Pre release test instructions

The last step in a Pull Request is to verify that a new feature or defect fix really works. 😄

How to create a local Node.js distribution (package) and test it

Artifact repositories like NPM and JFrog ("OneArtifactory") store the Node.js distributions as *.tgz "bundles. So whenever you run npm install cold-blooded-module, the Node Package Manager sends a request to an artifact registry, which responds by downloading a bundled file (in this case cold-blooded-module.tgz).

npm-pack

npm pack lets you do the same thing on your local machine. And, instead of requesting a package using HTTPS, you can request a local package with a physical file path, e.g.:

npm i /path/to/your/local/npm/pack/distribution.tgz

Step-by-step: how to verify a local Node.js distribution

Run the following instructions in a Terminal (command-line interface).

1. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/commonality/archetypes-rules.git
   cd archetypes-rules/

2. Checkout the topic branch you want to test.

   # Example feature branch
   git checkout 10-feat-extend-object-variable

3. "Build" the distribution package.

   Run:

   npm run bundle

   Sample output:

   The last line will output the absolute path to the package, e.g.:

   Package location:
   
   /path/to/local/repo/archetypes-rules/archetypes-rules-1.1.0.tgz

   ---

   Click/tap to view full npm pack output...

   npm notice 
   npm notice 📦  [email protected]
   npm notice === Tarball Contents === 
   npm notice 10.4kB package.json            
   npm notice 5.6kB  CHANGELOG.md            
   npm notice 1.1kB  LICENSE                 
   npm notice 28.5kB README.md               
   npm notice 21.7kB dist/archetypes-rules.js
   npm notice === Tarball Details === 
   npm notice name:          archetypes-rules                        
   npm notice version:       1.1.0                                   
   npm notice filename:      archetypes-rules-1.1.0.tgz              
   npm notice package size:  15.9 kB                                 
   npm notice unpacked size: 67.4 kB                                 
   npm notice shasum:        3bfa34ba536ae0da9ad269be437b816666c8db33
   npm notice integrity:     sha512-uBVSNTpQopypQ[...]AEgNGpHoZIBUQ==
   npm notice total files:   5                                       
   npm notice 
   archetypes-rules-1.1.0.tgz

   ---

4. Copy the full path to the packaged module

   # This works on MacOS (bash); dunno about PowerShell
   echo "$(pwd)/$(ls *.tgz)" | pbcopy

5. Create another directory somewhere else on your hard-drive:

   mkdir -p /path/to/temp/test/directory/ && cd $_

6. Initialize with npm (the --yes argument accepts all defaults):

   npm init --yes

7. Install your local package with npm

   npm i /path/to/local/repo/archetypes-rules/archetypes-rules-1.1.0.tgz

8. Start a Node.js REPL

   node

9. Import/require the archetypes-rules module

   # version <= 1.2.0
   const archetypesRules = require('archetypes-rules')
   
   # version >= 2.x
   const rules = require('@archetypes/rules')

10. Try stuff out!