Exporting modules/namespaces to the window object in TypeScript

Question

Exporting modules/namespaces to the window object in TypeScript

I have experience building APIs and applications in ES2015, but I am still learning the best practices for TypeScript. Can someone assist me with this challenge? Suppose I am creating an API/SDK for a shop. The objective is for the user to include my js file and access the shop and its namespaces through the window object, similar to how it can be done with Angular and other libraries.

window.shop.init();
window.shop.cart.get();
window.shop.cart.set();
window.shop.cart.clear();

In ECMAScript 2015, I would define methods like get and set, import them into my main file, extend the shop object, and then the global object as well.

// in my cart.js namespace file
export {get} from './get';

// in my shop.js
import * as cart from './cart';

global.shop = {
    cart
}

While this approach works well for namespacing in ES2015, it doesn't feel quite right in TypeScript due to all the module and namespace keywords.

I am looking to achieve the same outcome in TS. I have tried various approaches, but none have been successful so far.

module shop {
    export const cart = {...}
}

(<any>window).shop = shop;

or

namespace shop {
    // ...
}

(<any>window).shop = shop;

Some tutorials suggest that a module is automatically attached to the global/window object, but I have not experienced that. Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated!

javascript module typescript typescript1.8

Answer 1

Answer №1

Several tutorials suggested that a module would automatically be attached to the global/window object, but I did not experience this in my case.

It could be because your namespace code is within an (ES6) module rather than a script? You can find more information on the differences between scripts and modules here.

The following code creates a global variable shop in the browser when loaded as a script, for example with the tag <script src="shop.js"> (or by concatenating this file with other JavaScript files using uglifyjs).

// File shop.ts
namespace shop {
    export const cart = { /* ... */ }
}

If your code is being loaded as an ES6 module (via Webpack, SystemJS, RequireJS, or similar), then your solution is valid:

(<any>window).shop = shop;

Answer 2

Several tutorials suggested that a module would automatically be attached to the global/window object, but I did not experience this in my case.

It could be because your namespace code is within an (ES6) module rather than a script? You can find more information on the differences between scripts and modules here.

The following code creates a global variable shop in the browser when loaded as a script, for example with the tag <script src="shop.js"> (or by concatenating this file with other JavaScript files using uglifyjs).

// File shop.ts
namespace shop {
    export const cart = { /* ... */ }
}

If your code is being loaded as an ES6 module (via Webpack, SystemJS, RequireJS, or similar), then your solution is valid:

(<any>window).shop = shop;

Answer 3

Answer №2

The response from @paleo may not be flawless. It simply overrides the type inference for a shop.

I faced a similar issue earlier today. I attempted numerous "solutions" on Stack Overflow, but none of them completely eliminated the type error and allowed IDE (webstorm or vscode) to trigger type jumping.

Eventually, I discovered a viable solution from this source

https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript/issues/3180#issuecomment-102523512

, where I learned how to add typings for a global variable that serves as an interface/class and namespace simultaneously.

Here's an example:

// typings.d.ts
declare interface Window {
    shop?: MyNamespace & typeof MyNamespace
}

declare interface MyNamespace {
    somemethod?()
}

declare namespace MyNamespace {
    // ...
}

This code combines the typings of the namespace MyNamespace and interface MyNamespace into the global variable shop (a property of window).

Answer 4

The response from @paleo may not be flawless. It simply overrides the type inference for a shop.

I faced a similar issue earlier today. I attempted numerous "solutions" on Stack Overflow, but none of them completely eliminated the type error and allowed IDE (webstorm or vscode) to trigger type jumping.

Eventually, I discovered a viable solution from this source

https://github.com/Microsoft/TypeScript/issues/3180#issuecomment-102523512

, where I learned how to add typings for a global variable that serves as an interface/class and namespace simultaneously.

Here's an example:

// typings.d.ts
declare interface Window {
    shop?: MyNamespace & typeof MyNamespace
}

declare interface MyNamespace {
    somemethod?()
}

declare namespace MyNamespace {
    // ...
}

This code combines the typings of the namespace MyNamespace and interface MyNamespace into the global variable shop (a property of window).

Exporting modules/namespaces to the window object in TypeScript

Answer №1

Answer №2

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