package.json

Part of the Node.js Basics section of Coddy's Node.js journey. Lesson 22 of 24.

A project needs one place that says what it is called, which version it is and how to run it.

That place is package.json. "type": "module" lets .js files use import, scripts names commands for npm run, and dependencies lists the packages that npm install express downloads into node_modules. A program can import the file itself:

{
  "name": "weather",
  "version": "0.3.1",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": { "start": "node weather.js" },
  "dependencies": { "express": "^5.1.0" }
}

import pkg from './package.json' with { type: 'json' };
console.log(pkg.version);

with { type: 'json' } tells Node the file is data, not code. Without it, Node refuses the import.

Challenge

Easy

A version command prints notes 1.2.0: the name and version read from package.json.

Run node notes.js version. Then set the version to 1.3.0 in package.json and run it again.

Try it yourself

// Your notes tool starts here.
import { rmSync } from 'node:fs';
import path from 'node:path';
import { formatNote } from './format.js';
import stats from './legacy/stats.cjs';
import store from './store.js';

const [command, ...words] = process.argv.slice(2);
const text = words.join(' ');

store.on('added', (note, n) => {
    console.log(`Saved note ${n}.`);
});

const noteNumber = (word) => {
    const n = Number(word);
    if (!Number.isInteger(n) || n < 1 || n > store.notes.length) {
        console.error(`No note ${word}`);
        process.exit(1);
    }
    return n;
};

if (command === 'add') {
    await store.add(text);
} else if (command === 'list') {
    const owner = process.env.NOTES_OWNER ?? 'you';
    console.log(`Notes for ${owner}`);
    if (store.notes.length === 0) {
        console.log('No notes yet');
    }
    const lines = store.notes.map((note, i) => formatNote(i + 1, note));
    if (store.settings.sort === 'newest') {
        lines.reverse();
    }
    lines.forEach((line) => console.log(line));
} else if (command === 'where') {
    const file = path.join(process.cwd(), 'notes.json');
    console.log(file);
    console.log(path.basename(file));
} else if (command === 'stats') {
    console.log(`${store.notes.length} notes, ${stats.countWords(store.notes)} words`);
} else if (command === 'done') {
    const removed = await store.remove(noteNumber(words[0]));
    console.log(`Done: ${removed}`);
} else if (command === 'remind') {
    const note = store.notes[noteNumber(words[0]) - 1];
    let count = 3;
    const timer = setInterval(() => {
        if (count > 0) {
            console.log(count);
            count -= 1;
        } else {
            console.log(note);
            clearInterval(timer);
        }
    }, 200);
} else if (command === 'import') {
    let input = '';
    for await (const chunk of process.stdin) {
        input += chunk;
    }
    const lines = input
        .split('\n')
        .map((line) => line.trim())
        .filter((line) => line !== '');
    for (const line of lines) {
        await store.add(line);
    }
    console.log(`Imported ${lines.length} notes.`);
} else if (command === 'clear') {
    rmSync('notes.json', { force: true });
    console.log('Deleted notes.json');
} else {
    if (command) {
        console.error(`Unknown command: ${command}`);
    }
    console.error('Usage: node notes.js <command> [words]');
    process.exit(1);
}