Webpack

The Aurelia CLI offers full support for Webpack as a bundler, suitable for both ESNext and TypeScript applications.

PLATFORM.moduleName

When referencing modules by string in a Webpack-configured Aurelia application, wrap the module names using PLATFORM.moduleName. This informs Webpack about Aurelia's dynamic loading behavior.

Example:

// src/resources/index.js
import { PLATFORM } from 'aurelia-framework';

export function configure(config) {
  config.globalResources([
    PLATFORM.moduleName('./elements/my-awesome-element')
  ]);
}

// router configuration
export function configureRouter(config, router) {
  this.router = router;
  config.map([
    {
      route: '',
      name: 'home',
      title: 'Home',
      nav: true,
      moduleId: PLATFORM.moduleName('./home')
    }
  ]);
}

Hint: The aurelia-webpack-plugin processes PLATFORM.moduleName, bridging Webpack with Aurelia's dynamic behavior.

Running the Application

To run your Aurelia application with Webpack:

au run

Common Flags:

• --hmr: Enables Hot Module Reload.

  au run --hmr

• --analyze: Opens the Webpack Bundle Analyzer.

  au run --analyze

Configuration:

Default settings for au run are located in the platform section of aurelia.json:

"platform": {
  "id": "web",
  "displayName": "Web",
  "port": 8080,
  "hmr": false,
  "open": false,
  "output": "dist"
}

Adjust settings like hmr, open, and port as needed.

Simplified Webpack

From Aurelia CLI v1.1.0 onwards, Webpack usage has been simplified:

• Decoupled Bundler: Webpack operates independently from the CLI's task files.

• Commands:

  • au run maps to npm start.

  • au build maps to npm run build:dev.

Environment Configuration:

Environment files are located in the config/ folder, managed by the app-settings-loader Webpack plugin.

This simplification is applicable only to new applications. Existing Webpack setups remain unaffected.

Deploying Your App

To prepare your application for deployment:

1. Create a Production Build:

   au build --env prod

2. Deployment Output:

   • Non-ASP.NET Core: Contents reside in the dist folder. Copy this to your web server.

   • ASP.NET Core: Build output is located in wwwroot/dist. Deploy the ASP.NET Core application as per Microsoft Docs.

Build Options

Webpack configurations are exported as functions based on parameters:

module.exports = ({ production, server, extractCss, coverage } = {}) => ({
  // Webpack configuration
});

These parameters are influenced by the build.options in aurelia.json:

"build": {
  "options": {
    "server": "dev",
    "extractCss": "prod",
    "coverage": false
  }
}

• Production Flag: Determined by the --env flag (prod for production builds).

Installing 3rd Party Dependencies

Webpack intelligently bundles 3rd party dependencies. To install a new dependency:

npm install <library> --save
# or
yarn add <library>

Most dependencies require minimal or no additional configuration. Refer to the Webpack documentation for advanced configurations.

Unit Testing

Depending on your setup during au new, you may have one of the following test runners:

• Jest:

  au jest
  au jest --watch

• Karma:

  au karma
  au karma --watch

• Protractor:

  nps e2e

  Ensure nps is installed globally:

  npm install nps -g

ASP.NET Core

When integrating with ASP.NET Core:

1. Set Environment Variable:

   export ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Development

   Refer to Microsoft Docs for detailed instructions.
2. Configure Project:

   • Use Visual Studio to create the ASP.NET Core project.

   • Integrate Aurelia using au new --here within the project directory.

Hint: Prevent Visual Studio from compiling TypeScript by adding <TypeScriptCompileBlocked>true</TypeScriptCompileBlocked> to your .xproj file.