Vue.js exclude settings file from being bundled

Question

I am using the vue-webpack template and I have created a settings.json file to store environment variables that should be changed when installing the script.

My settings.json (just store the absolute path to the API server):

{
  "apiURL": "//localhost/app/server/API"
}

How can I keep the file from being minified/bundled in the production version such that I can change it and the updated file will be used next time the app is accessed (without having to build it again) ?

In my app I use this file via require:

const SETTINGS = require('../settings.json');

I understand that by requireing it webpack will bundle it as a module, but how can I include it in my app such that the settings file will still be a separated file in the production build that I can edit.

Is there a better format/way to store those settings (so that they can be edited in production without re-building) ?

Answer 1

You can define those settings in an object that can be referenced in the externals configuration in webpack.config.js.

The externals configuration option provides a way of excluding dependencies from the output bundles. Instead, the created bundle relies on that dependency to be present in the consumer's environment.

Example:

externals: {
  appSettings: "appSettings",
  "window.appSettings": "appSettings"
}

Where appSettings is a global variable containing the environment variables you want to manipulate.

---

Alternatively, if you do not like that method that exposes the settings in the global object, you can do the following:

Export a variable with the default settings, which will be included in webpack bundle.

export var appSettings = {
  currentSettings: "",
  settings: {},
  getString: function(strName) {
    var sett = this.currentSettings ?
      this.settings[this.currentSettings] :
      appDefaultStrings;
    if (!sett || !sett[strName]) sett = appDefaultStrings;
    return sett[strName];
  },
  getSettings: function() { //Gets all available settings
    var res = [];
    res.push("");
    for (var key in this.settings) {
      res.push(key);
    }
    res.sort();
    return res;
  }
};

export var appDefaultStrings = {
  apiURL: "//localhost/app/server/API"
    //...
}
appSettings.settings["default"] = appDefaultStrings;

You can then require or import this variable and use it like so:

import appSettings from "../path/to/appSettings";

appSettings.getString("apiURL"); //"//localhost/app/server/API"

Now that you have your default settings up and running, we will create another file containing the custom settings.

import appSettings from "../path/to/appSettings";

export var appProductionSettings = {
  apiUrl: "http://example.com"
    //...
}

appSettings.settings["production"] = appProductionSettings;

The last thing you need to do is handle which settings you want to use. I have not used vue.js yet, but hopefully this will lead you in the right direction:

import appSettings from "../path/to/appSettings";

export class MyApp {
  constructor() {
    this.settingsValue = "";
  }
  get settings() {
    return this.settingsValue;
  }
  set settings(value) {
    this.settingsValue = value;
    appSettings.currentSettings = value;
  }
}

Change the settings:

import "../path/to/productionSettings";

var app = new MyApp();

app.settings = "production";

---

With this method you can create and use as many settings files as you want.