understanding node.js exports/include

Question

understanding node.js exports/include

I am having a hard time understanding how to export a file and then include it elsewhere on node.js.

Suppose I am working on a game and I want to have the variables which define an object, or more than one, for example a var enemy:

var enemy = {
  health: 100,
  strengh: 87
};

and I save it in a file vars.js.

How can one import these variables from anywhere in my project where I need them?

Thanks in advance.

node.js

Answer 1

You would need to export them.

So Enemy.js:

var enemy = {
  health: 100,
  strengh: 87
};

exports.health = enemy.health;
exports.strength = enemy.strength;

And in otherjsfile.js:

var Enemy = require('Enemy.js');


//and then you can do 

console.log(Enemy.health); ///etc

Side point:

If the 'enemy' information is changing periodically and you want to get the newest value, you would do:

  Object.defineProperty(exports, "health", {
    get: function() {
      return enemy.health;
    }
  }); //instead of `exports.health = enemy.health;`

  Object.defineProperty(exports, "strengh", {
    get: function() {
      return enemy.strengh;
    }
  }); //instead of `exports.strength = enemy.strength;`

Answer 2

you can export from vars.js doing

module.exports = {
  health: 100,
  strengh: 87
};

or

var enemy = {
  health: 100,
  strengh: 87
};

module.exports = enemy;

And import using require:

var enemy = require('./path/to/vars');

Answer 3

in file.js:

module.exports = {
  health: 100,
  strengh: 87
}

in other files:

var enemy = require('./file'); // (or whatever the relative path to your file is

More info here.