the future, minification will be
part of the build script.

@item rmtrail
Removes trailing commas from object and array definitions. Reads from standard
in. @emph{This script is not intelligent.} It was designed to work with ease.js.
It does not, for example, check to ensure that it is not removing commas from
within strings. This would not be a difficult addition, but is currently
unnecessary. Use caution when using this tool outside of ease.js.

@item minify.js
Responsible for receiving input from stdin and writing minified output to
stdout. This script uses UglifyJS to minify source files for distribution,
improving download times.

@item browser-test.html
Skeleton page to be used after the build process. Runs ease.js unit tests in the
web browser and reports any failures. This is very important to ensure that
ease.js operates consistently between all supported browsers. The tests that are
run are the same exact tests that are run server-side.

@item combine-test.tpl
Contains a client-side implementation of any modules required for testing. This
file contains mainly assertions. It is included by the @command{combine} script
when tests are requested.

@item combine.tpl
Contains the basic functionality required to get CommonJS modules working
client-side. This is a very basic implementation, only doing what is necessary
for ease.js to work properly. It is not meant to be a solution for all of your
client-side CommonJS problems.

@item license.tpl
Contains the license that is to appear atop every combined file, including
minified. The original text must remain in tact. If you make changes to the
source code, you are welcome to add additional text. See the @file{LICENSE} file
in the root directory for more information on what is permitted.
@end table

While the tools may be useful outside of ease.js in some regard, please note
that they have been tailored especially for ease.js. They do not contain
unnecessary features that ease.js does not need to make use of. Therefore, you
may need to adapt them to your own project and individual needs should you
decide to use them in your own projects.