cpx Module: An Alternative to the Linux cp Command for Copying Files Across Folders
I was studying a GitHub repository and decided to download a copy of the code to my machine. After running npm install, I encountered an error caused by this postinstall script:
"postinstall": "cp node_modules/swiftlatex/dist/swift*.js node_modules/swiftlatex/dist/*.wasm public"
It required the use of the cp command, which I learned is a Linux command used for copying files or folders from one part of the file system to another. It’s a powerful tool for file system operations like moving, deleting, or duplicating files.
Since I’m using a Windows machine, the Linux cp command wouldn’t work. After doing some research, I found an npm package called cpx.
Link to the cpx module: https://www.npmjs.com/package/cpx
According to its documentation, cpx provides a CLI tool similar to cp, with added functionality like watching for file changes.
Here’s how you can install it:
npm install cpx
The usage pattern is:
cpx <source> <dest> [options]
Where:
<source>is the glob pattern for the files you want to copy.<dest>is the destination directory.
For example:
cpx "src/**/*.{html,png,jpg}" app --watch
This command copies all .html, .png, and .jpg files from the src directory to the app directory, preserving the folder structure. It also watches for changes and re-copies files as needed.
In the project I was working on, the postinstall script looked like this:
"postinstall": "cp node_modules/swiftlatex/dist/swift*.js node_modules/swiftlatex/dist/*.wasm public"
To make it work on Windows, I replaced cp with cpx, like this:
"postinstall": "cpx \"node_modules/swiftlatex/dist/swift*.js\" public && cpx \"node_modules/swiftlatex/dist/*.wasm\" public"
This version uses cpx to copy all files matching swift*.js and .wasm from the node_modules/swiftlatex/dist directory into the public folder in my Next.js project.
In essence, cpx is a great alternative to the Linux cp command for Windows users. It was exciting to learn something new and see how seamlessly I could adapt the project to my environment!
