Take a look at this example .tern-project file

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

{
  "libs": [
    "browser",
    "ecma5",
    "ecma6"
  ],
  "loadEagerly": [
    "./node_modules/abacus-notepad-component/dist/*.js",
    "./node_modules/activity-component/lib/*.js",
    "./node_modules/component-popup/src/popup.jsx",
    "./server/**/*.js",
    "./server/*.js",
    "./client/src/js/**/*.js"
  ],
  "plugins": {
    "node": {}
  }
}

We’re using TernJS and it’s loadEagerly option to have intelligent & dynamic autocomplete available in our JavaScript editor setup. It works anywhere from vim to Visual Studio Code. But I digress.

As out project grows, we add more entries. As our number of projects grow, it will likely get copied all over the place, including onto other developers’ machines that you do not control. Even if you did automate (and even control) the propogation and maintenance of this file, you’d have a problem: the module names, file paths and file names aren’t normalized. A file path is an address. Addresses are normalized in society because they serve a purpose that is not reached if humans cannot make assumptions about them. When identifying structures within the United States of America, addresses are generally normalized to meet the following assumptions:

• The first piece of the identifier is real number, with the vast majority being integers (a small percentage have a vulgar fraction appended). Most importantly, the overwhelming majority of US streets have the odd numbers on one side of the street and the even numbers on the other. Anecdotal evidence shows this to be even more important than chromatic sequence when locating a structure
• The second piece is almost always the name of the thoroughfare touching the land nearest the official entrance to the structure
• The (optional) third piece is a sub-identifier representing that identity of the unit within the structure identified by the preceding and succeeding pieces
• The fourth piece is the city name
• The fifth piece is the state name
• The sixth piece is the Zone Improvement Code or ZIP code. It consist of five- and four-digit integer separated by a hypen (or “dash”). This is, in my opinion, one of the weaker parts of the address system as most folks do not know the 4 digit appendage that was introduced in 1983, nor do they usually know many ZIP codes other than their own

Just as the home address system in the USA does, a file path convention will have stronger and weaker aspects to it. All the same, we all know having an address system is better than none, so why would you not have one for files? In retrospect it becomes an obvious choice.

Take a look at an improved .tern-project file, taking into account the lessons of the address system

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

{
  "libs": [
    "browser",
    "ecma5",
    "ecma6"
  ],
  "loadEagerly": [
    "./node_modules/abacus-*-component/lib/**/*.js",
    "./lib/**/*.js"
  ],
  "plugins": {
    "node": {}
  }
}

What changes did we make?

• Name all our team’s custom components using the format teamname-modulename-component
• Always put our transpiled/consumable JavaScript files in a folder named lib, organized into appropriate subfolders& always using the extension .js. This is the convention, whether it’s a small package or an application

That’s it! We went from 6 entries to 2 just like that.

Happy filemaking!